The recent experience teaching Biological Anthropology in the master’s degree course in Archaeology at the University of Salento (6 Italian CFU = 6 European ECTS, 21 lectures, 42 hours in total plus a final oral exam) prompts me to make a... more
The recent experience teaching Biological Anthropology in the master’s degree course in Archaeology at the University of Salento (6 Italian CFU = 6 European ECTS, 21 lectures, 42 hours in total plus a final oral exam) prompts me to make a few reflections. The first is on certain limitations due to prior knowledge or at least to the so-called prerequisites required of
students, which are indispensable for tackling a broad and diverse course subject with awareness. The second point is about offering free study opportunities to students with excavations and workshops where they can put into practice the knowledge acquired to improve it.
students, which are indispensable for tackling a broad and diverse course subject with awareness. The second point is about offering free study opportunities to students with excavations and workshops where they can put into practice the knowledge acquired to improve it.
Research Interests:
Il lavoro di tesi consiste nello studio diacronico dell’evoluzione delle necropoli dal Tardoantico al basso Medioevo, prendendo come modello il caso della necropoli del sito archeologico di San Genesio (San Miniato, PI). La presente... more
Il lavoro di tesi consiste nello studio diacronico dell’evoluzione delle necropoli dal Tardoantico al basso Medioevo, prendendo come modello il caso della necropoli del sito archeologico di San Genesio (San Miniato, PI). La presente ricerca, muovendo da un doppio approccio archeologico e antropologico, indispensabile per questo tipo di contesto, è volta all'analisi dei contesti cimiteriali nel tentativo di rispondere a problemi interpretativi generali e questioni specifiche. Lo studio delle inumazioni a partire dall'analisi sul campo ha permesso di effettuare considerazioni di grande importanza, grazie alle quali gruppi e singole tombe sono stati interpretati in modo da consentirne l’inserimento in precise fasi cronologiche oppure permettere il riferimento a un gruppo etnico piuttosto che ad un altro. Le osservazioni tafonomiche hanno permesso di ricostruire rituali o modi di seppellire altrimenti poco o per nulla visibili archeologicamente. Ne è un esempio il caso del cimit...
Research Interests:
During excavations carried out at the necropolis of San Genesio, taphonomic analysis permitted the detection of a small nucleus of distinctive graves dated to the sixth century and set within the wider context of autochthonous burials.... more
During excavations carried out at the necropolis of San Genesio, taphonomic analysis permitted the detection of a small nucleus of distinctive graves dated to the sixth century and set within the wider context of autochthonous burials. This group was characterized by features such as wooden coffins and tree trunk burials, elements typical of the Germanic cultural milieu. Furthermore, anthropological analysis of the skeletal remains identified a case of Artificial Cranial Deformation (ACD), a distinctive element of Gothic ethnic groups. Individuals with ACD are extremely rare in the Italian archeological record and are related to the period in which the Gothic migrations took place. The subject, buried in a wooden casket, was a male individual with a deformed skull, polytraumatized, and most likely killed in combat, possibly during the Gothic War. This is the first Italian case of an individual with ACD, who died a certified violent death. The present study, despite the absence of traditional Germanic grave goods, has allowed to hypothesize the existence at San Genesio of an allochthonous group, a theory further supported by strontium isotope analysis.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: History, Archaeology, Anthropology, Early Medieval Archaeology, Medieval Archaeology, and 15 moreOsteoarcheology, Taphonomy, Forensic Taphonomy, Archaeology of burials, Childbirth, Journal of Archaeological Science, Archaeology of death and burial, Human Osteoarchaeology, Medieval cemeteries, Coffin, Tuscany (Medieval Studies), Death and Burial Archaeology, Fetus, Antropology, and San Genesio (San Miniato-Pisa)
Pathological conditions in skeletal remains, such as cribra orbitalia and porotic hyperostosis, can be caused by etiologically different forms of anemia: hereditary hemolytic anemias, iron deficiency anemias, megaloblastic anemias, etc.... more
Pathological conditions in skeletal remains, such as cribra orbitalia and porotic hyperostosis, can be caused by etiologically different forms of anemia: hereditary hemolytic anemias, iron deficiency anemias, megaloblastic anemias, etc. Though not always simple to apply, differential diagnosis of cases of anemia found in the archaeological record is essential to correlate the pathology with the wider environmental and socio-cultural context. Anthropological analysis of the skeletal sample from the archaeological site of Vetricella showed a very high prevalence of cribra orbitalia and porotic hyperostosis. The differential diagnosis between acquired and congenital anemia is essential in the study of this condition, especially considering the presence of Plasmodium falciparum in this area and its role in the possible subsequent spread of the thalassaemia gene, which was widespread until a few decades ago. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis was carried out on a large subset of the skeletal sample, including both anemic and non-anemic individuals, to investigate the nutritional patterns of the Vetricella population in order to verify whether the widespread traces of anemia might be of dietary origin. Isotope results allowed for the exclusion of the hypothesis of nutritional-deficiency anemia and supported the hypothesis of congenital anemia.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The individual age at death estimation is one of the main components of the anthropological study and is the basis of demographic studies conducted on ancient peoples. However, the different methods commonly used in anthropology for adult... more
The individual age at death estimation is one of the main components of the anthropological study and is the basis of demographic studies conducted on ancient peoples. However, the different methods commonly used in anthropology for adult age at death determination provide estimates of the age in the form of wide intervals. This happens regardless of the state of preservation of bones, even if in case of a poorly preserved skeletons we can only determine the individual as an adult. The consequence is the inability to develop demographic studies with a good degree of reliability. Several age estimation methods apply the various forms of tooth modification, including wear, root dentine transparency, tooth cementum annulation, racemization of aspartic acid, and apposition of secondary dentine. Wear and the apposition of secondary dentine are the currently available non-destructive methods. Tooth wear is influenced by various external factors (masticatory function, type of food, timing ...
Research Interests: Evolutionary Biology, Geography, Archaeology, Anthropology, Forensic Anthropology, and 15 moreNeolithic Archaeology, Physical Anthropology, Paleodemography, Medicine, Neolithic, American Journal of Physical Anthropology, Italy, Humans, Palaeodemography, Female, Male, Middle Aged, Adult, Dental Age Estimation, and Dental Pulp
The discovery of reliable means to determine the age of an individual is a fundamental objective in forensic medicine, in consideration of the constant increase of illegal immigration into the European community. In 2008 Cameriere et al.... more
The discovery of reliable means to determine the age of an individual is a fundamental objective in forensic medicine, in consideration of the constant increase of illegal immigration into the European community. In 2008 Cameriere et al. developed a method based on the relationship between age and the third molar index (I3m), which assesses the degree of maturation of the third molar through measurements made on orthopantomography. The purpose of this work was to test the accuracy of Cameriere's cut-off for I3m as a tool to assess full age (18) on a new sample of living subjects. Orthopantomographs of 287 Italian living subjects aged between 13 and 22 years have been randomly selected and included in the study. Identification number, gender, date of birth and date of execution of the radiograph were recorded for each patient on a Microsoft Excel® spreadsheet. Radiographs were digitalized and analyzed using a computerized image-processing program (Adobe® Photoshop® CS4). The resu...
Research Interests:
The archaeological site of Pompeii is one of the 54 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Italy, thanks to its uniqueness: the town was completely destroyed and buried by a Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 AD. In this work, we present a... more
The archaeological site of Pompeii is one of the 54 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Italy, thanks to its uniqueness: the town was completely destroyed and buried by a Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 AD. In this work, we present a multidisciplinary approach with bioarchaeological and palaeogenomic analyses of two Pompeian human remains from the Casa del Fabbro. We have been able to characterize the genetic profile of the first Pompeian’ genome, which has strong affinities with the surrounding central Italian population from the Roman Imperial Age. Our findings suggest that, despite the extensive connection between Rome and other Mediterranean populations, a noticeable degree of genetic homogeneity exists in the Italian peninsula at that time. Moreover, palaeopathological analyses identified the presence of spinal tuberculosis and we further investigated the presence of ancient DNA from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In conclusion, our study demonstrates the power of a combined approach to inves...
Research Interests:
The archaeological site of Pompeii is one of the 54 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Italy, thanks to its uniqueness: the town was completely destroyed and buried by a Vesuvius' eruption in 79 AD. In this work, we present a... more
The archaeological site of Pompeii is one of the 54 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Italy, thanks to its uniqueness: the town was completely destroyed and buried by a Vesuvius' eruption in 79 AD. In this work, we present a multidisciplinary approach with bioarchaeological and palaeogenomic analyses of two Pompeian human remains from the Casa del Fabbro. We have been able to characterize the genetic profile of the first Pompeian' genome, which has strong affinities with the surrounding central Italian population from the Roman Imperial Age. Our findings suggest that, despite the extensive connection between Rome and other Mediterranean populations, a noticeable degree of genetic homogeneity exists in the Italian peninsula at that time. Moreover, palaeopathological analyses identified the presence of spinal tuberculosis and we further investigated the presence of ancient DNA from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In conclusion, our study demonstrates the power of a combined approach to investigate ancient humans and confirms the possibility to retrieve ancient DNA from Pompeii human remains. Our initial findings provide a foundation to promote an intensive and extensive paleogenetic analysis in order to reconstruct the genetic history of population from Pompeii, a unique archaeological site.
Research Interests:
Death was a common factor during pregnancy and childbirth in both past and recent societies. Nevertheless, the recording of women from archaeological contexts still featuring a fetus in the pelvic cavity or dystocia is very rare. Even... more
Death was a common factor during pregnancy and childbirth in both past and recent societies. Nevertheless, the recording of women from archaeological contexts still featuring a fetus in the pelvic cavity or dystocia is very rare. Even less frequent are cases of post mortem fetal extrusion. At the archaeological site of San Genesio (San Miniato, Pisa), a stoppage point along the Via Francigena, the cemetery phases dating from the 6th to the 13th century were investigated. In one of the phases dating to the Early Medieval period, the skeleton of a female individual of about thirty years of age, deceased during the 32nd week of pregnancy, was documented. The fetus was positioned between the femurs, in the opposite orientation to that of the mother. Taphonomic analysis, comparative review of other forensic and archaeological cases and the anthropological study of the recorded skeletons suggest that, due to the accumulation of gas during the emphysematous phase of decomposition, the fetus would have been expelled from the mother's pelvic cavity before the bodies were completely covered by soil. We can define this finding as one of those rare cases of "coffin birth" in an archaeological context.
Research Interests:
The Western (Buonfornello) necropolis of Himera, dating from the 7th to 5th century BC, has yielded 10,096 burials, among which are six common burials (n = 2–22). On the basis of the archaeological and historical evidence, these are... more
The Western (Buonfornello) necropolis of Himera, dating from the 7th to 5th century
BC, has yielded 10,096 burials, among which are six common burials (n = 2–22). On
the basis of the archaeological and historical evidence, these are presumed to be
the result of the Battle of Himera, fought in approximately 480 BC, or some other
warfare episode taking place in the same period, and it is hypothesised that all the
individuals are male. A reliable morphological sex determination is impossible in most
cases due to the bad state of preservation of the pelves. The present paper aims to
establish whether sex dimorphism in diaphyseal dimensions allows for the calculation
of site‐specific discriminant functions (DFs) that are useful for sex determination and
to verify the archaeological hypothesis that all individuals in the six common burials
are male. DF computation was conducted for sex determination based on the diaphyseal
dimensions recorded for a sample of 89 pelvis sexed individuals (57 males and
32 females). The DFs were selected by taking into account the large number of m/f
samples (n > 30) and the accuracy (>90%).
DF was tested on a sample of male/female Himeran pelvis sexed individuals not used
for computing DFs (n = 17, 11 males and 6 females) and 27 skeletons from common
burials. In the first case, pelvis and DF sex determination are concordant in 16 cases
(94.1%). In the second case, three out of 27 individuals were discarded as DFs produced
conflicting sex determinations. The remaining 24 individuals were sexed as
males by means of DFs in 95.8% of cases. The archaeological hypothesis that all individuals
in these common burials are male cannot be rejected as site‐specific DFs diagnose
the male sex in a percentage that is higher than their accuracy in a sample of
pelvis sexed individuals.
BC, has yielded 10,096 burials, among which are six common burials (n = 2–22). On
the basis of the archaeological and historical evidence, these are presumed to be
the result of the Battle of Himera, fought in approximately 480 BC, or some other
warfare episode taking place in the same period, and it is hypothesised that all the
individuals are male. A reliable morphological sex determination is impossible in most
cases due to the bad state of preservation of the pelves. The present paper aims to
establish whether sex dimorphism in diaphyseal dimensions allows for the calculation
of site‐specific discriminant functions (DFs) that are useful for sex determination and
to verify the archaeological hypothesis that all individuals in the six common burials
are male. DF computation was conducted for sex determination based on the diaphyseal
dimensions recorded for a sample of 89 pelvis sexed individuals (57 males and
32 females). The DFs were selected by taking into account the large number of m/f
samples (n > 30) and the accuracy (>90%).
DF was tested on a sample of male/female Himeran pelvis sexed individuals not used
for computing DFs (n = 17, 11 males and 6 females) and 27 skeletons from common
burials. In the first case, pelvis and DF sex determination are concordant in 16 cases
(94.1%). In the second case, three out of 27 individuals were discarded as DFs produced
conflicting sex determinations. The remaining 24 individuals were sexed as
males by means of DFs in 95.8% of cases. The archaeological hypothesis that all individuals
in these common burials are male cannot be rejected as site‐specific DFs diagnose
the male sex in a percentage that is higher than their accuracy in a sample of
pelvis sexed individuals.
Research Interests:
AIM: The discovery of reliable means to determine the age of an individual is a fundamental objective in forensic medicine, in consideration of the constant increase of illegal immigration into the European community. In 2008 Cameriere... more
AIM:
The discovery of reliable means to determine the age of an individual is a fundamental objective in forensic medicine, in consideration of the constant increase of illegal immigration into the European community. In 2008 Cameriere et al. developed a method based on the relationship between age and the third molar index (I3m), which assesses the degree of maturation of the third molar through measurements made on orthopantomography. The purpose of this work was to test the accuracy of Cameriere's cut-off for I3m as a tool to assess full age (18) on a new sample of living subjects.
METHODS:
Orthopantomographs of 287 Italian living subjects aged between 13 and 22 years have been randomly selected and included in the study. Identification number, gender, date of birth and date of execution of the radiograph were recorded for each patient on a Microsoft Excel® spreadsheet. Radiographs were digitalized and analyzed using a computerized image-processing program (Adobe® Photoshop® CS4).
RESULTS:
The results show that the sensitivity of the test was 84.1% and the specificity was 92.5%. The estimated post-test probability was 90.1%, with a confidence interval of 95% (83.6%, 95.2%). Thus, the probability that a person being positive to the test has 18 or more years of age was 90.1%.
CONCLUSION:
The results highlight the contribution of Cameriere's cut-off value for the I3m in the assessment of full age, always remembering that the simultaneous employment of previously introduced complementary methods is essential for the purpose.
The discovery of reliable means to determine the age of an individual is a fundamental objective in forensic medicine, in consideration of the constant increase of illegal immigration into the European community. In 2008 Cameriere et al. developed a method based on the relationship between age and the third molar index (I3m), which assesses the degree of maturation of the third molar through measurements made on orthopantomography. The purpose of this work was to test the accuracy of Cameriere's cut-off for I3m as a tool to assess full age (18) on a new sample of living subjects.
METHODS:
Orthopantomographs of 287 Italian living subjects aged between 13 and 22 years have been randomly selected and included in the study. Identification number, gender, date of birth and date of execution of the radiograph were recorded for each patient on a Microsoft Excel® spreadsheet. Radiographs were digitalized and analyzed using a computerized image-processing program (Adobe® Photoshop® CS4).
RESULTS:
The results show that the sensitivity of the test was 84.1% and the specificity was 92.5%. The estimated post-test probability was 90.1%, with a confidence interval of 95% (83.6%, 95.2%). Thus, the probability that a person being positive to the test has 18 or more years of age was 90.1%.
CONCLUSION:
The results highlight the contribution of Cameriere's cut-off value for the I3m in the assessment of full age, always remembering that the simultaneous employment of previously introduced complementary methods is essential for the purpose.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The subject of this study is the osteological material from Tombs 9 and 10 (T9 and T10) discovered in November 2010 at Sant’Angelo Vecchio. The bones’ state of preservation is heavily compromised by several factors. In Tomb 9, which... more
The subject of this study is the osteological material
from Tombs 9 and 10 (T9 and T10) discovered in
November 2010 at Sant’Angelo Vecchio. The bones’
state of preservation is heavily compromised by several
factors. In Tomb 9, which yielded the remains of an
adult, the poor state of preservation can be attributed
to the low pH of the soil. Increased soil acidity, often
caused by certain types of cultivation (in particular the
olive), is the primary cause of the dissolution of the
calcium that constitutes the majority of bone tissue.34
This poor preservation sharply limited the amount of
information that could be retrieved about the individual
buried in Tomb 9.
Tomb 10 contained two individuals, an adult
(T10A) and a child (T10B). The adult’s state of preservation
is markedly better than that of Tomb 9, but
the integrity of the osteological material is nevertheless
compromised by disturbances that presumably
followed a reopening of the tomb in antiquity. The
child’s state of preservation is very poor due to the
fragility of the immature bones: even the teeth show
notable demineralization.
from Tombs 9 and 10 (T9 and T10) discovered in
November 2010 at Sant’Angelo Vecchio. The bones’
state of preservation is heavily compromised by several
factors. In Tomb 9, which yielded the remains of an
adult, the poor state of preservation can be attributed
to the low pH of the soil. Increased soil acidity, often
caused by certain types of cultivation (in particular the
olive), is the primary cause of the dissolution of the
calcium that constitutes the majority of bone tissue.34
This poor preservation sharply limited the amount of
information that could be retrieved about the individual
buried in Tomb 9.
Tomb 10 contained two individuals, an adult
(T10A) and a child (T10B). The adult’s state of preservation
is markedly better than that of Tomb 9, but
the integrity of the osteological material is nevertheless
compromised by disturbances that presumably
followed a reopening of the tomb in antiquity. The
child’s state of preservation is very poor due to the
fragility of the immature bones: even the teeth show
notable demineralization.
Research Interests:
Double burials, ie simultaneous depositions of two individuals, are rare occurrence in ancient Greece, so their discovery is always received with great interest. In the necropolises of Himera, only 15 double burials were discovered, out... more
Double burials, ie simultaneous depositions of two individuals, are rare occurrence in ancient Greece, so their
discovery is always received with great interest.
In the necropolises of Himera, only 15 double burials were discovered, out of over 13000 excavated tombs. With the
exception of these and the mass graves relating to the battles of 480 and 409 BC, the necropolises of Himera are
characterized by single burials.
The taphonomic analyses, aimed at demonstrating the simultaneity of double burials, and the anthropological analyses
to determine sex and age at death, show a skeletal sample that is decidedly heterogeneous by type of tomb, sex and age.
Given the variety of the composition of the double burials it seems that there is no rule except simultaneous death and
probably a bond between the people buried together.
discovery is always received with great interest.
In the necropolises of Himera, only 15 double burials were discovered, out of over 13000 excavated tombs. With the
exception of these and the mass graves relating to the battles of 480 and 409 BC, the necropolises of Himera are
characterized by single burials.
The taphonomic analyses, aimed at demonstrating the simultaneity of double burials, and the anthropological analyses
to determine sex and age at death, show a skeletal sample that is decidedly heterogeneous by type of tomb, sex and age.
Given the variety of the composition of the double burials it seems that there is no rule except simultaneous death and
probably a bond between the people buried together.
Research Interests:
The burials from the cemetery at Vetricella have been analyzed following an archaeological and anthropological approach in an attempt to answer both general issues and specific questions tied-in to a distinctive archeological context, not... more
The burials from the cemetery at Vetricella have been
analyzed following an archaeological and anthropological
approach in an attempt to answer both general issues and specific
questions tied-in to a distinctive archeological context,
not a settlement or religious complex, but rather an administrative
centre, a royal court connected to the Kings of Italy
and the Ottonian Dynasty of the German Kings during the
post-Carolingian period. The study was carried out with the
aim of reconstructing the biological and palaeodemographic
profile of a human community that, between the mid-10th
and beginning of the 11th century, during a phase that sees
a change in function of the royal centre of Vetricella, and
the beginnings of the graveyard. Over the course of three
excavation campaigns (2016-2018) a total of 52 graves were
identified and documented. While taphonomic observations
have made it possible to reconstruct rituals and ways of burial
that would otherwise have had little or no archaeological
visibility, the topographical analyses of the cemetery, on the
basis of the distribution of a number of graves, confirmed
the initial hypothesis of the existence of a religious structure.
For the anthropological study of the skeletal remains we did
not limit ourselves to the uncritical application of traditional
anthropological methods, but rather endeavored to comprehend
which would be the most suitable approaches to garner
data as near as possible to the biological reality of the sample,
comparable to other topographically and chronologically
analogous contexts. Sex determination analyses were carried
out along with age at death, stature in life, unspecific and
functional stress markers, pathologies and traumas. Results
were submitted, where possible, to statistic tests and compared
to other coeval sites.
analyzed following an archaeological and anthropological
approach in an attempt to answer both general issues and specific
questions tied-in to a distinctive archeological context,
not a settlement or religious complex, but rather an administrative
centre, a royal court connected to the Kings of Italy
and the Ottonian Dynasty of the German Kings during the
post-Carolingian period. The study was carried out with the
aim of reconstructing the biological and palaeodemographic
profile of a human community that, between the mid-10th
and beginning of the 11th century, during a phase that sees
a change in function of the royal centre of Vetricella, and
the beginnings of the graveyard. Over the course of three
excavation campaigns (2016-2018) a total of 52 graves were
identified and documented. While taphonomic observations
have made it possible to reconstruct rituals and ways of burial
that would otherwise have had little or no archaeological
visibility, the topographical analyses of the cemetery, on the
basis of the distribution of a number of graves, confirmed
the initial hypothesis of the existence of a religious structure.
For the anthropological study of the skeletal remains we did
not limit ourselves to the uncritical application of traditional
anthropological methods, but rather endeavored to comprehend
which would be the most suitable approaches to garner
data as near as possible to the biological reality of the sample,
comparable to other topographically and chronologically
analogous contexts. Sex determination analyses were carried
out along with age at death, stature in life, unspecific and
functional stress markers, pathologies and traumas. Results
were submitted, where possible, to statistic tests and compared
to other coeval sites.