Anyone who wants to understand the biological nature of humans and their special characteristics ... more Anyone who wants to understand the biological nature of humans and their special characteristics must look far back into evolutionary history. Today’s way of life is drastically different from that of our ancestors. For almost 99% of human history, gathering and hunting have been the basis of nutrition. It was not until about 12,000 years ago that humans began domesticating plants and animals. Bioarchaeologically and biochemically, this can be traced back to our earliest roots. Modern living conditions and the quality of human life are better today than ever before. However, neither physically nor psychosocially have we made this adjustment and we are paying a high health price for it. The studies presented allow us to reconstruct food supply, lifestyles, and dietary habits: from the earliest primates, through hunter-gatherers of the Paleolithic, farming communities since the beginning of the Anthropocene, to the Industrial Age and the present. The comprehensive data pool allows ext...
Plaque control is one of the most recommended approaches in the prevention and therapy of caries ... more Plaque control is one of the most recommended approaches in the prevention and therapy of caries and periodontal diseases. However, although most individuals in industrialized countries already perform daily oral hygiene, caries and periodontal diseases still are the most common diseases of mankind. This raises the question of whether plaque control is really a causative and effective approach to the prevention of these diseases. From an evolutionary, biological, and nutritional perspective, dental biofilms have to be considered a natural phenomenon, whereas several changes in human lifestyle factors during modern evolution are not “natural”. These lifestyle factors include the modern “Western diet” (rich in sugar and saturated fats and low in micronutrients), smoking, sedentary behavior, and continuous stress. This review hypothesizes that not plaque itself but rather these modern, unnatural lifestyle factors are the real causes of the high prevalence of caries and periodontal dise...
<p><sup>1</sup> for a detailed description of the traits see [<a href="... more <p><sup>1</sup> for a detailed description of the traits see [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0134528#pone.0134528.ref064" target="_blank">64</a>].</p><p>List of traits evaluated for the analyses of biological relationship on teeth from Kfar HaHoresh.</p
<p>The Stroke Ornamented Culture and Michelsberg Culture are not represented in our sample ... more <p>The Stroke Ornamented Culture and Michelsberg Culture are not represented in our sample due to low rate of anthropological findings. Chronology after Schwarz in [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0194862#pone.0194862.ref029" target="_blank">29</a>].</p
Dental health is closely linked to an individual’s health and diet. This bioarcheological study p... more Dental health is closely linked to an individual’s health and diet. This bioarcheological study presents dental caries and stable isotope data obtained from prehistoric individuals (n = 101) from three Early Neolithic sites (c. 5500-4800 BCE) in central Germany. Dental caries and ante-mortem tooth loss (AMTL) were recorded and related to life history traits such as biological sex and age at death. Further, we correlate evidence on caries to carbon and nitrogen isotope data obtained from 83 individuals to assess the relationship between diet and caries. In 68.3% of the adults, carious lesions were present, with 10.3% of teeth affected. If AMTL is considered, the values increase by about 3%. The prevalence of subadults (18.4%) was significantly lower, with 1.8% carious teeth. The number of carious teeth correlated significantly with age but not sex. The isotopic data indicated an omnivorous terrestrial diet composed of domestic plants and animal derived protein but did not correlate w...
The skeletal remains of an individual were found in 2001 in the vicinity of the Roman open-air mu... more The skeletal remains of an individual were found in 2001 in the vicinity of the Roman open-air museum at »Villa Borg« near Oberleuken-Perl, Saarland. Radiocarbon analysis dated the feature to the 1st century AD. No belongings or grave goods were found. The osteological examination showed that the skeletal remains were those of an adult male. The bones bore no evidence of injury or disease, which meant that it was not possible to determine the cause of death. Whilst the carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios were consistent with the local dietary range in the Roman period, the results of the strontium isotope analysis suggested that the individual had spent his childhood and adolescence elsewhere. The second molar of the left mandible exhibited a defect or cavity which contained a substance resembling filling material. Imaging techniques and material analyses were used to determine whether this was indeed a dental filling and to obtain information about the nature and composition of the ...
The remains of an individual from grave 595 of the Merovingian cemetery at Mannheim-Seckenheim, e... more The remains of an individual from grave 595 of the Merovingian cemetery at Mannheim-Seckenheim, excavated between 2001 and 2004, displays extreme deposits of dental calculus. The 1st and 2nd upper right molars of the male aged 50+ were the most affected and almost completely encased by the deposits. The substantial calculus accumulation might be ascribed to the antemortem loss of the occluding teeth which would have rendered normal mastication impossible. Invasive tests to analyse the formation and element composition of the deposits might indicate endogenous factors to be the cause for this oral dysfunction. Aside from the calculus severe dental caries, abrasion, and periodontal disease (particularly periapical defects) were observed. Although there are similar instances of considerable dental calculus in archaeological human remains, this individual is an exceptional case within the Mannheim-Seckenheim assemblage.
The excavations at Alsonyek revealed numerous Starcevo features, over 50 in the southern part of ... more The excavations at Alsonyek revealed numerous Starcevo features, over 50 in the southern part of subsite 10B and some 500 in subsite 5603. The overwhelming majority of the features uncovered were individual pits and pit complexes. Traces of houses or above-ground structures were recorded, but no certain house plans could be identified; numerous hearths and ovens were found. 25 Starcevo burials have been identified, with some in disused pits and ovens. The occupation excavated in subsite 5603 was substantial, the largest yet discovered in Transdanubia. The north-west distribution of the Early Neolithic cultural complex of the northern Balkans – the Starcevo, Koros and Cris cultures – represents the first food-producing communities in many parts of the Carpathian basin. Starcevo sites are now known in the southern part of western Hungary up to Lake Balaton, but there are many unresolved questions about the precise chronology of the Early Neolithic in Transdanubia and beyond, in the St...
To the east of the main excavated area at Alsonyek, a small investigation took place which reveal... more To the east of the main excavated area at Alsonyek, a small investigation took place which revealed a Sopot culture occupation, represented by pits, four ditches and 18 graves with the remains of 20 individuals. Some time-depth to the occupation is seen in the ditches cutting the pits, and some of the graves cutting the third ditch. The enclosed area was about five hectares, based on geomagnetic survey, but it is not possible to estimate the entire size of the occupation. The Sopot culture is normally regarded as a horizon with a questionable chronological position on the boundary between the Middle and Late Neolithic in western Hungary. Its role in the formation of the large-scale Lengyel complex remains controversial. Scholars can agree that it was brought to the region from the south, but there have been different views concerning the timing of its spread in the western Carpathian basin. Some have seen it as an entirely pre-Lengyel development, and others as at least partly conte...
Anyone who wants to understand the biological nature of humans and their special characteristics ... more Anyone who wants to understand the biological nature of humans and their special characteristics must look far back into evolutionary history. Today’s way of life is drastically different from that of our ancestors. For almost 99% of human history, gathering and hunting have been the basis of nutrition. It was not until about 12,000 years ago that humans began domesticating plants and animals. Bioarchaeologically and biochemically, this can be traced back to our earliest roots. Modern living conditions and the quality of human life are better today than ever before. However, neither physically nor psychosocially have we made this adjustment and we are paying a high health price for it. The studies presented allow us to reconstruct food supply, lifestyles, and dietary habits: from the earliest primates, through hunter-gatherers of the Paleolithic, farming communities since the beginning of the Anthropocene, to the Industrial Age and the present. The comprehensive data pool allows ext...
Plaque control is one of the most recommended approaches in the prevention and therapy of caries ... more Plaque control is one of the most recommended approaches in the prevention and therapy of caries and periodontal diseases. However, although most individuals in industrialized countries already perform daily oral hygiene, caries and periodontal diseases still are the most common diseases of mankind. This raises the question of whether plaque control is really a causative and effective approach to the prevention of these diseases. From an evolutionary, biological, and nutritional perspective, dental biofilms have to be considered a natural phenomenon, whereas several changes in human lifestyle factors during modern evolution are not “natural”. These lifestyle factors include the modern “Western diet” (rich in sugar and saturated fats and low in micronutrients), smoking, sedentary behavior, and continuous stress. This review hypothesizes that not plaque itself but rather these modern, unnatural lifestyle factors are the real causes of the high prevalence of caries and periodontal dise...
<p><sup>1</sup> for a detailed description of the traits see [<a href="... more <p><sup>1</sup> for a detailed description of the traits see [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0134528#pone.0134528.ref064" target="_blank">64</a>].</p><p>List of traits evaluated for the analyses of biological relationship on teeth from Kfar HaHoresh.</p
<p>The Stroke Ornamented Culture and Michelsberg Culture are not represented in our sample ... more <p>The Stroke Ornamented Culture and Michelsberg Culture are not represented in our sample due to low rate of anthropological findings. Chronology after Schwarz in [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0194862#pone.0194862.ref029" target="_blank">29</a>].</p
Dental health is closely linked to an individual’s health and diet. This bioarcheological study p... more Dental health is closely linked to an individual’s health and diet. This bioarcheological study presents dental caries and stable isotope data obtained from prehistoric individuals (n = 101) from three Early Neolithic sites (c. 5500-4800 BCE) in central Germany. Dental caries and ante-mortem tooth loss (AMTL) were recorded and related to life history traits such as biological sex and age at death. Further, we correlate evidence on caries to carbon and nitrogen isotope data obtained from 83 individuals to assess the relationship between diet and caries. In 68.3% of the adults, carious lesions were present, with 10.3% of teeth affected. If AMTL is considered, the values increase by about 3%. The prevalence of subadults (18.4%) was significantly lower, with 1.8% carious teeth. The number of carious teeth correlated significantly with age but not sex. The isotopic data indicated an omnivorous terrestrial diet composed of domestic plants and animal derived protein but did not correlate w...
The skeletal remains of an individual were found in 2001 in the vicinity of the Roman open-air mu... more The skeletal remains of an individual were found in 2001 in the vicinity of the Roman open-air museum at »Villa Borg« near Oberleuken-Perl, Saarland. Radiocarbon analysis dated the feature to the 1st century AD. No belongings or grave goods were found. The osteological examination showed that the skeletal remains were those of an adult male. The bones bore no evidence of injury or disease, which meant that it was not possible to determine the cause of death. Whilst the carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios were consistent with the local dietary range in the Roman period, the results of the strontium isotope analysis suggested that the individual had spent his childhood and adolescence elsewhere. The second molar of the left mandible exhibited a defect or cavity which contained a substance resembling filling material. Imaging techniques and material analyses were used to determine whether this was indeed a dental filling and to obtain information about the nature and composition of the ...
The remains of an individual from grave 595 of the Merovingian cemetery at Mannheim-Seckenheim, e... more The remains of an individual from grave 595 of the Merovingian cemetery at Mannheim-Seckenheim, excavated between 2001 and 2004, displays extreme deposits of dental calculus. The 1st and 2nd upper right molars of the male aged 50+ were the most affected and almost completely encased by the deposits. The substantial calculus accumulation might be ascribed to the antemortem loss of the occluding teeth which would have rendered normal mastication impossible. Invasive tests to analyse the formation and element composition of the deposits might indicate endogenous factors to be the cause for this oral dysfunction. Aside from the calculus severe dental caries, abrasion, and periodontal disease (particularly periapical defects) were observed. Although there are similar instances of considerable dental calculus in archaeological human remains, this individual is an exceptional case within the Mannheim-Seckenheim assemblage.
The excavations at Alsonyek revealed numerous Starcevo features, over 50 in the southern part of ... more The excavations at Alsonyek revealed numerous Starcevo features, over 50 in the southern part of subsite 10B and some 500 in subsite 5603. The overwhelming majority of the features uncovered were individual pits and pit complexes. Traces of houses or above-ground structures were recorded, but no certain house plans could be identified; numerous hearths and ovens were found. 25 Starcevo burials have been identified, with some in disused pits and ovens. The occupation excavated in subsite 5603 was substantial, the largest yet discovered in Transdanubia. The north-west distribution of the Early Neolithic cultural complex of the northern Balkans – the Starcevo, Koros and Cris cultures – represents the first food-producing communities in many parts of the Carpathian basin. Starcevo sites are now known in the southern part of western Hungary up to Lake Balaton, but there are many unresolved questions about the precise chronology of the Early Neolithic in Transdanubia and beyond, in the St...
To the east of the main excavated area at Alsonyek, a small investigation took place which reveal... more To the east of the main excavated area at Alsonyek, a small investigation took place which revealed a Sopot culture occupation, represented by pits, four ditches and 18 graves with the remains of 20 individuals. Some time-depth to the occupation is seen in the ditches cutting the pits, and some of the graves cutting the third ditch. The enclosed area was about five hectares, based on geomagnetic survey, but it is not possible to estimate the entire size of the occupation. The Sopot culture is normally regarded as a horizon with a questionable chronological position on the boundary between the Middle and Late Neolithic in western Hungary. Its role in the formation of the large-scale Lengyel complex remains controversial. Scholars can agree that it was brought to the region from the south, but there have been different views concerning the timing of its spread in the western Carpathian basin. Some have seen it as an entirely pre-Lengyel development, and others as at least partly conte...
H. Meller/N. Nicklisch/J. Orschiedt/K. W. Alt, Rituelle Zweikämpfe schnurkeramischer Krieger? In:... more H. Meller/N. Nicklisch/J. Orschiedt/K. W. Alt, Rituelle Zweikämpfe schnurkeramischer Krieger? In: H. Meller/M. Schefzik (Hrsg.), Krieg – eine archäologische Spurensuche. Begleitband zur Sonderausstellung im Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte Halle (Saale) 6. November 2015 bis 22. Mai 2016 (Halle [Saale] 2015) 185-189.
Liane Giemsch, Susanne C. Feine, Kurt W. Alt, Qiaomei Fu, Corina Knipper, Johannes Krause, Sarah ... more Liane Giemsch, Susanne C. Feine, Kurt W. Alt, Qiaomei Fu, Corina Knipper, Johannes Krause, Sarah Lacy, Olaf Nehlich, Constanze Niess, Svante Pääbo, Alfred Pawlik, Michael P. Richards, Verena Schünemann, Martin Street, Olaf Thalmann, Johann Tinnes, Erik Trinkaus & Ralf W. Schmitz. Interdisciplinary investigations of the late glacial double burial from Bonn-Oberkassel The late glacial double burial from Bonn-Oberkassel, with its unique combination of finds is one of the most important research sources for the Late Glacial in Central Europe. Due to the large number of questions concerning the find ensemble, late Palaeolithic humans in general, and also due to the approaching 100th anniversary of the discovery, the University of Bonn and the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn has launched a complete scientific reinvestigation of the find complex. The anthropological studies of the human skeletons provided in addition to their sex and the attained age also answers to the questions of injuries and diseases of the two individuals. Stable isotope analyzes yielded answers to questions about nutrition and to determine the regions where the individuals grew up. With the help of a forensic facial reconstruction method we get an idea of the physical appearance of our ancestors from Oberkassel. The genetic studies on the human skeletons provide further information about their degree of relationship to each other and their phylogenetic position within the populations of Europe; they also help to date the expansion of modern humans out of Africa. Important questions regarding the domestication of wolves could be answered using mtDNA-analysis at the Oberkasseler dog and confirm that the Oberkasseler animal skeleton is a direct ancestor of today’s dogs. Among other things microCT-scans and experimental reconstructions clarified the motive and the material from which the grave goods are made. In 2012 we conducted fieldwork at the site in the quarry in Bonn-Oberkassel, aiming at the location of still undisturbed glacial layers and shifted sediments from the destroyed burial and thus to gain important insights into the chronology and the original site. In fact it might also reveal whether the burial from the Rabenlay is a singular event, part of a repeatedly visited burial site or whether it corresponds to a nearby, as yet undiscovered living site.
"TRANS LACUM PELSONEM" PRÄHISTORISCHE FORSCHUNGEN IN SÜDWESTUNGARN (5500-500 v. Chr.) PREHISTORIC RESEARCH IN SOUTH-WESTERN HUNGARY (5500-500 BC, 2019
The paper presents the finds and findings from a site of the Copper Age Balaton-Lasinja culture i... more The paper presents the finds and findings from a site of the Copper Age Balaton-Lasinja culture investigated at Keszthely-Fenékpuszta, Pusztaszentegyháza in 2000. The archaeological and anthropological analyses of two pits (Features 45 and 46) and the human remains from at least twenty individuals discovered in them shed light on the post-mortem mortuary practices of the Balaton-Lasinja culture in Hungary, which have until now been only documented at contemporaneous sites in neighboring countries. The manipulation of the skulls and parts of the postcranial skeleton is a practice attested from the Early Neolithic onward, and the observations discussed here share numerous similarities with the remains of ritual activities documented in deep shaft-like pits and wells of the Copper Age. Most of the fourteen sampled individuals of the Balaton-Lasinja culture have different mitochondrial DNA haplotypes, which contradicts an explanation of the execution or sacrifice of a single family. Taken together with the incompleteness of the skeletons, the evidence rather points towards the secondary inhumation of certain individuals from a larger community. Carbon, nitrogen and strontium isotope data support this interpretation and point to individuals of heterogeneous and, in some cases, potentially non-local origins. The number of the affected individuals, the few potential kinship ties between them and the peripheral location of the pits within the settlement suggest a communal ritual enacted by the entire community (probably the inhabitants of the village).
Resumen El megalitismo en la Cuenca del Duero muestra una amplia diversidad de manifestaciones, t... more Resumen El megalitismo en la Cuenca del Duero muestra una amplia diversidad de manifestaciones, tanto los más ortodoxos tipos de monumentos (dólmenes simples y de corredor) como otras carentes de estructuras ortostáticas (túmulos simples, tumbas calero, etc.). En este trabajo presentamos dos recientes hallazgos per-tenecientes a estos últimos tipos funerarios, que hemos excavado en la provincia de Burgos y la de Soria. En ellos se documentan diferentes procesos de clausura que suponen el desmantelamiento de estas sepulturas colectivas, y la transformación ulterior de los espacios funerarios, tras complejas ceremonias y reformas ar-quitectónicas en algún caso, hasta dar lugar a un monumento cerrado que actúa como lugar de veneración de la memoria de los antepasados allí depositados, dentro del Paisaje ritual que se articula en torno a ellos. Abstract The Megalithism in the Duero Basin shows a wide range of different monuments, both the more orthodox types (simple dolmens and passage graves) and others lacking the orthostatic structures (simple mounds, " lime-kiln " tombs). In this article two recent discoveries are presented that were found and excavated in the Burgos and Soria provinces. Different closure rituals were documented in them involving the dismantling of previous collective graves and the subsequent transformation of those burial spaces, through complex ceremonies and even architectonic reforms, into veneration places to the memory of the ancestors deposited there, within the ritual landscape organized around them.
A travers les communications présentées à l'occasion de la seconde session des « Rencontres danub... more A travers les communications présentées à l'occasion de la seconde session des « Rencontres danubiennes », ce volume se propose de montrer quelques-uns des axes de recherche empruntés récemment par les spécialistes des pratiques funéraires du premier millénaire du Néolithique européen, celui du Rubané et des cultures dérivées du Mittelneolithikum (5700 – 4500). Les travaux présentés vont de l'analyse fine des conditions de dépôt des corps à une étude générale sur le système funéraire danubien, en passant par une série de réflexions sur la signification des formes et pratiques funéraires non conventionnelles et un exemple d'analyse des liens de parenté. Les chercheurs allemands et français réunis à Fribourg-en-Brisgau ont ainsi voulu illustrer la diversité et la complémentarité de leurs travaux.
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Papers by Kurt W. Alt
Interdisciplinary investigations of the late glacial double burial from Bonn-Oberkassel
The late glacial double burial from Bonn-Oberkassel, with its unique combination of finds is one of the most important research sources for the Late Glacial in Central Europe. Due to the large number of questions concerning the find ensemble, late Palaeolithic humans in general, and also due to the approaching 100th anniversary of the discovery, the University of Bonn and the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn has launched a complete scientific reinvestigation of the find complex. The anthropological studies of the human skeletons provided in addition to their sex and the attained age also answers to the questions of injuries and diseases of the two individuals. Stable isotope analyzes yielded answers to questions about nutrition and to determine the regions where the individuals grew up. With the help of a forensic facial reconstruction method we get an idea of the physical appearance of our ancestors from Oberkassel. The genetic studies on the human skeletons provide further information about their degree of relationship to each other and their phylogenetic position within the populations of Europe; they also help to date the expansion of modern humans out of Africa. Important questions regarding the domestication of wolves could be answered using mtDNA-analysis at the Oberkasseler dog and confirm that the Oberkasseler animal skeleton is a direct ancestor of today’s dogs. Among other things microCT-scans and experimental reconstructions clarified the motive and the material from which the grave goods are made. In 2012 we conducted fieldwork at the site in the quarry in Bonn-Oberkassel, aiming at the location of still undisturbed glacial layers and shifted sediments from the destroyed burial and thus to gain important insights into the chronology and the original site. In fact it might also reveal whether the burial from the Rabenlay is a singular event, part of a repeatedly visited burial site or whether it corresponds to a nearby, as yet undiscovered living site.