The paleoanthropological skeletal remains from crucial sites suffer from various contingencies, including the dispersion of materials on diverse institutions, the degradation of the original materials exposed or inadequately preserved,... more
The paleoanthropological skeletal remains from crucial sites suffer from various contingencies, including the dispersion of materials on diverse institutions, the degradation of the original materials exposed or inadequately preserved, the risk of damage during manipulation for study, museum exhibits, or restoration. For some time now, various institutions have been creating 3D models and frequently proceed to dissemination of online digital bio archeological data. Here we present the data derived from the 3D digitization of the entire ST1 skeleton from the Epigravettian site of San Teodoro near Acquedolci (Messina), currently one of the oldest site of human frequentation in Sicily. The initiative, in addition to producing a 3D file of the original sample in order to create a copy for exposition and scientific research remotely accessible, has been the occasion for a new and accurate redefinition of the paleo biological parameters of the specimen. This work is part of a broader paleo ecological re-reading project of the Epigravettian site whose materials, excavated between 1937 and 1942, are distributed on four (or more?) different institutions, with obvious limits to an efficacious and integrated scientific interpretation.
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This work discusses on the problems of the differential diagnosis in paleopathology, describing one case of intense modification observed in a skeletal sample from the archaelogical site of Baucina (Sicily, VI century BCE). Difficulties... more
This work discusses on the problems of the differential diagnosis in paleopathology, describing one case of intense modification observed in a skeletal sample from the archaelogical site of Baucina (Sicily, VI century BCE). Difficulties in this setting originate mainly from the aspecificity or absence of pathological markers on ancient bones and confounding features arising from clinical phenocopies or taphonomic artifacts. On the base of an in-depth morphological analysis of the find, with aid of CT scan imaging and wide revision of the medical and paleopathological literature, we arrived to a convincing diagnosis.
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riassunto — Le mummie moderne e il significato recondito della doppia sepoltura nelle culture mediterranee moderne sono da tempo ampiamente dibattuti. In questo lavoro si discute di una particolare “collezione” di corpi di ecclesiastici,... more
riassunto — Le mummie moderne e il significato recondito della doppia sepoltura nelle culture mediterranee moderne sono da tempo ampiamente dibattuti. In questo lavoro si discute di una particolare “collezione” di corpi di ecclesiastici, mummificati ed esposti in un comune montano madonita della Sicilia, Gangi. I corpi, principalmente risalenti al XIX secolo, mummificati per colatura come nella tradizione del tempo e vestiti degli abiti talari, sono esposti nel piano sottostante della Chiesa Madre, in quella che nella tradizione è detta la “fossa dei parrini” (fossa dei preti). Le mummie, a differenza di altri siti siciliani e mediterranei, sono altresì corredate di sonetto commemorativo e di maschera mortuaria realizzata in cera fine. L’interesse precipuo del nostro studio si è rivolto proprio a questa particolare manifestazione complessa della doppia sepoltura, che risiede nella rappresentazione del volto. Il lavoro esprime una disamina del concetto di maschera mortuaria nell’anti...
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Post mortem abnormal modification of bone are known as pseudopathologies. The geochemical characteristic of the burial soil and/or the presence of biological agents may produce marked changes in bone preservation. This could be the case... more
Post mortem abnormal modification of bone are known as pseudopathologies. The geochemical characteristic of the burial soil and/or the presence of biological agents may produce marked changes in bone preservation. This could be the case for a young individual, E74, from Herculaneum, which was a Roman town near Naples completely destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE. E74 is an incomplete skeleton of a male individual of 7-8 years of age. Its second and third cervical vertebrae, the eighth thoracic vertebra and the first lumbar vertebra show a septum dividing the vertebral foramen. This condition could be diagnosed as diastematomyelia that consists of the splitting of the spinal cord or cauda equina. In particular Type I malformations consist of two hemicords separated into two dural tubes by a bone septum. The gross anatomy and histological aspects of the vertebrae and their septa were investigated through macroscopic, microscopic, radiographic and chemical analyses. The results demonstrate that the vertebral septum is constituted by three layers of inorganic substances deposited at different times on a thin, probably organic, substrate (original meninges?). The central layer contain framboidal pyrite, that is a sedimentary mineral rarely found in ancient human skeletons. The septum splitting the vertebral canal of individual E74 is consequent to a taphonomic event and is not due to a pathological condition. Distinguishing between ante and post mortem alterations can be a challenging exercise even for the experienced paleopathologists and, as this case indicates, paleopathological diagnoses should be supported by detailed examinations.
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In this report we present a case of neoplastic disease affecting an Iron Age skull that provides some of the earliest evidence of metastatic cancer (MC) in Western Europe. The cranium comes from the indigenous site of Baucina (Palermo,... more
In this report we present a case of neoplastic disease affecting an Iron Age skull that provides some of the earliest evidence of metastatic cancer (MC) in Western Europe. The cranium comes from the indigenous site of Baucina (Palermo, Sicily) and was recovered in a multiple burial context dated to the 6th-5th centuries BCE. The skull was attributed to an adult female and was characterized by numerous perforating lytic lesions. CT and 3D imaging analyses were crucial for obtaining a diagnosis of MC. Based on the morphology of the lytic lesions and the biological profile of our specimen, we can tentatively suggest breast carcinoma as the primary origin of the clinical manifestations recorded on the skull. This work also highlights the importance of utilizing an analytical approach to paleopathology that incorporates up-to-date CT and 3D imaging techniques.
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Research Interests: Ancient History, Classical Archaeology, Forensic Anthropology, Paleopathology, Osteoarchaeology, and 15 moreRoman Army, Sicily (History), Roman Sicily, Italy, Humans, Ancient Sicily, Phisical anthropology, Male, Ancient Weapons and Warfare, Parietal Bone, Clinical Sciences, Adult, Roman World, Roman Archaeology, and Elsevier
Bias in skeletal sexing is well known and depends upon the completeness of the skeletal remains. The problem is very hard concerning prehistorical remains. We applied ‘Visual methods’ and ‘Probabilistic Sex Diagnosis’ (DSP) on the coxal... more
Bias in skeletal sexing is well known and depends upon the completeness of the skeletal remains. The problem is very hard concerning prehistorical remains. We applied ‘Visual methods’ and ‘Probabilistic Sex Diagnosis’ (DSP) on the coxal bones on the Epigravettian skeleton (ST1) from San Teodoro (Messina, Sicily). On the basis of cranial characters and the overall robustness of the postcranial skeleton, it was suggested, since the time of the discovery, a male sex for ST1. This determination was later modified on the basis of the pelvic girdle morphology, and the skeleton was attributed the female sex for many years by large consensus. Our results indicate without ambiguity that ST1 is a male and show the importance of applying update methods of sex determination to ancient remains.
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Post mortem abnormal modification of bone are known as pseudopathologies. The geochemical characteristic of the burial soil and/or the presence of biological agents may produce marked changes in bone preservation. This could be the case... more
Post mortem abnormal modification of bone are known as pseudopathologies. The geochemical characteristic of the burial soil and/or the presence of biological agents may produce marked changes in bone preservation. This could be the case for a young individual, E74, from Herculaneum, which was a Roman town near Naples completely destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE. E74 is an incomplete skeleton of a male individual of 7-8 years of age. Its second and third cervical vertebrae, the eighth thoracic vertebra and the first lumbar vertebra show a septum dividing the vertebral foramen. This condition could be diagnosed as diastematomyelia that consists of the splitting of the spinal cord or cauda equina. In particular Type I malformations consist of two hemicords separated into two dural tubes by a bone septum. The gross anatomy and histological aspects of the vertebrae and their septa were investigated through macroscopic, microscopic, radiographic and chemical analyses. The results demonstrate that the vertebral septum is constituted by three layers of inorganic substances deposited at different times on a thin, probably organic, substrate (original meninges?). The central layer contain framboidal pyrite, that is a sedimentary mineral rarely found in ancient human skeletons. The septum splitting the vertebral canal of individual E74 is consequent to a taphonomic event and is not due to a pathological condition. Distinguishing between ante and post mortem alterations can be a challenging exercise even for the experienced paleopathologists and, as this case indicates, paleopathological diagnoses should be supported by detailed examinations.
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The bioarchaeological and forensic approach is increasingly applied in the study of funerary contexts in archaeology. Here, we present a case of an atypical medieval burial recently discovered in Piazza Armerina (Sicily), in which the... more
The bioarchaeological and forensic approach is increasingly applied in the study of
funerary contexts in archaeology. Here, we present a case of an atypical medieval
burial recently discovered in Piazza Armerina (Sicily), in which the integrated use of
traditional bioarchaeological and forensic anthropology methods was crucial. The
skeleton was lying in a prone position and was characterised by a peculiar injury pattern.
We recorded six clear stab wound marks on the posterior surface of the sternum.
The use of computerised tomography scan and 3D modelling techniques has
made it possible to obtain a reliable reconstruction of the cause and modality of
death, pointing to the execution of the individual. The importance of this case study
is twofold. First, the injury pattern recorded currently constitutes a unicum in the
bioarchaeological record. Second, it represents the first well‐documented case of an
atypical burial in Sicily.
funerary contexts in archaeology. Here, we present a case of an atypical medieval
burial recently discovered in Piazza Armerina (Sicily), in which the integrated use of
traditional bioarchaeological and forensic anthropology methods was crucial. The
skeleton was lying in a prone position and was characterised by a peculiar injury pattern.
We recorded six clear stab wound marks on the posterior surface of the sternum.
The use of computerised tomography scan and 3D modelling techniques has
made it possible to obtain a reliable reconstruction of the cause and modality of
death, pointing to the execution of the individual. The importance of this case study
is twofold. First, the injury pattern recorded currently constitutes a unicum in the
bioarchaeological record. Second, it represents the first well‐documented case of an
atypical burial in Sicily.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Summary — The modern mummies and the inner meaning of the double burial in Mediterranean cultures have long been debated. In this paper we discuss a particular “collection” of ecclesiastical bodies, mummified and displayed in a small... more
Summary — The modern mummies and the inner meaning of the double burial in Mediterranean
cultures have long been debated. In this paper we discuss a particular “collection” of ecclesiastical
bodies, mummified and displayed in a small mountain town of Sicily, Gangi, in the Madonie Mountains.
The bodies, dating back to the nineteenth century, mummified by pouring in the tradition of the time
and carefully dressed in robes, are exposed in the lower floor of the Chiesa Madre, in what the tradition
is called “fossa dei parrini” (pit of priests). The mummies, unlike other Sicilian and Mediterranean sites,
are accompanied by commemorative sonnet and death mask made of finish wax. The primary interest
of our study was aimed specifically at this particular manifestation of the double burial complex, which
lies in the representation of the face. The work expresses an examination of the concept of death
mask in antiquity and leads to the conclusion that the place, for its scenic values and sophistication of
ritual, should be designed to the ostentation and the consolidation of the image of the Church
and of the his power within the small rural society.
cultures have long been debated. In this paper we discuss a particular “collection” of ecclesiastical
bodies, mummified and displayed in a small mountain town of Sicily, Gangi, in the Madonie Mountains.
The bodies, dating back to the nineteenth century, mummified by pouring in the tradition of the time
and carefully dressed in robes, are exposed in the lower floor of the Chiesa Madre, in what the tradition
is called “fossa dei parrini” (pit of priests). The mummies, unlike other Sicilian and Mediterranean sites,
are accompanied by commemorative sonnet and death mask made of finish wax. The primary interest
of our study was aimed specifically at this particular manifestation of the double burial complex, which
lies in the representation of the face. The work expresses an examination of the concept of death
mask in antiquity and leads to the conclusion that the place, for its scenic values and sophistication of
ritual, should be designed to the ostentation and the consolidation of the image of the Church
and of the his power within the small rural society.