Yılmaz Selim Erdal

A new correction procedure for calibrating dental caries frequency

The incisors and canines and the premolars and molars show differential resistance to cariogenic factors. The anterior teeth have a lower caries frequency than the posterior teeth. However, these tooth classes are lost differentially in postmortem stages due to their anatomical structures. This differential postmortem tooth loss distorts proportions between the anterior and posterior tooth classes. The disproportionality can affect the calculation of total caries prevalence. In this paper, we propose a new calibration procedure which removes this disproportionality and call it the proportional correction factor. For this procedure, the caries rates of anterior and posterior teeth are corrected by multiplying the anterior teeth by three-eighths and the posterior teeth by five-eighths. These fractions are derived from the human dental formula which contains three anterior and five posterior teeth by side. The correction factor is more effective if the proportion of anterior to the posterior teeth is extremely distorted. When this procedure is used with the caries correction factor, it provides a useful way to approach to an almost true caries prevalence.

The Demographic Development of the First Farmers in Anatolia

Summary The archaeological documentation of the development of sedentary farming societies in Anatolia is not yet mirrored by a genetic understanding of the human populations involved, in contrast to the spread of farming in Europe [1, 2, 3]. Sedentary farming communities emerged in parts of the Fertile Crescent during the tenth millennium and early ninth millennium calibrated (cal) BC and had appeared in central Anatolia by 8300 cal BC [4]. Farming spread into west Anatolia by the early seventh millennium cal BC and quasi-synchronously into Europe, although the timing and process of this movement remain unclear. Using genome sequence data that we generated from nine central Anatolian Neolithic individuals, we studied the transition period from early Aceramic (Pre-Pottery) to the later Pottery Neolithic, when farming expanded west of the Fertile Crescent. We find that genetic diversity in the earliest farmers was conspicuously low, on a par with European foraging groups. With the advent of the Pottery Neolithic, genetic variation within societies reached levels later found in early European farmers. Our results confirm that the earliest Neolithic central Anatolians belonged to the same gene pool as the first Neolithic migrants spreading into Europe. Further, genetic affinities between later Anatolian farmers and fourth to third millennium BC Chalcolithic south Europeans suggest an additional wave of Anatolian migrants, after the initial Neolithic spread but before the Yamnaya-related migrations. We propose that the earliest farming societies demographically resembled foragers and that only after regional gene flow and rising heterogeneity did the farming population expansions into Europe occur.

A migration-driven model for the historical spread of leprosy in medieval Eastern and Central Europe

Leprosy was rare in Europe during the Roman period, yet its prevalence increased dramatically in medieval times. We examined human remains, with paleopathological lesions indicative of leprosy, dated to the 6th-11th century AD, from Central and Eastern Europe and Byzantine Anatolia. Analysis of ancient DNA and bacterial cell wall lipid biomarkers revealed Mycobacterium leprae in skeletal remains from 6th-8th century Northern Italy, 7th-11th century Hungary, 8th-9th century Austria, the Slavic Greater Moravian Empire of the 9th-10th century and 8th-10th century Byzantine samples from Northern Anatolia. These data were analyzed alongside findings published by others. M. leprae is an obligate human pathogen that has undergone an evolutionary bottleneck followed by clonal expansion. Therefore M. leprae genotypes and sub-genotypes give information about the human populations they have infected and their migration. Although data are limited, genotyping demonstrates that historical M. leprae from Byzantine Anatolia, Eastern and Central Europe resembles modern strains in Asia Minor rather than the recently characterized historical strains from North West Europe. The westward migration of peoples from Central Asia in the first millennium may have introduced different M. leprae strains into medieval Europe and certainly would have facilitated the spread of any existing leprosy. The subsequent decline of M. leprae in Europe may be due to increased host resistance. However, molecular evidence of historical leprosy and tuberculosis co-infections suggests that death from tuberculosis in leprosy patients was also a factor.

Organized violence in Anatolia: A retrospective research on the injuries from the Neolithic to Early Bronze Age

The question of the presence of organized violence in the Neolithic settlements in Middle East has been debated. This paper presents possible examples of organized violence from the Neolithic period, representing early examples of settlements in Anatolia, to the Early Bronze Age, which provides the early instances of central authority. Most injuries detected among Neolithic populations in Anatolia have been associated with daily activities. Although individual examples of interpersonal violence exist among Neolithic and Chalcolithic populations in Anatolia, but they are far from representing organized violence. On the other hand the Early Bronze Age populations present clear evidence of perimortem wounds, mass burials, high frequency of cranial fractures, walls surrounding cities, and metal weapons in Anatolia. This suggests an increased evidence of organized violence in EBA Anatolia. Based on bioarchaeological data, it is concluded that violence in these settlements resulted from one or more ecological and social factors. However, each settlement might have peculiar reason for fighting.

Why did the frequency of palatine torus increase in the ancient Anatolian populations

The frequency of the palatine torus varies in various populations from different regions of the world. In this study, the change of frequency of palatine torus is examined using 387 skulls from 12 different ancient Anatolian populations in various periods ranging from the Early Bronze Age to the first quarter of the 20th century. While the frequency of palatine torus is 45% in the Early Bronze Age, this ratio steadily increases to 87% in the Ottoman Period and finally declines to 40% during the recent period. It was determined that the increase in the frequency of the palatine torus is statistically significant across different periods from the Early Bronze Age until the 20th century. Constituting a passageway between Asia and Europe and being located on the crossroads of the most important trade route of the Medieval Period, the Silk Road, Anatolia is known to have been subjected to recurring invasions and migrations since the 11th century A.D. Therefore, it is possible to say that, with the introduction of the Mongoloid influence in Anatolia, genetic flow has had a significant role in the observed increase in the frequency of this trait.

Effect of tube potential and image receptor on the detection of natural proximal caries in primary teeth

The aim of this study was to assess the detection of proximal caries in primary teeth at three different tube potentials using Ektaspeed films, storage phosphor plates (SPPs), and a charge-coupled device (CCD). Fifty-three extracted human primary molars with natural proximal caries were radiographed with three different imaging modalities—Digora Optime SPP system, RVGui CCD system, and Ektaspeed films—at 50-, 65-, and 70-kV tube potentials. Three observers scored the resultant images for the presence or absence of caries. The definitive diagnosis was determined by stereomicroscopic assessment. The diagnostic accuracy for each imaging modality was expressed as the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (Az). Differences among the Az values were assessed using two-way ANOVA and t tests. Kappa was used to measure inter- and intra-observer agreement. Higher accuracy was found for SPPs compared to film and CCD images at all tube potentials. Accuracy was significantly different only at 50-kV tube setting in favor of SPPs (p < 0.05). Inter- and intra-observer agreement was high for all systems. A SPP system can be recommended for dental peadodontic clinics particularly with 50-kV tube potential for the diagnosis of proximal caries since further advantages include the elimination of chemical processing, image enhancement, and a better low-contrast detectability performance.

Buried with turtles: the symbolic role of the Euphrates soft-shelled turtle ( Rafetus euphraticus ) in Mesopotamia

Abstract Excavations at Kavuşan Höyük (south-eastern Turkey) have revealed evidence of the use of turtles, tortoises and terrapins in post-Assyrian funerary practices. Of particular significance are the remains of the Euphrates soft-shelled turtle (Rafetus euphraticus), distinguished from other species of turtle by their quantity and treatment in the burial pit under investigation here. The unique finds from Kavuşan Höyük, coupled with archaeological and textual records, underline the economic and symbolic significance of these animals for communities in prehistoric and early historical Mesopotamia.

Investigations of Osteobiography of the Koru Tumulus Skeletons by Elemental Analysis

M.O.546-334 yillari arasinda onemli bir Satraplik merkezi olan Daskyleion’da (Bandirma, Balikesir), 2010 yilinda gerceklestirilen Koru Tumulus’u kazisindan, ucu mezar odasinin icerisinden, digeri mezar odasinin on kisminda (dromos) yer alan irice yassi bir tasin altindan dort bireye ait kemik kalintilari ele gecmistir. Ele gecen kemiklerin element bilesimi, bireylerin icinde bulundugu olum oncesi ve olum sonrasi surecleri degerlendirmek icin kullanilmistir. Bu amac dogrultusunda Polarize Enerji Ayrimli X-isini Floresans (PED-XRF) yontemiyle kemigin kimyasal butunlugunu, bireylerin diyetini ve gomu sonrasi kemikteki element birikimlerini temsil eden Ca, P, Sr, Ba, Mg, Cu, As, Fe, Y, Th, Cd, Zn, Mn, Pb ve uranyum uyluk kemiginin inorganik kismindan analiz edilmistir. Mezar odasinda ele gecen bireyler (BDK-K1, BDK-K2 ve BDK-K3) ile mezar odasinin disinda ele gecen birey (BDK-K4) arasinda beslenme ve diagenetik birikim acisindan farkliliklar gozlenmistir. Tahil ve yuksek proteinli hayvansal gidalarla beslenmenin gostergesi olan Ba/Ca ve Zn/Ca oranlari mezar odasinda ele gecen grup icin belirleyici olmustur. Bitki ve deniz kokenli besinlerin kullanimina isaret eden Sr/Ca orani da ayni grup icin ayirt edicidir. Buna karsin, mezar odasinin disinda ele gecen birey icin, ic organ gibi dusuk proteinli hayvansal gida tuketiminin gostergesi olan Cu/Ca orani karakteristiktir. Gomu sonrasi surecler acisindan yapilan degerlendirmede oncelikle mezar odasinda ele gecen uc bireyin bakir, mezar odasi disinda ele gecen bireyin ise demir tarafindan gruplanan gomu sonrasi kimyasal degisimlere maruz kaldigi belirlenmistir. Beslenme deki farkliliga ek olarak, gomu sonrasi kemiklerde meydana gelen kimyasal degisimler farkli gomu kosullarina isaret etmistir. Diagenetik degisimler, dromostaki bireyin tafonomik sureclerle yerinin degismedigine, yani gomuldugu ilk andan itibaren bulundugu konumu korudugunu ortaya cikarmasi, BDK-K4 numarali bireyin mezar odasindaki grubun uyesi olmadigi fikrini desteklemistir. Kemiklerin kimyasal analizlerinin ortaya cikardigi farkliliklar, iskeletlerin gomu konumlari ve mezar odasinda ele gecen degerli mezar hediyeleri beraber degerlendirildiginde BDK-K4 numarali bireyin, basariya ulasamadan hayatini kaybetmis bir mezar soyguncusu olabilecegi ihtimali akla gelmektedir.

Bazı eski Anadolu toplumlarında uzun kemik büyümesi

In recent years it has been suggested that long bone growth curves reflect the nutritional and health status of the ancient populations. Taking this suggestion as a basis, the growth patterns were described long bones (humerus, radius, ulna, femur, tibia and fibula) in prepubertal skeletal remains from Degirmentepe of Chalcolithic and Medieval periods, Oylum Hoyuk of Early Bronze Age, Cafer Hoyuk of Medieval, and Iznik of Late Medieval. In each of the long bones, maximum diaphyseal lengths were measured by standard anthropometric techniques. The biological age of infants and children were determined by referring to dental formation and eruption stages. From the growth curves, obvious growth retardation was observed during 1-8 ages in all bones studied, especially in lower extremities, in ancient Anatolian populations. This finding shows that lower limbs are more susceptible to adverse circumstances. According to the archaeological and modern data, growth retardation seems to be a serious health problem for both the ancient inhabitants and the modern rural populations of Anatolia. It was concluded that under- and/or malnutrition, adverse circumstances, and agricultural life style are responsible for growth retardation.