Indicators of motherhood? Sacral preauricular extensions and notches in identified skeletal collections.

The sacral preauricular extension (SPE) and sacral preauricular notch (SPN) are morphological changes at the ventral apex of the sacrum. We recently specified their shapes and appearances and suggested a scoring system based on prehistoric Austrian skeletal assemblages. We hypothesized that these specific pelvic changes relate to past pregnancies and parturitions, a hypothesis that we now tested on a subsample of individuals from the Simon Identified Skeletal collection in Geneva ( = 62) and the Christ Church, Spitalfields collection in London ( = 27) linked to historical information on deliveries.

Sacral preauricular extensions and notches as parts of a 'Pelvic Pattern' may provide information on past pregnancies and parturitions.

During the analyses of several hundred prehistoric individuals from Austria, we observed that some women display a "Pelvic Pattern" at the innominate bones and the sacrum, i.e. specific combinations of pronounced expressions of pelvic features.

Anatomic basics and technical approaches: sacral preauricular extensions, preauricular sulci and dorsal pubic pits in modern anatomical specimens.

The aim of this study is the evaluation of three selected osseous pelvic features in modern anatomical specimen - the sacral preauricular extension, the preauricular sulcus and pits on the dorsal side of the pubic bone laterally to the symphysis. The specificity and significance of these features are under debate and their genesis is largely unclear. Descriptive data of specific soft tissue structures surrounding the anterior sacroiliac joint gap and the pubic symphysis were generated by assessing 20 fresh pelves and 12 embalmed hemipelves from human body donors.

Child murder in the Early Bronze Age: proteomic sex identification of a cold case from Schleinbach, Austria.

The identification of sex-specific peptides in human tooth enamel by nanoflow liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (nanoLC-MS/MS) represents a quantum leap for the study of childhood and social relations more generally. Determining sex-related differences in prehistoric child rearing and mortality has been hampered by the insufficient accuracy in determining the biological sex of juveniles. We conducted mass spectrometric analysis to identify sex-specific peptides in the dental enamel of a child from a settlement pit of the Early Bronze Age settlement of Schleinbach, Austria (c.

The Early Mediaeval manorial estate of Gars/Thunau, Lower Austria: An enclave of endemic tuberculosis?

In recent decades, an increasing number of studies have aimed to shed light on the origin and spread of tuberculosis in past human populations. Here we present the results of a systematic palaeodemographic and palaeopathological survey of the Early Mediaeval population of Gars/Thunau (Lower Austria), which - at this stage - includes 373 individuals recovered at two archaeological sub-sites: a fortified settlement (including a necropolis) at the top of a hill - probably reserved for social and military elites; and a large riverine settlement at the foot of the hill, a so-called 'suburbium', where burials and an area of 'industrial' character were discovered. We recorded a great number of pathological alterations and a variety of 'classical' features of tuberculosis, such as vertebral destructions (Pott's disease) and joint destructions, and other pathological (unspecific) features probably linked with Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (e.