Relative abundances of skeletal elements at Plio-Pleistocene archaeological sites have long been interpreted to represent selective transport of portions of large prey. Models from optimal foraging theory suggest that the degree of carcass transport selectivity reflects transport constraints, particularly transport distance. A quantitative analysis of skeletal element abundances in five bone as...

Archaeological bones are usually dated by radiocarbon measurement of extracted collagen. However, low collagen content, contamination from the burial environment, or museum conservation work, such as addition of glues, preservatives, and fumigants to "protect" archaeological materials, have previously led to inaccurate dates. These inaccuracies in turn frustrate the development of archaeologica...

Using ancient DNA (aDNA) extracted from eggshell of the extinct moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes) we determined the species composition and number of eggs found in a late thirteenth century earth oven feature at Wairau Bar (South Island, New Zealand) – one of New Zealand’s most significant archaeological sites. Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA signatures confirmed this oven feature contained fragments ...

The aim of the study was to compare the bone mineral density (BMD) and body composition between ambulatory male MS patients and control subjects and to evaluate the relationships among body composition, motor disability, glucocorticoids (GC) use, and bone health. Body composition and BMD were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in 104 ambulatory men with MS (mean age: 45.2 years) chron...

The archaeological cave « Les Fraux » (Saint-Martin-de-Fressengeas, Dordogne) forms a great network of galleries, characterized by the exceptional richness of its archaeological Bronze Age remains such as domestic fireplaces, ceramic and metal deposits, fingerings incised in the clayey-walls. The cave has been closed according to the collapse of its entrance, at the end of the Bronze Age. The s...

is paper reports on the prevalence of traumatic bone lesions among Bronze and Iron Age populations in Armenia. A total of 51 traumatic injuries were observed in a sample of 147 individuals from 8 sites. Injuries were present in 37 males (46.3%, n=80), 13 females (28.9%, n=45), and 1 child (5%, n=20). In four sites (N. Getashen, Noraduz, Shirakavan and Lori Berd) the most affected age class was...

AIM To determine the ethnic composition of the early medieval Croats, the location from which they migrated to the east coast of the Adriatic, and to separate early medieval Croats from Bijelo brdo culture members, using principal components analysis and discriminant function analysis of craniometric data from Central and South-East European medieval archaeological sites. METHODS Mean male va...

Abstract The degradation of archaeological bones is influenced by many variables. bone material itself a composite both organic and inorganic components, their depends on processes occurring before after burial, intrinsic characteristics as well extrinsic environmental parameters. In this study we attempt to quantify the effect some variables using novel approach that includes detailed monitori...