Figure - available from: BioMed Research International
This content is subject to copyright. Terms and conditions apply.
Source publication
The monastery of Attel, Upper Bavaria, which was founded in AD 1030, harbours a series of crypt burials from the time period between AD 1700 and 1750. Due to a restoration of the church, 16 crypts had to be removed and were subjected to an extensive anthropological-paleopathological and isotope analysis. The 16 crypts contained 19 burials in open w...
Citations
... This covers 42 regions of the human skeleton and evaluates the presence of the respective skeletal material (0 -42 points) and the condition of the bone (0 -max. 126 points) with low figures indicating an absent or very fragmented skeleton and extremely poorly conserved bone matrix respectively [11]. In contrast, high figures indicate the presence of all/most skeletal elements and good/excellent bone preservation respectively. ...
... Besides the multiple metastases and the tooth loss, this investigation showed only a few additional disorders; most cases of intra vitam tooth loss in historic populations is due to poor dental health e.g. extensive chronic periodontitis or lack of dental hygiene [11], but remains unproven in this case. ...
... Otherwise, during the first decades of his life, he did not suffer from obvious major disorder, at least that manifested in his skeleton, except for the complete loss of teeth of the maxilla and several teeth of the mandible. This, however, was quite a frequent occurrence in advanced aged individuals at this time and included monastic communities, probably due to poor dental health care and lack of oral hygiene [11]. Beyond this, his most important health problem was the development of prostatic cancer which may have affected him symptomatically in his very final years or even only for his final months of life. ...
This interdisciplinary investigation of the human remains of Balduin Helm, one of the most important abbots of Fürstenfeld monastery, provides novel information on that historic individual. This is particularly interesting since Balduin, during early 18th century, was involved in the renovation of this large Bavarian monastery. Metastatic prostate cancer was found as evidenced by multiple mixed osteolytic-osteoblastic bone lesions in all available vertebral bodies, fragments of both hemipelvises and isolated metastases in skull bones. Distribution, radio- and histomorphology, and especially the immunohistochemical detection of prostate-specific antigen in those metastases, definitively confirm this diagnosis. Further investigation, especially by stable isotope analysis, showed a balanced high-level diet with considerable contribution from animal protein and significant freshwater fish. These additional findings suggest a significant radiocarbon reservoir effect as an explanation for a “too old” radiocarbon dating. Finally, the obviously high-level protein diet may have contributed to the tumorigenesis which caused the death of the abbot at an advanced age.
... In most cases, especially for displaced or mildly displaced fractures, complete shoulder function is restored after this treatment, although some studies have found that as many as 27 % of patients still report pain during activity up to 10 years after the initial fracture (Nowak et al., 2004). In paleopathology, reported cases of clavicle fractures tend to be misaligned or non-united, but still show evidence of healing (e.g., Wakely, 1996;Wentz & De Grummond, 2009;Nerlich et al., 2015), indicating that clavicle fractures may not have been significantly associated with an increased mortality risk. However, misaligned clavicle fractures can still lead to complications such as loss of function and disuse osteoporosis (Giannotti et al., 2013). ...
Objectives
Although trauma is one of the most significant areas of study in paleopathology, most studies focus on fractures of single anatomical elements. Paleopathological research on regional trauma, such as of the thorax, is rare. This paper explores the causes, complications, and consequences of adult thoracic trauma using clinical data in order to inform paleopathological research.
Materials and methods
Trends in paleopathological thoracic trauma literature were assessed by evaluating publications from Bioarchaeology International, International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, International Journal of Paleopathology, and American Journal of Biological Anthropology. Clinical publications on thoracic trauma throughout time were also assessed through a PubMed search, and modern prevalence data was found through trauma databases such as the National Trauma Databank.
Results
Consideration of thoracic trauma involving concomitant injuries is a recent trend in clinical literature and patient care, but paleopathological research on thoracic trauma has been limited. Since thoracic fractures tend to occur in conjunction with other injuries, assessing them together is critical to the interpretation of trauma in the past.
Conclusions
Clinical research into thoracic fractures and concomitant injuries provides valuable data for paleopathological research. Evaluating the likelihood and consequences of concomitant injury in skeletal remains provides a more robust understanding of trauma in the past and its impact on past lifeways.
Significance
This paper provides a review of current clinical and paleopathological literature on thoracic trauma and demonstrates the importance of moving beyond the analysis of fractures or trauma of single anatomical elements.
Limitations
Thoracic bones are often taphonomically altered and differentially preserved leading to difficulty in identifying and interpreting fractures.
Suggestions for Further Research
Practical application of the data presented here to archaeological samples will help to advance paleopathological understandings of thoracic trauma.
... 171 cm (5.61 ft.), while their local contemporaries averaged 162-165 cm (5.31-5.41 ft.) (Nerlich et al. 2015). In contrast, a typical, well-nourished Finnish man today has an average height of 180.7 cm (5.93 ft.) (Saari et al. 2011). ...
Vicar Nikolaus Rungius’s (ca. 1560–1629) mummified remains have been the subject of research that has provided a wide variety of information on his life. This article examines the ways Rungius’s health and lifestyle highlight his status as a vicar, and this status is visible in his burial and funerary clothing. He was a relatively large man for his time. CT scans even include indications of certain conditions related to being overweight. Likewise, stable-isotope analyses of his nail keratin support the hypothesis that he was consuming a rather heavy, protein-rich diet. Given his status as the vicar of Kemi parish in northern Finland, he likely made sumptuous use of the rich local natural resources of fish, game, and domestic animals as part of his regular diet. In addition to his diet and health, the vicar’s high-quality clothes, while fragmentary, also open an avenue to extend the exploration of his social status and wealth.
... Body height can be used as a proxy for nutrition and health during adolescence even though the basic range largely depends on genetics. With an average stature of 169.3 cm for males (n = 3) and 163.4 cm for females (n = 5), the Sommersdorf individuals fit very well into the frame given by larger medieval and post-medieval series in Bavaria [92][93][94][95][96] (Table 5). Due to the estimation of body height using the femur, the male individuals from Sommersdorf seem Table 5. ...
Sommersdorf Castle (Bavaria, Germany) is a medieval castle complex which has been inhabited by the aristocratic family von Crailsheim. The deceased were entombed in a crypt located in the parapets underneath the castle’s church, resulting in mummification of the bodies. Based on the family chronicle and oral history, identities have been ascribed to the mummies. The aim of the study is therefore to test the accuracy of the historical records in comparison to archaeological, anthropological and genetic data. Today, the crypt houses eleven wooden coffins from the 17th to 19th century AD. In ten of these, mummified and scattered human remains were found. Archive records were studied in order to identify names, ancestry, titles, occupation, date of birth and death, and place of interment of the individuals. The coffins were visually inspected and dated by typo-chronology, and the mummified and scattered skeletal remains were subjected to a physical anthropological examination. In total, the crypt contains the remains of a minimum number of nine individuals, among them three adult males, five adult females and one infant. A detailed scientific examination, including prior conservation, ancient DNA analyses, and computed tomography (CT), was performed on five mummies. By means of the CT data age at death, sex, body height, pathologies, and anatomical variants were investigated. CT analysis further showed that the bodies were naturally mummified. Mitochondrial DNA analyses revealed that the tested individuals are not maternally related. In addition, health, living conditions and circumstances of death of the entombed individuals could be highlighted. Being confronted with the strengths, weaknesses and limitations of each methodological approach, probable identification was achieved in two cases.
Hay dos procesos que garantizan la conservación excepcional de los cadáveres a través del tiempo: la momificación natural y el embalsamamiento. La momificación natural es el proceso de conservación motivado por procesos tafonómicos que se generan desde el momento de la muerte y que están provocados por medios naturales, si bien en algunas ocasiones pueden intervenir factores humanos. Las temperaturas extremas, la sequedad ambiental, la basicidad del suelo juegan un papel determinante.
El embalsamamiento engloba las técnicas de manipulación artificial del cadáver que facultan la conservación más o menos favorable de los restos.
Aragón presenta un buen número de emplazamientos que albergan cientos de cadáveres momificados, desde restos de la Casa Real de Aragón: los Reyes Sancho Ramírez, Alfonso el Batallador, Jaime I, Juan II, Pedro II y la reina Dª Sancha; personajes civiles o religiosos como el Papa Benedicto XIII, el Infante D. Hernando de Aragón o el Cardenal Pedro Calvillo. En este trabajo realizamos un catálogo provisional de los restos conocidos hasta la fecha.
Actas de las comunicaciones presentadas al II Congreso Nacional de Arqueología Profesional de España realizado de manera telemática los días 28 y 29 de mayo del 2021
The aim of the study was to analyze a skull found in ossuary material in Płock, dated between the 16th and 19th centuries. The skull was subjected to a comprehensive anthropological analysis due to the number of pathological changes occurring to it. These changes testify to both the diseases experienced by the individual and the acquired bone injuries. The study aimed to find out whether the pathological changes on the skull appeared as a result of the injury or intentional trepanation. The examined skull shows three injuries, of which only one may resemble trepanation processes. Comparative analysis of the skull showed that the observed marks were generated ante-mortem. The presence of compact regenerated bone tissue with a significant thickness attests to this statement. Based on the trauma marks, it was determined that two of them (“A” and “B”) had been struck by a sharp-edged instrument. They do not, however, match any known trepanation techniques. They should be categorized as purposeful injuries that are not trepanations, based on the proportions and shape of the incisions, as well as the comparative study. The “C” trace, when examined and compared to the literature, appears to be an oval depression caused by an impact with a blunt-edged object rather than a healed trepanation mark.
There exist numerous crypts and catacombs in churches and cemeteries that harbor mummified human remains. Due to burial customs these are most frequently detected in European countries, mostly as the result of spontaneous (natural) mummification. Beyond those mummies, occasionally artificial mummification has led to permanently preserved bodies. These were performed as either dry or wet type of embalming. All mummified human bodies may represent important information about life, living conditions, diseases, and causes of death
in historic populations; they represent a “bio-archive.” Although many mummies
seem to be present in numerous locations, only a small number of them have been
as yet investigated scientifically. This scientific analysis has been performed by
various techniques: anthropological examination, CT scans and/or X-rays, histology
and isotope analysis, molecular studies for human and microbial DNA,
paleobotany, and many more. In this chapter, the available observations from
numerous locations in different countries have been compiled. In most instances,
only data from series of mummified bodies have been collected; single mummies
have only occasionally been considered. The series come from Italian and
German churches, several findings from Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary
and Lithuania, and isolated cases from almost every country.
