Renáta Přichystalová

Population-specific stature estimation from long bones in the early medieval Pohansko (Czech Republic).

OBJECTIVES We tested the effect of population-specific linear body proportions on stature estimation. MATERIALS AND METHODS We used a skeletal sample of 31 males and 20 females from the Early Medieval site at Pohansko (Břeclav, Central Europe) and a comparative Central European Early Medieval sample of 45 males and 28 females. We developed new population-specific equations for the Pohansko sample using anatomical reconstructions of stature, then compared percentage prediction errors (%PEs) of anatomical stature from limb bone lengths using the derived Pohansko equations with those previously derived from more general European and other Early Medieval samples. RESULTS Among general European equations, the lowest %PEs for the Pohansko sample were obtained using the equations of Formicola and Franceschi: Am J Phys Anthropol 100 (1996) 83-88 and Ruff et al.: Am J Phys Anthropol 148 (2012) 601-617. However, unexpectedly, the choice between tibial latitudinal variants proposed by Ruff et al.: Am J Phys Anthropol 148 (2012) 601-617 appeared to be sex-specific, with northern and southern variants producing lower %PEs for males and females, respectively. Equations from Breitinger: Anthropol Anz 14 (1937) 249-274, Bach: Anthropol Anz 29 (1965) 12-21, and Sjøvold: Hum Evol 5 (1990) 431-447 provided poor agreement with anatomical stature. When applied to the comparative Central European Early Medieval sample, our new formulae have generally lower %PE than previously derived formulae based on other European Early Medieval samples (Maijanen and Niskanen: Int J Osteoarchaeol 20 (2010) 472-480; Vercellotti et al.: Am J Phys Anthropol 140 (2009) 135-142. CONCLUSIONS The best agreement with anatomical stature among our newly developed equations was obtained using femoral+tibial length, followed by femoral length. Upper limb bone lengths resulted in higher %PEs. Variation in the tibia is likely to contribute most to potential bias in stature estimation. Am J Phys Anthropol 158:312-324, 2015.

Body mass estimation in skeletal samples using the hybrid approach : the effect of population-specific variations and sexual dimorphism

Body mass is estimated from skeletal records with low accuracy, and it is expected that population-specific equations derived by a hybrid approach may help to reduce the error in body mass estimates. We used 204 individuals from five Central European Early Medieval sites to test the effect of population-specific femoral head breadth equations on the accuracy of body mass estimates. The baseline for living body mass was computed using the biiliac breadth and stature. We also analyzed the agreement of five general femoral head techniques that are used in body mass estimation (Elliott et al. (Archaeol Anthropol Sci 1–20, 2015b; Grine et al. (Am J Phys Anthropol 97:151–185, 1995); McHenry (Am J Phys Anthropol 87:407–431, 1992); Ruff et al. (Am J Phys Anthropol 148:601–617, 2012); Ruff et al. (Am J Phys Anthropol 86:397, 1991)). Our results support previous findings showing that body mass is predicted with lower accuracy than stature, even when population-specific equations are derived. However, the population-specific approach increases the agreement with the body mass estimated from the biiliac breadth and stature, particularly when sex-specific equations are used. Thus, our results advocate for the employment of sex-specific equations when possible and show that the possibility of deriving equation for each sex separately is the main advantage of the population-specific approach. The best agreement among the body mass techniques in the Central European Early Medieval samples was observed using the femoral head equations reported by Ruff et al. (Am J Phys Anthropol 148:601–617, 2012) and McHenry (Am J Phys Anthropol 87:407–431, 1992), whereas other studied equations provided lower agreement. The particularly low performance obtained using the technique reported by Elliott et al. (2015b) questioned the use of their equations to estimate body masses.

Molecular archaeoparasitology identifies cultural changes in the Medieval Hanseatic trading centre of Lübeck

Throughout history, humans have been afflicted by parasitic worms, and eggs are readily detected in archaeological deposits. This study integrated parasitological and ancient DNA methods with a large sample set dating between Neolithic and Early Modern periods to explore the utility of molecular archaeoparasitology as a new approach to study the past. Molecular analyses provided unequivocal species-level parasite identification and revealed location-specific epidemiological signatures. Faecal–oral transmitted nematodes (Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura) were ubiquitous across time and space. By contrast, high numbers of food-associated cestodes (Diphyllobothrium latum and Taenia saginata) were restricted to medieval Lübeck. The presence of these cestodes and changes in their prevalence at approximately 1300 CE indicate substantial alterations in diet or parasite availability. Trichuris trichiura ITS-1 sequences grouped into two clades; one ubiquitous and one restricted to medieval Lübeck and Bristol. The high sequence diversity of T.t.ITS-1 detected in Lübeck is consistent with its importance as a Hanseatic trading centre. Collectively, these results introduce molecular archaeoparasitology as an artefact-independent source of historical evidence.

Regular graveyard in the stronghold versus settlement burials in the bailey. Comparison of Early Medieval populations from Pohansko (Czech Republic)

ABSTRACT The aim of the study is to identify possible differences in the prevalence of biological stress markers (cribra orbitalia, linear enammel hypoplasia), dental caries, activity markers (Schmorls nodes) and markers of violence (traumatic lesions) in populations from a typical graveyard around the first church (9th-10th century AD) in the stronghold and from settlement burials in the southern bailey (second half of the 9th - beginning of the 10th century AD) of Slavs from Pohansko (Czech Republic). Cribra orbitalia and enamel hypoplasia did not markedly differ in either population. On the other hand, co-occurrence of both markers was statistically different and distinction in higher age categories could indicate diverse living conditions. Lower cariousness in the population from the southern bailey was identified. The nature of postcranial traumatic lesions in both populations indicates rather their accidental origin. However, a higher incidence of cranial injuries points to more violent activities in the population from Pohansko compared to Mikulčice. A high number of healed face injuries in males from the southern bailey could indicate higher intragroup violence in this population.

Břeclav - Pohansko VII. Kostelní pohřebiště na Severovýchodním předhradí

Kniha o druhem kostelnim pohřebisti na Severovýchodnim předhradi hradiska Břeclav – Pohansko je zavrsenim 5-leteho badatelskeho usili týmu vedeneho prof. Jiřim Machackem z Masarykovy univerzity. Publikace obsahuje ucelenou informaci o populaci pohřbene v tomto prostoru na konci 9. a v prvni polovině 10. stoleti. Kniha se sklada z kompletniho katalogu pohřebistě a z analyticke a synteticke casti, hodnotici funeralni areal z pohledu archeologie, historie a antropologie. Tato cast knihy je rozdělena do 11 nosných kapitol: Severovýchodni předhradi v kontextu systematickeho výzkumu Pohanska – Charakteristika lokality z hlediska přirodniho prostředi – Metodika archeologickeho výzkumu – Rozsah pohřebistě a Pohřebni ritus – Tafonomicko-demograficka charakteristika kosternich nalezů – Artefakty jako soucast hrobove výbavy – Chronologie pohřebistě – Prostorova struktura pohřebistě a Socialni struktura komunity – Vztah pohřebni a obytne komponenty. Knihu integralně doplňuje komplexni publikace o kosternich pozůstatcich z pohřebistě, kterou připravil tým pod vedenim doc. V. Sladka z Univerzity Karlovy.