Krzysztof Szostek

Cribra Orbitalia and Trace Element Content in Human Teeth From Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Graves in Southern Poland

Determination of element levels in bones and teeth can complement knowledge of the diagnostics and etiology of various diseases in prehistoric populations. Calcium (Ca), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and lead (Pb) content were analyzed in teeth from human skeletons dated to 3,000-1,400 BC from Malopolska Upland loess. Levels of iron and calcium were determined using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), and lead, cadmium, and copper levels were measured using anodic stripping voltametry (ASV). Molar teeth from specimens with cribra orbitalia were selected for analyses, and teeth from specimens with no pathological changes were used as a control. No significant correlations between the content of particular elements and the tooth class, specimen age, or depth of burial pit were observed. The Fe content in specimens with cribra orbitalia is not the best measure for this diseases etiology. Thus, interelement correlations and proportions might give a better picture of the biological condition of the specimen and of the investigated groups.

Chemical signals and reconstruction of life strategies from ancient human bones and teeth - problems and perspectives

Chemical signals and reconstruction of life strategies from ancient human bones and teeth - problems and perspectives Chemical analyses of historical and prehistoric bone material provide us with a complex body of knowledge in bioarcheological studies. These can be used for reconstructing diet, migration, climate changes and the weaning process. The analysis of enamel, dentin and bones allows researchers to gather data on life strategies of an individual by retrospectively tracing his ontogenetic phases. This is made possible through knowledge of the mineralization periods of permanent and deciduous teeth while simultaneously taking account of differences between enamel, dentin and bone remodelling rates, dependent on the age of the individual. Yet, the large interpretative potential of isotope analyses of bone material is severely limited by diagenesis. The accurate recording of diagenetic changes in historical human bone material is a current main trend in bioarcheological research. Today, a highly specialised set of research tools is used for verifying whether bones unearthed at archeological sites are suitable for isotope tests. Isotope determinations are pivotal in this research as reconstructions of paleodiets or migrations of our ancestors can be based only on material that has been maintained intact in sufficient proportions post mortem. Analizy chemiczne historycznego i przedhistorycznego materiału kostnego dostarczają kompleksowej wiedzy w badaniach bioarcheologicznych i mogą być wykorzystane do rekonstrukcji diety, migracji, zmian klimatycznych czy też procesu odstawienia od piersi. Ważnym aspektem tych badań jest możliwość uzyskania wiedzy o strategiach życiowych osobnika dzięki śledzeniu retrospektywnemu różnych jego faz ontogenetycznych. Jest to możliwe dzięki znanym okresom mineralizacji poszczególnych typów zębów stałych i mlecznych (z uwzględnieniem różnic pomiędzy szkliwem a zębiną), a także odmienności tempa remodelingu kostnego w zależności od wieku osobnika. Ponieważ duży potencjał interpretacyjny, który niosą ze sobą analizy izotopowe materiału kostnego podlega jednak znacznym ograniczeniom, związanym z nieprzewidywalną diagenezą, w badaniach wykorzystuje się specjalne metody pozwalające weryfikować pośmiertne zmiany struktury chemicznej materiału. W procedurach chemicznych analiz izotopowych efekt końcowy badań jest zawsze obarczony większymi lub mniejszymi błędami wpływającymi na ostateczny wynik. Ich źródła można przedstawić następująco: obróbka danych 10%, pomiar i kalibracja 30%, pobieranie i przygotowanie próbki 60%. Uzyskane wyniki będące efektem zmian diagenetycznych dostarczają wiedzy geochemicznej (interesującej geologów) a nie biochemicznej (interesującej antropologów), w związku z tym późniejsze próby interpretacji danych diagenetycznych nie są zasadne i nie wnoszą również żadnej istotnej wiedzy biologicznej. Dlatego gdy przedmiotem badań antropologicznych są pierwiastki i ich izotopy, niezbędna jest kompleksowa analiza materiału, uwzględniająca ocenę organicznej i nieorganicznej struktury kości i zębów. Niezbędne są również dane archeozoologiczne oraz próbki wody środowiskowej (izotopy tlenu) i skał rodzimych (izotopy strontu) w celu określenia tła archeologicznego, geofizycznego i troficznego. Należy pamiętać, że istnieje prostoliniowa dodatnia zależność pomiędzy utratą frakcji organicznej kości (% kolagenu, C/N) a stopniem jej krystalizacji (Ca/P, CI). Najlepszą strategią badawczą związaną z analizami izotopowymi jest wykorzystanie apatytów pochodzących ze szkliwa i z zębiny lub kości zawierających dużą ilość oryginalnego kolagenu. Kości pozbawione składników organicznych są bardziej narażone na pośmiertne zmiany izotopowe oraz pierwiastkowe. Należy zwrócić także uwagę, że duża zawartość struktur organicznych utrudnia pozyskiwanie fosforanów i węglanów z kości. Nie zawsze uzyskane wyniki stopnia krystaliczności kości (CI) mieszczą się w zakresie odpowiadającym współczesnym materiałom (2,5-3,3). Dla materiału archeologicznego wartości te nie powinny przekraczać CI = 3,5. Zdarza się jednak, że pomimo wyższego CI materiał jest przydatny do dalszych analiz, ponieważ np. utrata pewnej części fosforanów nie zawsze jest związana ze zmianami stosunków izotopowych tlenu. Jeżeli materiał nie wykazuje istotnej korelacji pomiędzy izotopami tlenu a wskaźnikiem CI (tak jak we współczesnych zębach i kościach), oznacza to biogenny (niezmieniony) skład izotopowy. Podsumowując należy stwierdzić, że przed biologiczną interpretacją danych uzyskanych z analiz chemicznych kości i zębów trzeba zawsze zweryfikować stopień ewentualnych zmian diagenetycznych w badanym materiale.

Analysis of mercury levels in historical bone material from syphilitic subjects--pilot studies (short report).

The aim of the present work is to study the remains of seven individuals with typical symptoms of tertiary syphilis in terms of mercury content in bones, thereby verifying whether they were subjected to treatment and, if they were, how long their organisms were exposed to toxic mercury fumes. Mercury was used, mainly in the Middle Ages and in the early modern period, as a preventive measure in case of individuals suffering from syphilis, a venereal disease, and also leprosy. Syphilitic patients treated this way should demonstrate increased concentration of mercury in their bones. The skeletons studied in the present work originate from various archaeological sites in southern and north-central Poland. The analyses concerned individuals with diagnosed syphilis as well as healthy individuals who constituted the control group. The analyses were performed by the LA-ICP-MS technique, with the use of laser Nd: YAG, Macro, 266 nm, New Wave, USA, coupled with Spectrometer Elan DRC-e Perkin Elmer, USA. The content analysis of the studied bone material revealed with high probability that the contact method of mercurial treatment was used only in the case of two women from north-central Poland, deceased at the turn of the 15th century at the earliest.

The use of strontium and barium analyses for the reconstruction of the diet of the early medieval coastal population of Gdańsk (Poland): A preliminary study.

Barium and strontium analyses yield an important perspective on temporal shifts in diet in relation to social and environmental circumstances. This research focuses on reconstructing dietary strategies of individuals in the early medieval (12-13th century) population of Gdańsk on the coast of the Baltic Sea. To describe these strategies where seafood rich in minerals was included in the diet, levels of strontium, barium, calcium and phosphorus were measured in first permanent molars of adult men and women whose remains were excavated from the churchyard in the city centre. Faunal remains from the excavation were analysed as an environmental background with respect to the content of the above-mentioned elements. The impact of diagenesis on the odontological material under study was also determined by an analysis of the soil derived from the grave and non-grave surroundings. For verification of diagenetic processes, the calcium/phosphorus index was used. Strontium, calcium, phosphorus and barium levels were determined with the spectrophotometric method using the latest generation plasma spectrophotometer Elan 6100 ICP-MS. From the results of the analysis of taphonomic parameters such as the soil pH, potential ion exchange in the grave surroundings and the Ca/P ratio, it can be inferred that diagenetic factors had little impact on the studied material. From this pilot study we can conclude that in the early Middle Ages in the Baltic Sea basin, seafood was included in the diet from early childhood and at the same time the diet contained calcium-rich milk products (also rich in minerals). The lack of sex differences may indicate the absence of a sex-specific nutritional strategy in childhood and early adolescence.

Dental caries and chemical analyses in reconstruction of diet, health and hygienic behaviour in the Middle Euphrates valley (Syria)

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to use two methods, biological and chemical, to examine changes in diet and health in individuals from the Middle Euphrates valley (Syria). We determined the frequency distribution of dental caries. Chemical analyses were concerned with the presence of elements such as strontium, barium, calcium and stable carbon isotopes ((13)C/(14)C). We chose three consecutive periods: Late Roman (2nd-4th century AD), Islamic (600-1200 AD) and Modern Islamic (1850-1950 AD). MATERIALS AND METHODS We analysed the dental remains of 145 individuals, with a total of 2530 teeth. We used visual research (magnifying glass/sharp dental probe) and radiography. The frequencies of caries were calculated on the basis of the proportional correction factor of Erdal and Duyar. We chose 39 permanent second molars for chemical analyses. RESULTS The frequency of carious lesions was similar in all three periods (6-8%). In the Modern Islamic and Islamic periods, occlusal surfaces were infected with caries most often, while the cemento-enamel junction (CEJ) and approximal surfaces were affected to a lesser degree. However, in the Late Roman period, the CEJ and approximal surfaces showed caries most frequently, in contrast to occlusal surfaces, which seldom showed signs of caries. Chemical analyses showed lower Sr/Ca ratios and Observed Ratio index values for the Modern Islamic and higher values for the Islamic and Late Roman periods. Mean stable isotope (δ(13)C) analyses demonstrated that the Modern Islamic period was strongly divergent from the other periods. DISCUSSION These data suggest a similar socio-economic status during the Late Roman and Islamic periods. The diet of the population living in the Late Roman and Islamic periods contained a larger number of products containing strontium than calcium. In the modern population these proportions have been reversed.

Diagenetic signals from ancient human remains - bioarchaeological applications

Diagenetic signals from ancient human remains - bioarchaeological applications This preliminary study examines the potential effects of diagenetic processes on the oxygen-isotope ratios of bone and tooth phosphate (δ18O) from skeletal material of individuals representing the Corded Ware Culture (2500-2400 BC) discovered in Malżyce (Southern Poland). Intra-individual variability of Ca/P, CI, C/P, collagen content (%) and oxygen isotopes was observed through analysis of enamel, dentin and postcranial bones. Using a variety of analytical techniques, it was found that, despite the lack of differences in soil acidity, not all the parts of a skeleton on a given site had been equally exposed to diagenetic post mortem changes. In a few cases, qualitative changes in the FTIR spectrum of analysed bones were observed. The data suggest that apart from quantitative analyses, i.e., the calculation of Ca/P, CI, C/P and collagen content, qualitative analyses such as examination of the absorbance line are recommended. The degree to which a sample is, contaminated on the basis of any additional, non-biogenic peaks, deemed to be contaminated should also be specified.

The human bone oxygen isotope ratio changes with aging

The oxygen isotope ratio (δ18O) in tissues is the outcome of both climatic and geographical factors in a given individual’s place of abode, as well as the physiology and metabolism of his organism. During an individual’s life, various rates and intensities of physiological and metabolic processes are observable in the organism, also within the bone tissue.The aim of this study is to verify whether involutional changes occurring as a result of the organism’s ageing have a significant impact on δ18O determined in the bone tissue.The material used for analysis was fragments of the long bones taken from 65 people, (11 children and 54 adults), whose remains had been uncovered at the early mediaeval (X–XI century) cemetery located at the Main Market Square in Kraków (Poland).The correlation analysis between δ18O of bone tissue and an individual’s age shows that up to 40 years of age, such a relationship does not exist in both, males and females. However, the conducted correlation analysis prompted the observation that after 40 years of life, δ18O in bone tissue significantly drops as females increase in age.Results suggest that the δ18O in bone tissue among older people may be the outcome not only of environmental factors but also involutional changes in bone linked to an organism’s ageing. Therefore, the interpretation of δ18O results relating to the description of the origin and migrations of older individuals should be treated with caution.

Trace element analysis of Bronze Age skeletal and crematory graves from Southern Poland for diet reconstruction

The basic aim of the present study was to determine the diet of human populations dating from the Bronze Age and the time of Roman influence. The osseous material under examination came from skeletal and crematory burials of the Lusatian and Przeworks Cultures, found in a cemetery at Opatów, Klobuck District, Silesian Province. Three elements: strontium, zinc and calcium were chosen as basic diet determinants. The three elements and the proportions between them are the most frequently used factors that permit a description of the relative proportion of animal and plant protein in a diet. It was assumed that the differentiation of burial ritual was paired with a diverse mode and quality of nourishment. Interdisciplinary osteological analyses, based on physicochemical studies of the odontologic material in the context of archaeological data (culture affiliation, type of burial, grave furnishings), permit a complex analysis of the issues connected with the biology of human groups, their demographic structure or, eventually, paleostratigraphy of primeval communities. It has been found that the type of burial and the richness of grave furnishings are most closely connected with the ultimate differentiation of Zn and Ca concentrations and the value of the Sr/Zn ratio. Because the richly furnished graves are at the same time mostly skeletal burials, it cannot be unequivocally stated which of the above-mentioned factors is of paramount importance. It has also been demonstrated that representatives of the Przeworsk Culture, chronologically younger than the Lusatian one that inhabited the same geographic region, show a lower Zn concentration and a higher Sr/Zn ratio.

Strontium isotopes as an indicator of human migration – easy questions, difficult answers

Abstract Isotope analyses of bones and teeth allow us to study phenomena which occurred in the history of human species and which are difficult to capture by traditional anthropological methods. Measuring oxygen, nitrogen and carbon isotope levels in the skeleton makes it possible to reconstruct climatic changes, diet and/or the weaning process. Among isotopes used in such analyses are strontium isotopes, helpful in analysing migration and studying the mobility of historical and prehistoric human populations. In this respect, the proportion of two isotopes, the heavier 87Sr and the lighter 86Sr, is measured, following their extraction from the bioapatite of the bone mineral. Released from rocks in the weathering process, strontium permeates individual components of inanimate and animate environments, and then finds its way, together with food, to the human body. Thanks to comprehensive environmental studies and the measurement of the strontium ratio 87Sr/86Sr in various animal tissues it is possible to determine the local isotope background for the environment. Values obtained by analysing human skeletons referenced against the range of environmental isotope variability enable researchers to trace back the location inhabited by the individual or group.

Isotopic composition and identification of the origins of individuals buried in a Neolithic collective grave at Bronocice (southern Poland)

The oxygen present in a human organism comes from numerous sources, but the major factor that causes variation in the isotopic composition of this element in a tissue is available drinking water. The isotopic ratio of oxygen in an organisms tissue, including that found in bones and teeth, reflects the isotopic oxygen composition typical for the area where a given individual developed and lived. Of particular interest with regard to this issue were a series of skeletons from the multiple grave discovered at the Funnel Beaker-Baden settlement at Bronocice (southern Poland). The question therefore arose whether the specimens buried in this grave were part of the local community. The oxygen isotope level was established using apatite isolated from bones or teeth. A femur and root dentine samples taken from permanent teeth were subjected to oxygen isotope analysis. The oxygen isotope level of the site was established on the basis of local water precipitation and measurements taken from the oxygen isotope concentration in apatite samples isolated from the bones of animals co-occurring with the studied human group. It has been found that the oxygen isotope levels in the bones and dentine of almost all the analysed specimens from the excavated site at Bronocice were within the established range for the areas environment, providing evidence for their local origin. Thus, it can be assumed that the analysed group inhabiting the macrosettlement at Bronocice during the Funnel Beaker phase of the Baden culture was most probably of local origin.