Descent, marriage, and residence practices of a 3,800-year-old pastoral community in Central Eurasia.

Our understanding of prehistoric societal organization at the family level is still limited. Here, we generated genome data from 32 individuals from an approximately 3,800-y-old burial mound attributed to the Bronze Age Srubnaya-Alakul cultural tradition at the site of Nepluyevsky, located in the Southern Ural region of Central Eurasia. We found that life expectancy was generally very low, with adult males living on average 8 y longer than females.

Ancient mitochondrial diversity reveals population homogeneity in Neolithic Greece and identifies population dynamics along the Danubian expansion axis.

The aim of the study is to investigate mitochondrial diversity in Neolithic Greece and its relation to hunter-gatherers and farmers who populated the Danubian Neolithic expansion axis. We sequenced 42 mitochondrial palaeogenomes from Greece and analysed them together with European set of 328 mtDNA sequences dating from the Early to the Final Neolithic and 319 modern sequences. To test for population continuity through time in Greece, we use an original structured population continuity test that simulates DNA from different periods by explicitly considering the spatial and temporal dynamics of populations.

The genomic origins of the world's first farmers.

The precise genetic origins of the first Neolithic farming populations in Europe and Southwest Asia, as well as the processes and the timing of their differentiation, remain largely unknown. Demogenomic modeling of high-quality ancient genomes reveals that the early farmers of Anatolia and Europe emerged from a multiphase mixing of a Southwest Asian population with a strongly bottlenecked western hunter-gatherer population after the last glacial maximum. Moreover, the ancestors of the first farmers of Europe and Anatolia went through a period of extreme genetic drift during their westward range expansion, contributing highly to their genetic distinctiveness.

Trepanations in the ancient Greek colony of Akanthos: Skull surgery in the light of Hippocratic medicine.

Objective: The study presents seven new cases of trepanations on four individuals from the ancient Greek colony of Akanthos (5th - 1st c. BC) and juxtaposes the paleopathological observations with the Hippocratic treatises.

Materials: A meta-analysis of 42 published trepanations on 27 individuals from Greece.

A comparison of the anatomical and the mathematical stature estimation methods on an ancient Greek population.

Stature is a key concept in the study of human past since along with the biological information it provides overall trends about the standards of living. However, stature data on historic and prehistoric populations are still limited, especially for key temporospatial settings of antiquity such as ancient Greece. We collected osteometric data from 35 male and 33 female individuals (n = 68) from a Roman Period necropolis (146 BC-330 AD) in northern Greece and we applied the anatomical stature estimation method (Raxter et al.

Screening archaeological bone for palaeogenetic and palaeoproteomic studies.

The recovery and analysis of ancient DNA and protein from archaeological bone is time-consuming and expensive to carry out, while it involves the partial or complete destruction of valuable or rare specimens. The fields of palaeogenetic and palaeoproteomic research would benefit greatly from techniques that can assess the molecular quality prior to sampling. To be relevant, such screening methods should be effective, minimally-destructive, and rapid.

"What and how should we share?" An inter-method inter-observer comparison of measurement error with landmark-based craniometric datasets.

The present study evaluates the precision and accuracy of photogrammetric 3D modeling of human crania in landmark acquisition and explores the limitations of combining datasets acquired by different observers and different measurement methods. Our working sample comprises 50 adult human crania, which were modeled with 3D photogrammetry. 3D coordinates of 56 landmarks were collected from the 3D models with Meshlab software and an existing corresponding dataset digitized with Microscribe-3DX has been utilized.

Ongoing tissue changes in an experimentally mummified human leg.

Artificial mummification has been used since antiquity and is best known from ancient Egypt. Despite ancient Egyptian mummies being studied for several decades, the mummification techniques of that time are not well understood. Modern mummification experiments involving animal and human tissues have contributed additional insights relevant to a broad field of research.

Bayesian estimation of partial population continuity using ancient DNA and spatially explicit simulations.

The retrieval of ancient DNA from osteological material provides direct evidence of human genetic diversity in the past. Ancient DNA samples are often used to investigate whether there was population continuity in the settlement history of an area. Methods based on the serial coalescent algorithm have been developed to test whether the population continuity hypothesis can be statistically rejected by analysing DNA samples from the same region but of different ages.

Investigating the sex-related geometric variation of the human cranium.

Accurate sexing methods are of great importance in forensic anthropology since sex assessment is among the principal tasks when examining human skeletal remains. The present study explores a novel approach in assessing the most accurate metric traits of the human cranium for sex estimation based on 80 ectocranial landmarks from 176 modern individuals of known age and sex from the Athens Collection. The purpose of the study is to identify those distance and angle measurements that can be most effectively used in sex assessment.

Multidisciplinary Identification of the Controversial Freedom Fighter Jörg Jenatsch, Assassinated 1639 in Chur, Switzerland.

Jörg Jenatsch, a leading freedom fighter during the Thirty Year's War in Graubünden, Switzerland, was assassinated on carnival 1639. Jenatsch's controversial biography and the unclear circumstances of his death inspired the formation of various legends, novels and films. In 1959, a skeleton discovered in the cathedral of Chur with remains of wealthy baroque clothing was tentatively attributed to Jenatsch.

Age-related changes in the craniofacial region in a modern Greek population sample of known age and sex.

The aim of this paper is to investigate ageing changes in craniofacial region in both sexes and evaluate whether these shape changes are substantial to achieve age discrimination of samples used in anthropological analyses. The study sample consisted of 157 crania of known sex and age (81 males and 76 females) belonging to individuals who lived in Greece during the twentieth century. The sample was divided in three age groups: young adults (YA, 18-39 years old), middle adults (MA, 40-59 years old) and old adults (OA, >60 years old).

Cranium asymmetry in a modern Greek population sample of known age and sex.

The aim of this paper is to evaluate and quantify cranium asymmetry, sexual differences in the set of individual asymmetry scores, and the relationship between fluctuating asymmetry and age, in a modern Greek population sample. In addition, we test for the developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis by assessing the correlation between fluctuating asymmetry and cause of death. The study sample consisted of 173 crania of known sex and adult age (92 males, 81 females) belonging to individuals who lived in Greece during the twentieth century.

Early farmers from across Europe directly descended from Neolithic Aegeans.

Farming and sedentism first appeared in southwestern Asia during the early Holocene and later spread to neighboring regions, including Europe, along multiple dispersal routes. Conspicuous uncertainties remain about the relative roles of migration, cultural diffusion, and admixture with local foragers in the early Neolithization of Europe. Here we present paleogenomic data for five Neolithic individuals from northern Greece and northwestern Turkey spanning the time and region of the earliest spread of farming into Europe.

Histology of a Woolly Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) Preserved in Permafrost, Yamal Peninsula, Northwest Siberia.

In 2007, the baby woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) named Lyuba was found frozen in the Siberian tundra permafrost along the Yuribey River. She was proclaimed the best-preserved mammoth discovery. As part of the endoscopic examination of Lyuba, tissue samples of hair, muscle, and internal organs were taken.

Modeling ancient Egyptian mummification on fresh human tissue: macroscopic and histological aspects.

Many studies have been concerned with the ancient Egyptian mummification method; nevertheless, little effort has been made to explore it experimentally. The goal of this study is to apply evidence-based diagnostic criteria and state-of-the art methodology in order to improve knowledge on soft tissues preservation and postmortem alterations. Two human lower limbs (LL) from a female donor were (1) "naturally" mummified by dry heat and (2) artificially in natron.

Post mortem DNA degradation of human tissue experimentally mummified in salt.

Mummified human tissues are of great interest in forensics and biomolecular archaeology. The aim of this study was to analyse post mortem DNA alterations in soft tissues in order to improve our knowledge of the patterns of DNA degradation that occur during salt mummification. In this study, the lower limb of a female human donor was amputated within 24 h post mortem and mummified using a process designed to simulate the salt dehydration phase of natural or artificial mummification.

Y-chromosomal analysis identifies the skeletal remains of Swiss national hero Jörg Jenatsch (1596-1639).

Jörg Jenatsch was a Swiss defender of independence and a fighter for liberty in the 17th century. With the help of three living male members of the Jenatsch family, we successfully identified a skeleton exhumed from Chur cathedral as the remains of Jörg Jenatsch. Our conclusion was based upon complete Y-STR and Y-SNP profiles that could be generated by replicate analyses of a bone sample available to us.

"Modeling ancient Egyptian embalming": radiological assessment of experimentally mummified human tissue by CT and MRI.

Objective: To assess changes in different tissues during the process of artificial mummification by natron using computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and to translate the results to image interpretation in paleoradiological studies of ancient mummies.

Materials And Methods: A human lower limb (LL) was amputated from a female donor 24 h post-mortem and mummified by artificial natron (54 % NaCl, 16 % Na2SO4, 18 % Na2CO3 12 % NaHCO3) in ancient Egyptian style. The LL was kept in a fume hood at 16-25 °C and 30-75 % relative humidity.

Virtual anthropology: a comparison between the performance of conventional X-ray and MDCT in investigating the trabecular structure of long bones.

Recently, modern cross-sectional imaging techniques such as multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) have pioneered post mortem investigations, especially in forensic medicine. Such approaches can also be used to investigate bones non-invasively for anthropological purposes. Long bones are often examined in forensic cases because they are frequently discovered and transferred to medico-legal departments for investigation.

Harris lines revisited: prevalence, comorbidities, and possible etiologies.

Objectives: The occurrence of transverse radiopaque lines in long bones-Harris lines (HLs)-is correlated with episodes of temporary arrest of longitudinal growth and has been used as an indicator of health and nutritional status of modern and historical populations. However, the interpretation of HLs as a stress indicator remains debatable. The aim of this article is to evaluate the perspectives and the limitations of HLs analyses and to examine their reliability as a stress indicator.

Two case examples of pelvic fractures in medieval populations from central Europe.

Pelvic fractures are considered to be uncommon and difficult to treat, even in the modern medical literature. Serious and eventually life-threatening associated injuries may occur, requiring emergency abdominal, vascular or neurologic surgery. Pelvic fractures can also be managed non-operatively; however, a considerable dispute exists on the suitable management strategy.

Preservation of cell structures in a medieval infant brain: a paleohistological, paleogenetic, radiological and physico-chemical study.

Cerebral tissues from archaeological human remains are extremely rare findings. Hereby, we report a multidisciplinary study of a unique case of a left cerebral hemisphere from a 13th century AD child, found in north-western France. The cerebral tissue-reduced by ca.