Article
Anthropology
Ana Solari, Gisele Daltrini Felice, Anne Marie Pessis, Gabriela Martin, Niede Guidon
Summary: This article reports on two different deposits of human remains found at an archaeological site in Northeastern Brazil. One deposit consists of semi-articulated skeleton in a plant funerary container, while the other deposit consists of burnt commingled human remains. Through analysis, the researchers were able to understand the unique funerary pattern in the cave and infer the sequential stages of a secondary funerary practice.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Archaeology
Mevlut Eliusuk
Summary: Surface surveys and excavations in Hadrianopolis in Paphlagonia and its surrounding area have uncovered various types of tombs, including a new tomb type, and revealed the presence of cremation burials in the region.
ANADOLU ARASTIRMALARI-ANATOLIAN RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Religion
Ewa Trzaskowska
Summary: Burial practices vary across cultures and time periods. Traditional burial methods, such as burying the body in the ground, pose problems of limited burial space and environmental impact. Alternative methods like cremation and eco-friendly burials are needed.
Article
Medicine, Legal
Sam De Decker
Summary: The Flanders Heritage Agency has established guidelines for excavating human remains in Flanders, which must be done by archaeologists and physical anthropologists to ensure compliance with legislation and quality research. This method increases the chance of identification and provides more details about battles and wars.
FORENSIC SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Anthropology
Frederik W. Rademakers, Georges Verly, Luc Delvaux, Frank Vanhaecke, Patrick Degryse
Summary: This study presents the first combined elemental composition and lead isotope data for Middle Kingdom Egyptian copper alloy artifacts, providing insights into the copper production chains and waste materials associated with 12th Dynasty mining expeditions in the southern Sinai Peninsula. The research also highlights the need for a careful approach to provenance research of early Egyptian metals, and identifies a two-step process for the production of arsenical copper alloys. Furthermore, the study suggests a potential change in the sources for primary copper production over time, with a narrowing range of exploited Sinai mines compared to preceding periods.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Archaeology
Vladimir Staykov
Summary: This paper reviews five Early Medieval necropolises located in Northeast Bulgaria and Southeast Romania, revealing intriguing features and the phenomenon of biritualism. It discusses the criteria for defining a necropolis as biritual and explores the manifestations of biritualism in the archaeological record.
BULGARSKO E-SPISANIE ZA ARKHEOLOGIYA-BULGARIAN E-JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Anthropology
Elsa Desplanques
Summary: The author presents a continental-scale study based on a corpus of nearly 600 burials, identifying chronological and geographical patterns of aristocratic metal-urn cremation burials across Bronze and Iron Age Europe and the Mediterranean. The results emphasize how this elite funerary custom drew on and extended a set of shared aristocratic values and practices across Europe and the Mediterranean in the first millennium BC.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Pierpaolo Di Lorenzo, Gaetano Di Donna, Ludovica Busillo, Maria Pieri, Emanuele Capasso, Fabio Policino, Claudia Casella, Massimo Niola
Summary: The study compared international legislation on cremation, finding different approaches to medico-legal issues among various countries.
Article
Anthropology
Gyorgyi Parditka, Paul R. Duffy
Summary: This paper compares mortuary assemblages from three Bronze Age culture areas on the Great Hungarian Plain, revealing the difference in body treatments impairs regional comparisons and understanding of community social organizations.
JOURNAL OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL ARCHAEOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Annemieke Milks
Summary: Understanding the timeline of technological developments is important in studying early societies. The discovery of a structure made from shaped wood in Africa provides valuable clues about our hominin relatives.
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Christopher T. Fisher
Summary: The aerial technique, which can detect hidden signs of human modifications in ancient landscapes, has provided data that will lead to a reevaluation of the types of settlements inhabited by early societies in the Amazon region.
Article
Archaeology
Viktor S. Aksionov
Summary: The article presents preliminary results of analyzing individual burial complexes at a biritual burial ground in Chervona Hirka, Kharkiv Oblast. The analysis included 313 burials, with 191 inhumations and 122 cremations. It was observed that some burials were inlet into the filling of other burials without destroying them, indicating possible family relationships. The analysis showed a prevalence of burial complexes made after a certain period of time, suggesting the existence of undivided families among the population buried at the site.
Article
History
Laura Blanco-Torrejon, Patricia Valle Abad, Jose Carlos Sanchez Pardo
Summary: This article reviews and compares the archaeological records of necropolis and burials in two well-studied nuclei in Gallaecia during the Priscillian period: Lugo and Vigo. The aim is to detect similarities and differences in distribution, typology, and materiality of these burials, and to establish a synthesis of funerary behaviors during the 4th to 6th centuries AD in the regional context of Gallaecia. Additionally, this study reflects on the role of burials as markers of significant social and mental changes occurring during this period.
GERION-REVISTA DE HISTORIA ANTIGUA
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andrew Kandel, Christian A. Sommer, Zara Kanaeva, Michael N. Bolus, Angela Bruch, Claudia Groth, Miriam Haidle, Christine Hertler, Julia Hess, Maria Malina, Michael Maerker, Volker J. Hochschild, Volker Mosbrugger, Friedemann Schrenk, Nicholas Conard
Summary: This study describes the conception and development of a research database that utilizes big data to decipher long-term patterns in human evolution. The researchers developed an online tool called ROAD, which integrates geographical data with archaeological, paleoanthropological, paleontological, and paleobotanical content. The innovative nature of ROAD lies in its ability to dynamically link scientific data spatially and temporally, enabling the reuse of legacy data in novel ways.
News Item
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Freda Kreier
Summary: Teeth from long-dead individuals and animals are providing insight into the history of modern pathogens.
Article
Anthropology
Arne Verbrugge, Maaike Groot, Koen Deforce, Guy De Mulder, Wouter Van der Meer, Sibrecht Reniere, Bart Cherrette, Mathieu Boudin, Anton Ervynck
Summary: Archaeological research at Aalst - Siesegemkouter revealed several pits within a Middle to Late Bronze Age settlement. These pits provided strong indications of a closing deposit or another type of 'site maintenance practice'. The findings from Aalst - Siesegemkouter represent early forerunners of this ritual practice, with a large volume of cremated animal bone being almost unique for the time period.
PRAEHISTORISCHE ZEITSCHRIFT
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Giacomo Capuzzo, Guy De Mulder, Charlotte Sabaux, Sarah Dalle, Mathieu Boudin, Rica Annaert, Marta Hlad, Kevin Salesse, Amanda Sengelov, Elisavet Stamataki, Barbara Veselka, Eugene Warmenbol, Christophe Snoeck, Martine Vercauteren
Summary: Combining radiocarbon dating with kernel density estimates, this study explores changes in burial practices, population dynamics, and social structure in ancient Belgium. The results reveal a period of demographic contraction followed by an increase in the Middle Bronze Age, as well as a cultural change in the Late Bronze Age characterized by the widespread use of flat graves. Regional variations in funerary practices are also observed.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nina Richards, Stefan Eichert, Sabine Ladstaetter, Christina Cheung, Michael P. Richards, Kevin Salesse
Summary: This paper presents stable isotope data obtained from bone collagen of humans from two early medieval cemeteries in Austria. The carbon isotope values are similar between the two cemeteries, while the nitrogen isotope values are slightly higher in Oberleiserberg. The article also discusses the collaboration between the IsoArcH database and the THANADOS project.
Article
Anthropology
Laura Coltofean-Arizancu, Bisserka Gaydarska, Sebastien Plutniak, Laura Mary, Marta Hlad, Isabelle Algrain, Beline Pasquini, Segolene Vandevelde, Elisavet Stamataki, Polona Janezic, Barbora Wouters, Amanda Sengelov
Summary: The authors conduct the first Europe-wide survey on harassment, assault, bullying and intimidation (HABI) in archaeology. The survey includes 18 forms of HABI and collects over 1000 responses from archaeologists of 49 nationalities. The results indicate that HABI is endemic in European archaeology, affecting all genders and ages, in various settings and countries. Documenting these behaviors is crucial for eradication and achieving equity and safety in the discipline.
Article
Archaeology
Sarah Dalle, Giacomo Capuzzo, Marta Hlad, Barbara Veselka, Rica Annaert, Mathieu Boudin, Charlotte Sabaux, Kevin Salesse, Amanda Sengelov, Elisavet Stamataki, Martine Vercauteren, Eugene Warmenbol, Christophe Snoeck, Guy De Mulder
Summary: Urnfields were a common type of cemetery in the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age in Northwest Europe. The cemetery of Destelbergen is unique because of the presence of monumental ditches around certain graves, indicating social status differences. Strontium concentrations combined with radiocarbon dating and spatial analysis reveal clear differences between the burial traditions of these two periods. There were changes in diet and social differentiation in the Early Iron Age compared to the Late Bronze Age.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lukas Waltenberger, Marjolein D. Bosch, Michaela Fritzl, Andre Gahleitner, Christoph Kurzmann, Maximilian Piniel, Roderick B. Salisbury, Ladislav Strnad, Hannah Skerjanz, Domnika Verdianu, Christophe Snoeck, Fabian Kanz, Katharina Rebay-Salisbury
Summary: This study conducted a detailed analysis on two Late Bronze Age urns from St. Polten, Austria, using a combination of archaeological techniques and various scientific approaches. The results revealed that the urns contained the cremated remains of a young adult female and a child, both of whom experienced physiological stress and were likely local inhabitants. The analysis of animal bones and plant species provided insights into the Late Bronze Age environment, the cremation process, and the funerary deposition.
Article
Anthropology
Birger Stichelbaut, Dries Coucke, David G. Passmore, Jonas van de Winkel, Guy De Mulder
Summary: This article reports the results of fieldwork documenting the site of the Battle of the Bulge. The authors use advanced technology to reveal over 940 features in the Ardennes landscape and emphasize the potential of the LiDAR-SLAM method. They also highlight the need for a debate on managing the heritage of this significant conflict landscape.
