Alessandra Sperduti | Museo Nazionale Preistorico Etnografico Luigi Pigorini (original) (raw)

Papers by Alessandra Sperduti

European Journal of Archaeology, 2024

When archaeologists discuss ‘ancestor cults’ or ‘ancestor veneration’, what this might entail in ... more When archaeologists discuss ‘ancestor cults’ or ‘ancestor veneration’, what this might entail in practice usually remains vague, leading to charges that the concept of ‘ancestors’ is often applied generically. In this article, the authors combine bioarchaeological, taphonomic, radiocarbon, and isotopic studies to explore the ritual practice of the selective retention, curation, and deposition of a group of human crania and mandibles. Between 5500–5400 bc , Neolithic people at Masseria Candelaro (Puglia, Italy) deposited broken crania and mandibles from about fifteen individuals in a heap in the centre of the village. These individuals were mostly probable males, collected over the course of two centuries and actively used, with their deposition marking the final disposal of a ritual collection. The motivations for the curation of cranial bone are investigated through comparison with archaeological and ethnographic examples, advancing an interpretation of ritual practice directed towards ancestors.

DOGS Past and Present. An Interdisciplinary Perspective, 2023

Peltuinum is a Roman town in the central Apennines founded in the mid-1st century BC and abandone... more Peltuinum is a Roman town in the central Apennines founded in the mid-1st century BC and abandoned in the 5th century AD when struck by violent earthquakes. The archaeological campaigns led to the discovery of three atypical funerary contexts in abandoned theatre structures (five shafts and a sewer) and of the city walls (a tower). All three sites show a strong association of human, dog, and other faunal remains. Still, they differ by the modality of deposition, the age at death profile of the human individuals, the number of associated dogs, and the presence/proportion of other domestic fauna, suggesting different interpretative scenarios. In this paper we describe the cases focusing on the dogs’ remains in relation to their symbolic role. The analysis focused mostly on the dog remains from the shafts to understand whether there was a choice in the type of dog to be sacrificed based on certain characteristics such as sex, size and age.

D’AGOSTINO E., SPERDUTI A. In: R. Lucifero (ed), Avo Sapiens. Immagini dall’oltre mondo. Lepre, ... more D’AGOSTINO E., SPERDUTI A.
In: R. Lucifero (ed), Avo Sapiens. Immagini dall’oltre mondo. Lepre, Roma, 108-112.

La necropoli di Poggio Montano: un sito di frontiera nell’Etruria interna. Mediterranea. Studi e ricerche sul Mediterraneo antico, Suppl. 3, 2022

In A. PIERGROSSI (ed) La necropoli di Poggio Montano: un sito di frontiera nell’Etruria interna. ... more In A. PIERGROSSI (ed) La necropoli di Poggio Montano: un sito di frontiera nell’Etruria interna. Mediterranea. Studi e ricerche sul Mediterraneo antico, Suppl. 3, pp. 377-379.

Death and the societies of Late Antiquity: New methods, new questions?, 2023

Braconi M., Facchin G., Ferri G., Bernardi M, Sperduti A. Since 2016 the Pontifical Commission fo... more Braconi M., Facchin G., Ferri G., Bernardi M, Sperduti A.
Since 2016 the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology, in collaboration with Roma Tre University and, since 2018, with the Bioarchaeology Service at the Museum of Civilizations in Rome, has undertaken a new archaeological excavation project in the Catacomb of Santa Mustiola, Chiusi (Si). The stratigraphic excavation of the tombs has revealed an intense use of the graves, with a sequence of inhumations characterized by two clearly identifiable phases of occupation. The first one is chronologically referable to the 4th AD, while the second one dates back at least to the first half of the 5th AD.
The analysis of the over 300 individuals contributed to clarifying funerary dynamics and describing the life conditions of the community. The demographic profile indicates that individuals of all ages were buried in the Catacomb, even if with some anomalies.
Another crucial aspect concerns the utilization of the cemeterial complex and the profile of its users in the various chronological phases.

Servizio di Bioarcheologia del Museo delle Civiltà (Ministero della Cultura): elenco pubblicazion... more Servizio di Bioarcheologia del Museo delle Civiltà (Ministero della Cultura): elenco pubblicazioni 2022.
Bioarchaeology Service, Museum of Civilizations (Italian Ministry for Culture): 2022 publication list.

Nature Communications, 2022

The human microbiome has recently become a valuable source of information about host life and hea... more The human microbiome has recently become a valuable source of information
about host life and health. To date little is known about how it may have
evolved during key phases along our history, such as the Neolithic transition
towards agriculture. Here, we shed light on the evolution experienced by the
oral microbiome during this transition, comparing Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers with Neolithic and Copper Age farmers that populated a same
restricted area in Italy. We integrate the analysis of 76 dental calculus oral
microbiomes with the dietary information derived from the identification of
embedded plant remains. We detect a stronger deviation from the huntergatherer microbiome composition in the last part of the Neolithic, while to a lesser extent in the early phases of the transition. Our findings demonstrate that the introduction of agriculture affected hostmicrobiome, supporting the hypothesis of a gradual transition within the investigated populations.

International Journal of Paleopathology, 2022

Objective: To report a case of bilateral humerus varus from a late antiquity archeological contex... more Objective: To report a case of bilateral humerus varus from a late antiquity archeological context in central Italy.
Materials: The individual is a 25–40-year-old female, dated to the 4th cent. CE, from the catacomb of Santa
Mustiola in Chiusi, Italy.
Methods: The bones were examined macroscopically and through CT scan imaging.
Results: Both humeri show evident alterations in shape, including elongated, flattened and distally dislocated
humeral heads, shortened anatomical necks, angulated upper diaphyseal shafts, and reduced overall lengths. The
scapulae appear to have been mildly affected by this condition and show some bone loss and slight retroversion
of the glenoid cavity.
Conclusions: Observations are consistent with a diagnosis of humerus varus deformity likely caused by a traumatic
event early in the individual’s life.
Significance: Varus deformity of the proximal humerus is seldom reported in bioarcheological literature. The case
presented provides insight into the etiology and effects of this condition and may serve as comparison for future
studies.
Limitations: Even though the absence of other skeletal deformities renders a systemic condition improbable, the
traumatic etiology of the condition cannot be confirmed with certainty.
Suggestions for further research: Future publications of new cases may give a broader perspective of the etiology of
this condition in the past.

Bull Int Assoc Paleodont. , 2021

Dental twinning (or "double teeth") is a rare developmental condition that implies the fusion of ... more Dental twinning (or "double teeth") is a rare developmental condition that implies the fusion of two or more adjacent teeth. Clinical literature reports individual cases and extensive population studies to clarify causation, distribution, heritability and differential diagnosis of the different types of dental twinning (i.e. fusion, gemination, and accretion) whereas, documentation for past populations is still scarce. Aims: the present study documents four new archaeological cases of dental twinning of deciduous teeth from four different Italian archaeological sites and positions them within the framework of the known literature. Materials and methods: the observed cases include five deciduous teeth from four subadults from Sardinia (Monte Sirai, 7th-4th cent. BCE and Santa Filitica, 7th cent. CE), Campania (Velia, 1st-2nd cent. CE) and Latium (Villamagna, 13th-15th cent. CE). The identification, descriptions and differential diagnoses of the anomalies were performed with the use of morphological analyses and, in one case, radiographic means. Results: all cases fall within the category of double teeth; each involving a different set of processes (gemination and dental fusion), teeth (deciduous central incisors, lateral incisors and canines), locations (upper and lower) and occurrence (unilateral and bilateral). Conclusion: to this day, cases reported in literature of dental twinning in archaeological samples are sparse and limited to specific geographical areas. This study adds four more cases from Italy suggesting such anomalies should be recorded in dental analyses in order to, one day, obtain a more reliable modelling of the frequencies and distributions in past populations.

The historical and archaeological record identifies Pithekoussai (island of Ischia, Italy, VIII c... more The historical and archaeological record identifies Pithekoussai (island of Ischia, Italy, VIII cent. BCE-III cent. CE) as the first Greek settlement in Italy (Strabo Geographia V-4-9), afterwards followed by more extensive Greek migrations characterizing the rise of Magna Grecia. The most striking evidence is the so-called Coppa di Nestore, which exhibits the most ancient Greek Euboean inscription so far known. The Pithekoussai's graveyard yielded more than 900 graves, both inhumations and cremations. The funerary record suggests a complex settlement history where Greek and Phoenician immigrants interacted with the local population. The peculiarity of the grave goods and the diverse treatment of the bodies are possibly referable to the origin and/or the social status of the deceased. The aim of this study is to test the multi-ethnicity of Pithekoussai's community through the anthropological and isotopic analysis, mainly by the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio analysis performed on dental enamel (inhumated individuals) and the pars petrosa of the temporal bone (cremated and inhumated individuals). Fifty individuals, from the so-called Pithekoussai II series, have been analysed so far. The 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio isotopic signal in the human mineralized tissues was compared to the local isotopic ratios derived from the analysis a. of the enamel of small modern mammals; b. of modern grass samples; and from the local volcanic bedrock signal known in literature (D'Antonio et al., 2012). Results confirm the presence of individuals born elsewhere (~ 22%), all adults, reinforcing the idea that Pithekoussai was a multi-ethnic community.

Ricerche su Ostia e il suo territorio

Science, 374 (6564), 2021

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been infecting humans for millennia and remains a global health probl... more Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been infecting humans for millennia and remains a global health problem, but its past diversity and dispersal routes are largely unknown. We generated HBV genomic data from 137 Eurasians and Native Americans dated between ~10,500 and ~400 years ago. We date the most recent common ancestor of all HBV lineages to between ~20,000 and 12,000 years ago, with the virus present in European and South American hunter-gatherers during the early Holocene. After the European Neolithic transition, Mesolithic HBV strains were replaced by a lineage likely disseminated by early farmers that prevailed throughout western Eurasia for ~4000 years, declining around the end of the 2nd millennium BCE. The only remnant of this prehistoric HBV diversity is the rare genotype G, which appears to have reemerged during the HIV pandemic.

Cremation 168 from the second half of the 8th century BCE (Pithekoussai’s necropolis, Ischia Isla... more Cremation 168 from the second half of the 8th century BCE (Pithekoussai’s necropolis, Ischia Island, Italy), better known as the Tomb of Nestor’s Cup, is widely considered as one of the most intriguing discoveries in the Mediterranean Pre-Classic archaeology. A drinking cup, from which the Tomb’s name derives, bears one of the earliest surviving examples of written Greek, representing the oldest Homeric poetry ever recovered. According to previous osteological analyses, the Cup is associated with the cremated remains of a juvenile, aged approximately 10–14 years at death. Since then, a vast body of literature has attempted to explain the unique association between the exceptionality of the grave good complex, the symposiac and erotic evocation of the Nestor’s Cup inscription with the young age of the individual buried with it. This paper reconsiders previous assessments of the remains by combining gross morphology with qualitative histology and histomorphometric analyses of the burnt bone fragments. This work reveals the commingled nature of the bone assemblage, identifying for the first time, more than one human individual mixed with faunal remains. These outcomes dramatically change previous reconstructions of the cremation deposit, rewriting the answer to the question: who was buried with Nestor’s Cup?.

Science Advances

Description

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

Abstract Mobility and human migration are seen as hallmarks of Roman society. With increasing ter... more Abstract Mobility and human migration are seen as hallmarks of Roman society. With increasing territorial expansion throughout the Mediterranean region during the Imperial Roman period, wider opportunities for both self-driven and forced mobility became possible. This study analyzes δ18O and 87Sr/86Sr values from the dental enamel of 20 human second molars (M2) to examine for potential instances of mobility at the 1st to 2nd c. CE site of Velia, located on the Tyrrhenian coast of southern Italy. Velia served as a secondary port and was utilized for the shipment of goods, boat maintenance, fish processing and arboriculture. Bagplot analysis indicates that at least 10% (n = 2/20) of the individuals sampled immigrated to Velia from non-local regions. The remaining 18 individuals show mixed signs of local residency and local mobility. Comparison of the Velia data with the contemporaneous southern Italian Imperial Roman (1st to 4th c. CE) site of Vagnari indicates a similar level of mobility to both sites. Though mobility is clearly evident among the individuals sampled from Velia, mobility to Velia appears to have been less common than to larger cosmopolitan sites, such as Portus, in proximity to the capital at Rome.

PLOS ONE, 2021

In this study, we present osteological and strontium isotope data of 29 individuals (26 cremation... more In this study, we present osteological and strontium isotope data of 29 individuals (26 cremations and 3 inhumations) from Szigetszentmiklós-Ürgehegy, one of the largest Middle Bronze Age cemeteries in Hungary. The site is located in the northern part of the Csepel Island (a few kilometres south of Budapest) and was in use between c. 2150 and 1500 BC, a period that saw the rise, the apogee, and, ultimately, the collapse of the Vatya culture in the plains of Central Hungary. The main aim of our study was to identify variation in mobility patterns among individuals of different sex/age/social status and among individuals treated with different burial rites using strontium isotope analysis. Changes in funerary rituals in Hungary have traditionally been associated with the crises of the tell cultures and the introgression of newcomers from the area of the Tumulus Culture in Central Europe around 1500 BC. Our results show only slight discrepancies between inhumations and cremations, as w...

European Journal of Archaeology, 2024

When archaeologists discuss ‘ancestor cults’ or ‘ancestor veneration’, what this might entail in ... more When archaeologists discuss ‘ancestor cults’ or ‘ancestor veneration’, what this might entail in practice usually remains vague, leading to charges that the concept of ‘ancestors’ is often applied generically. In this article, the authors combine bioarchaeological, taphonomic, radiocarbon, and isotopic studies to explore the ritual practice of the selective retention, curation, and deposition of a group of human crania and mandibles. Between 5500–5400 bc , Neolithic people at Masseria Candelaro (Puglia, Italy) deposited broken crania and mandibles from about fifteen individuals in a heap in the centre of the village. These individuals were mostly probable males, collected over the course of two centuries and actively used, with their deposition marking the final disposal of a ritual collection. The motivations for the curation of cranial bone are investigated through comparison with archaeological and ethnographic examples, advancing an interpretation of ritual practice directed towards ancestors.

DOGS Past and Present. An Interdisciplinary Perspective, 2023

Peltuinum is a Roman town in the central Apennines founded in the mid-1st century BC and abandone... more Peltuinum is a Roman town in the central Apennines founded in the mid-1st century BC and abandoned in the 5th century AD when struck by violent earthquakes. The archaeological campaigns led to the discovery of three atypical funerary contexts in abandoned theatre structures (five shafts and a sewer) and of the city walls (a tower). All three sites show a strong association of human, dog, and other faunal remains. Still, they differ by the modality of deposition, the age at death profile of the human individuals, the number of associated dogs, and the presence/proportion of other domestic fauna, suggesting different interpretative scenarios. In this paper we describe the cases focusing on the dogs’ remains in relation to their symbolic role. The analysis focused mostly on the dog remains from the shafts to understand whether there was a choice in the type of dog to be sacrificed based on certain characteristics such as sex, size and age.

D’AGOSTINO E., SPERDUTI A. In: R. Lucifero (ed), Avo Sapiens. Immagini dall’oltre mondo. Lepre, ... more D’AGOSTINO E., SPERDUTI A.
In: R. Lucifero (ed), Avo Sapiens. Immagini dall’oltre mondo. Lepre, Roma, 108-112.

La necropoli di Poggio Montano: un sito di frontiera nell’Etruria interna. Mediterranea. Studi e ricerche sul Mediterraneo antico, Suppl. 3, 2022

In A. PIERGROSSI (ed) La necropoli di Poggio Montano: un sito di frontiera nell’Etruria interna. ... more In A. PIERGROSSI (ed) La necropoli di Poggio Montano: un sito di frontiera nell’Etruria interna. Mediterranea. Studi e ricerche sul Mediterraneo antico, Suppl. 3, pp. 377-379.

Death and the societies of Late Antiquity: New methods, new questions?, 2023

Braconi M., Facchin G., Ferri G., Bernardi M, Sperduti A. Since 2016 the Pontifical Commission fo... more Braconi M., Facchin G., Ferri G., Bernardi M, Sperduti A.
Since 2016 the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology, in collaboration with Roma Tre University and, since 2018, with the Bioarchaeology Service at the Museum of Civilizations in Rome, has undertaken a new archaeological excavation project in the Catacomb of Santa Mustiola, Chiusi (Si). The stratigraphic excavation of the tombs has revealed an intense use of the graves, with a sequence of inhumations characterized by two clearly identifiable phases of occupation. The first one is chronologically referable to the 4th AD, while the second one dates back at least to the first half of the 5th AD.
The analysis of the over 300 individuals contributed to clarifying funerary dynamics and describing the life conditions of the community. The demographic profile indicates that individuals of all ages were buried in the Catacomb, even if with some anomalies.
Another crucial aspect concerns the utilization of the cemeterial complex and the profile of its users in the various chronological phases.

Servizio di Bioarcheologia del Museo delle Civiltà (Ministero della Cultura): elenco pubblicazion... more Servizio di Bioarcheologia del Museo delle Civiltà (Ministero della Cultura): elenco pubblicazioni 2022.
Bioarchaeology Service, Museum of Civilizations (Italian Ministry for Culture): 2022 publication list.

Nature Communications, 2022

The human microbiome has recently become a valuable source of information about host life and hea... more The human microbiome has recently become a valuable source of information
about host life and health. To date little is known about how it may have
evolved during key phases along our history, such as the Neolithic transition
towards agriculture. Here, we shed light on the evolution experienced by the
oral microbiome during this transition, comparing Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers with Neolithic and Copper Age farmers that populated a same
restricted area in Italy. We integrate the analysis of 76 dental calculus oral
microbiomes with the dietary information derived from the identification of
embedded plant remains. We detect a stronger deviation from the huntergatherer microbiome composition in the last part of the Neolithic, while to a lesser extent in the early phases of the transition. Our findings demonstrate that the introduction of agriculture affected hostmicrobiome, supporting the hypothesis of a gradual transition within the investigated populations.

International Journal of Paleopathology, 2022

Objective: To report a case of bilateral humerus varus from a late antiquity archeological contex... more Objective: To report a case of bilateral humerus varus from a late antiquity archeological context in central Italy.
Materials: The individual is a 25–40-year-old female, dated to the 4th cent. CE, from the catacomb of Santa
Mustiola in Chiusi, Italy.
Methods: The bones were examined macroscopically and through CT scan imaging.
Results: Both humeri show evident alterations in shape, including elongated, flattened and distally dislocated
humeral heads, shortened anatomical necks, angulated upper diaphyseal shafts, and reduced overall lengths. The
scapulae appear to have been mildly affected by this condition and show some bone loss and slight retroversion
of the glenoid cavity.
Conclusions: Observations are consistent with a diagnosis of humerus varus deformity likely caused by a traumatic
event early in the individual’s life.
Significance: Varus deformity of the proximal humerus is seldom reported in bioarcheological literature. The case
presented provides insight into the etiology and effects of this condition and may serve as comparison for future
studies.
Limitations: Even though the absence of other skeletal deformities renders a systemic condition improbable, the
traumatic etiology of the condition cannot be confirmed with certainty.
Suggestions for further research: Future publications of new cases may give a broader perspective of the etiology of
this condition in the past.

Bull Int Assoc Paleodont. , 2021

Dental twinning (or "double teeth") is a rare developmental condition that implies the fusion of ... more Dental twinning (or "double teeth") is a rare developmental condition that implies the fusion of two or more adjacent teeth. Clinical literature reports individual cases and extensive population studies to clarify causation, distribution, heritability and differential diagnosis of the different types of dental twinning (i.e. fusion, gemination, and accretion) whereas, documentation for past populations is still scarce. Aims: the present study documents four new archaeological cases of dental twinning of deciduous teeth from four different Italian archaeological sites and positions them within the framework of the known literature. Materials and methods: the observed cases include five deciduous teeth from four subadults from Sardinia (Monte Sirai, 7th-4th cent. BCE and Santa Filitica, 7th cent. CE), Campania (Velia, 1st-2nd cent. CE) and Latium (Villamagna, 13th-15th cent. CE). The identification, descriptions and differential diagnoses of the anomalies were performed with the use of morphological analyses and, in one case, radiographic means. Results: all cases fall within the category of double teeth; each involving a different set of processes (gemination and dental fusion), teeth (deciduous central incisors, lateral incisors and canines), locations (upper and lower) and occurrence (unilateral and bilateral). Conclusion: to this day, cases reported in literature of dental twinning in archaeological samples are sparse and limited to specific geographical areas. This study adds four more cases from Italy suggesting such anomalies should be recorded in dental analyses in order to, one day, obtain a more reliable modelling of the frequencies and distributions in past populations.

The historical and archaeological record identifies Pithekoussai (island of Ischia, Italy, VIII c... more The historical and archaeological record identifies Pithekoussai (island of Ischia, Italy, VIII cent. BCE-III cent. CE) as the first Greek settlement in Italy (Strabo Geographia V-4-9), afterwards followed by more extensive Greek migrations characterizing the rise of Magna Grecia. The most striking evidence is the so-called Coppa di Nestore, which exhibits the most ancient Greek Euboean inscription so far known. The Pithekoussai's graveyard yielded more than 900 graves, both inhumations and cremations. The funerary record suggests a complex settlement history where Greek and Phoenician immigrants interacted with the local population. The peculiarity of the grave goods and the diverse treatment of the bodies are possibly referable to the origin and/or the social status of the deceased. The aim of this study is to test the multi-ethnicity of Pithekoussai's community through the anthropological and isotopic analysis, mainly by the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio analysis performed on dental enamel (inhumated individuals) and the pars petrosa of the temporal bone (cremated and inhumated individuals). Fifty individuals, from the so-called Pithekoussai II series, have been analysed so far. The 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio isotopic signal in the human mineralized tissues was compared to the local isotopic ratios derived from the analysis a. of the enamel of small modern mammals; b. of modern grass samples; and from the local volcanic bedrock signal known in literature (D'Antonio et al., 2012). Results confirm the presence of individuals born elsewhere (~ 22%), all adults, reinforcing the idea that Pithekoussai was a multi-ethnic community.

Ricerche su Ostia e il suo territorio

Science, 374 (6564), 2021

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been infecting humans for millennia and remains a global health probl... more Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been infecting humans for millennia and remains a global health problem, but its past diversity and dispersal routes are largely unknown. We generated HBV genomic data from 137 Eurasians and Native Americans dated between ~10,500 and ~400 years ago. We date the most recent common ancestor of all HBV lineages to between ~20,000 and 12,000 years ago, with the virus present in European and South American hunter-gatherers during the early Holocene. After the European Neolithic transition, Mesolithic HBV strains were replaced by a lineage likely disseminated by early farmers that prevailed throughout western Eurasia for ~4000 years, declining around the end of the 2nd millennium BCE. The only remnant of this prehistoric HBV diversity is the rare genotype G, which appears to have reemerged during the HIV pandemic.

Cremation 168 from the second half of the 8th century BCE (Pithekoussai’s necropolis, Ischia Isla... more Cremation 168 from the second half of the 8th century BCE (Pithekoussai’s necropolis, Ischia Island, Italy), better known as the Tomb of Nestor’s Cup, is widely considered as one of the most intriguing discoveries in the Mediterranean Pre-Classic archaeology. A drinking cup, from which the Tomb’s name derives, bears one of the earliest surviving examples of written Greek, representing the oldest Homeric poetry ever recovered. According to previous osteological analyses, the Cup is associated with the cremated remains of a juvenile, aged approximately 10–14 years at death. Since then, a vast body of literature has attempted to explain the unique association between the exceptionality of the grave good complex, the symposiac and erotic evocation of the Nestor’s Cup inscription with the young age of the individual buried with it. This paper reconsiders previous assessments of the remains by combining gross morphology with qualitative histology and histomorphometric analyses of the burnt bone fragments. This work reveals the commingled nature of the bone assemblage, identifying for the first time, more than one human individual mixed with faunal remains. These outcomes dramatically change previous reconstructions of the cremation deposit, rewriting the answer to the question: who was buried with Nestor’s Cup?.

Science Advances

Description

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

Abstract Mobility and human migration are seen as hallmarks of Roman society. With increasing ter... more Abstract Mobility and human migration are seen as hallmarks of Roman society. With increasing territorial expansion throughout the Mediterranean region during the Imperial Roman period, wider opportunities for both self-driven and forced mobility became possible. This study analyzes δ18O and 87Sr/86Sr values from the dental enamel of 20 human second molars (M2) to examine for potential instances of mobility at the 1st to 2nd c. CE site of Velia, located on the Tyrrhenian coast of southern Italy. Velia served as a secondary port and was utilized for the shipment of goods, boat maintenance, fish processing and arboriculture. Bagplot analysis indicates that at least 10% (n = 2/20) of the individuals sampled immigrated to Velia from non-local regions. The remaining 18 individuals show mixed signs of local residency and local mobility. Comparison of the Velia data with the contemporaneous southern Italian Imperial Roman (1st to 4th c. CE) site of Vagnari indicates a similar level of mobility to both sites. Though mobility is clearly evident among the individuals sampled from Velia, mobility to Velia appears to have been less common than to larger cosmopolitan sites, such as Portus, in proximity to the capital at Rome.

PLOS ONE, 2021

In this study, we present osteological and strontium isotope data of 29 individuals (26 cremation... more In this study, we present osteological and strontium isotope data of 29 individuals (26 cremations and 3 inhumations) from Szigetszentmiklós-Ürgehegy, one of the largest Middle Bronze Age cemeteries in Hungary. The site is located in the northern part of the Csepel Island (a few kilometres south of Budapest) and was in use between c. 2150 and 1500 BC, a period that saw the rise, the apogee, and, ultimately, the collapse of the Vatya culture in the plains of Central Hungary. The main aim of our study was to identify variation in mobility patterns among individuals of different sex/age/social status and among individuals treated with different burial rites using strontium isotope analysis. Changes in funerary rituals in Hungary have traditionally been associated with the crises of the tell cultures and the introgression of newcomers from the area of the Tumulus Culture in Central Europe around 1500 BC. Our results show only slight discrepancies between inhumations and cremations, as w...

Il corredo… termine che subito richiama immagini di lenzuola e asciugamani, servizi di piatti e p... more Il corredo… termine che subito richiama immagini di lenzuola e asciugamani, servizi di piatti e posate, tutto ciò, insomma, che le spose portavano in dote. Eppure, proprio nella sua accezione di "insieme di" cose, attrezzature, idee, il termine corredo può esser applicato in tanti altri campi.

Il progetto propone agli studenti di soffermarsi e ragionare sui diversi significati del corredo attraverso un progetto che si concluderà nel mese di marzo.

Corso presso il Museo delle Civiltà. Anno 2019-2020. Il corso sviluppa il tema della razza e raz... more Corso presso il Museo delle Civiltà. Anno 2019-2020.

Il corso sviluppa il tema della razza e razzismo attraverso un percorso interdisciplinare. Partendo da un excursus storico del concetto di razza e delle sue molteplici implicazioni storiche e sociali, verranno presentate le più recenti conoscenze e riflessioni scientifiche sulla variabilità e unitarietà dell'umanità.

Il programma si articola in una serie di moduli didattici costituiti da lezioni frontali, visite a specifiche sezioni espositive dei musei, esercitazioni pratiche e momenti di confronto.
Attraverso il corso, i docenti e operatori acquisiranno conoscenze teoriche e strumenti pratici utili alla costruzione di nuovi approcci e modalità di intervento nella società.

Verranno forniti materiali didattici e un attestato di frequenza.

Ciclo di seminari di Bioarcheologia

Corso per docenti: L’invenzione della razza. Storia e presupposti di un’idea, tra falsità e orrori., 2018

a cura del Museo delle Civiltà. Incontri tenuti da: F.M Gambari, L. Bondioli, R. Di Lella, G. De... more a cura del Museo delle Civiltà.
Incontri tenuti da: F.M Gambari, L. Bondioli, R. Di Lella, G. Delpino, P. Delzoppo, G. Manna, D. Meghnagi, A. Osti Guerrazzi, D. Saviola, A. Sperduti.
Il corso sviluppa il tema della razza e razzismo attraverso un percorso interdisciplinare. Partendo da un excursus storico del concetto di razza e delle sue molteplici implicazioni storiche e sociali, verranno presentate le più recenti conoscenze e riflessioni scientifiche sulla variabilità e unitarietà dell’umanità.
Il programma si articola in una serie di moduli didattici costituiti da lezioni frontali, visite a specifiche sezioni espositive dei musei, esercitazioni pratiche e momenti di confronto.
Attraverso il corso, i docenti e operatori acquisiranno conoscenze teoriche e strumenti pratici utili alla costruzione di nuovi approcci e modalità di intervento nella società.
Verranno forniti materiali didattici e un attestato di frequenza.

Università degli Studi di Napoli “l’Orientale” - Dipartimento Asia Africa e Mediterraneo Corso d... more Università degli Studi di Napoli “l’Orientale” - Dipartimento Asia Africa e Mediterraneo
Corso di Laurea Magistrale in Archeologia: Oriente e Occidente – Classe LM/2 a.a. 2015-2016

Martedì 24 Novembre dalle 16.30 alle 18,30
Palazzo Corigliano AULA T.5

Alessandra Sperduti
L’approccio bioarcheologico per lo studio dei contesti ad incinerazione. Problemi e prospettive.

Claudio Cavazzuti
Oltre la livella. Una preistoria a quattro dimensioni dall'analisi interdisciplinare dei contesti funerari.

Anna Maria D'Onofrio
La pira del re: la cremazione rivisitata dai sovrani macedoni e la loro corte (incroci di paradigmi indiziari tra archeologia, storia, antropologia).

Claudio Cavazzuti e Alessandra Sperduti
Laboratorio pratico di analisi antropologica dei resti cremati

EAA 2024 Anbstract Book, 2024

In 2022, a speleological survey in the Amplero Valley led to the discovery of a “grotticella” (i.... more In 2022, a speleological survey in the Amplero Valley led to the discovery of a “grotticella” (i.e. small cave) tomb with scattered human bones providing evidence of unauthorized excavations. The situation required the intervention of the Soprintendenza L’Aquila-Teramo in collaboration with the Museo delle Civiltà, Servizio di Bioarcheologia (Rome).
The typology of the tomb was similar to others in the same funerary area and the Abruzzi region. The excavation revealed a mixed deposit of hundreds of disarticulated and partially fragmented skeletal elements throughout the entire width and depth of the structure, likely resulting from the extreme disturbance of the burial. It also yielded dozens of faunal remains.
Osteological analyses were performed to reconstruct the primary setting of the burial as well as the subsequent post-depositional taphonomic processes. Several procedures and indexes were applied to assess the MNI, the MNE, and the BRI, followed by the reconstruction of the skeletal individualities to obtain the demographic and paleopathological profile of the individuals. The findings indicate the primary deposition of at least 11 individuals, ranging in age from 6-7 to 40+ years. Their bones exhibit varying degrees of diagenetic changes depending on the location of discovery; in particular, many skeletal elements retrieved on the surface of the deposit showed recent porcupine gnaw marks.
The few cultural artifacts retrieved in the tomb (pottery fragments, small shoe nails, and an earring), indicate a wide chronological span (1st century BCE – 7th century CE) with a possible reuse of the structure in the postclassical period. In this regard, for a better understanding of the utilization phases of the tomb, radiocarbon dating and aDNA analyses are currently underway.
The experience of Collelongo shows that when acting promptly with safeguarding actions and a well-planned multidisciplinary study, it is still possible to reconstruct and valorize what seemed lost.

Alessandra SPERDUTI, Matteo BRACONI, Giulia FACCHIN, Giovanna FERRI, Stella INTERLANDO The recen... more Alessandra SPERDUTI, Matteo BRACONI, Giulia FACCHIN, Giovanna FERRI, Stella INTERLANDO

The recent stratigraphic excavation campaigns of the Catacomb of Santa Mustiola, at Chiusi (Tuscany region, IV-VI cent. CE) have investigated dozens of intact tombs within the early Christian funerary complex. Single and multiple burials yielded over 150 skeletal individuals of both sexes and different age classes. One tomb (L4) contained a single deposition of a 30-35 years old female. Her skeleton is almost complete, missing some elements and showing some minor diagenetic changes. The macroscopic examination revealed an evident deformity of both humeri. The proximal epiphyses are elongated, distally dislocated, and flattened on the shaft. The slippage of the caput humeri resulted in the complete loss of the anatomical neck, a strong angulation of the upper diaphysis, and the maximum bone length reduction. The condition also affects the surface (with erosive lesions) and orientation of the glenoid cavity of the scapulas. All the alterations are more evident on the left than the right side. The individual does not show any other evidence of severe pathological changes on the rest of the skeleton. All the observations lead to a diagnosis of bilateral separation of the proximal humeral epiphysis, possibly related to an old traumatic event. The clinical obstetrical literature reports cases of bilateral epiphyseal injuries resulting from delivery complications, suggesting that this might be the case for the woman buried in the catacomb.

I potenti versi di Dante sulla vicenda di Ugolino ci rendono partecipi del suo strazio ed orrore.... more I potenti versi di Dante sulla vicenda di Ugolino ci rendono partecipi del suo strazio ed orrore. Le circostanze lo portano ad infrangere ciò che in molte (ma non tutte) società umane viene considerato il tabù per eccellenza: il cannibalismo. Partiamo da qui per sviluppare una riflessione a due voci sulle diverse modalità e motivazioni di tale pratica, nonché sulla sua antichità e diffusione. L'antropofagia predata certamente la nostra specie, tante sono le evidenze in Homo antecessor, H. heidelbergensis e nel Neandertal. Fenomeni di cannibalismo sono certamente attestati nel neolitico e in altre epoche passate. Un comportamento che spesso si fonda e si accompagna a diversi significati e simbologie e che si inserisce in ritualità complesse e articolate.

Conferenze di F.M. Gambari, A. Sperduti, M.A. Polichetti. PROGRAMMA Filippo M. Gambari: Amore c... more Conferenze di F.M. Gambari, A. Sperduti, M.A. Polichetti.

PROGRAMMA

Filippo M. Gambari: Amore canino. L'evoluzione di cani selezionati, per caccia e compagnia, nella protostoria italiana

Alessandra Sperduti: Ossa e Dna … la verità vi prego sull’amore. Il contributo dell’antropologia fisica per la ricostruzione dei comportamenti sessuali e “amorosi” del passato.

Massimiliano A. Polichetti: La ierogamia come unione di sapienza e beatitudine nel Buddhismo vajrayāna indo-tibetano

Migrazioni, diversità e inclusività hanno caratterizzato la millenaria storia di Roma e del terri... more Migrazioni, diversità e inclusività hanno caratterizzato la millenaria storia di Roma e del territorio circostante. Questo fenomeno è stato confermato da un recentissimo studio sul DNA antico pubblicato su Science, ottenendo la copertina della prestigiosa rivista. I risultati permettono di descrivere, come mai prima, l'origine, le migrazioni e i mescolamenti della popolazione dell'Urbe nel corso degli ultimi millenni. L'incontro intende raccontare la genesi e i risultati di questa importante ricerca dando spazio ad un dibattito con il pubblico.

Paleodemographic studies aim at modelling past populations structure, size and biological dynamic... more Paleodemographic studies aim at modelling past populations structure, size and biological dynamics from ancient cemeteries. As fully recognized and debated, this discipline faces several practical and theoretical issues; one of the most challenging aspects is the invisibility, the paucity or - more rarely - the hypervisibility of infants and children in the burial grounds.
In fact, these frequent deviations from the expected mortality pattern for ancient pre-antibiotic populations strongly undermines the credibility of our paleodemographic estimates. Nevertheless, if addressed within a highly integrated approach of analysis, these evidences have the potential to disclose specific events and/or funerary practices, as possible reflection of social age definition and children personhood in ancient communities.
Some relevant examples from Italy will be presented: the issue of children representation among the terramare bronze age necropolises; the changing patterns of infants funerary rituals in Pontecagnano and Pithecusa (Iron age necropoleis, Campania); the comparison among Roman Imperial Age necropolises (Latium and Campania); the late antiquity anomalous burials of perinates in Peltuinum (Abruzzi); the presence of children in the late antiquity Santa Mustiola catacomb (Tuscany). These contexts are currently under study by an interdisciplinary approach combining historical and archaeological evidences with data on children mortality and morbidity.

Sperduti A., Manna G. 2019. Esperienze di ricerca e formazione presso il Museo delle Civiltà. Inc... more Sperduti A., Manna G. 2019. Esperienze di ricerca e formazione presso il Museo delle Civiltà. Incontro "Lavovare in Archeologia: esperienze e prospettive nei grandi musei. Napoli, Università degli Studi "L'Orientale", 7 ottobre 2019.

Presentazione alla conferenza: Human remains. Pompei-Napoli 20-21 maggio 2019.

POSTER PRESENTATION This experimental study contributes to the issue of sex determination of crem... more POSTER PRESENTATION
This experimental study contributes to the issue of sex determination of cremated remains from ancient contexts, by analyzing the degree of sexual dimorphism of a set of skeletal quantitative traits. The survey has considered a sample of cremated remains from protohistoric Italian necropolises, using the gender, as inferred from the archaeological record, as the proxy for sex.

This study aims:
a. At exploring the potential of a large set of metric variables in their application for the sex assessment of cremated individuals;

b. At proposing new metric standards which can provide a high level of reliability across different populations.

This experimental study contributes to the issue of sex determination of cremated remains from an... more This experimental study contributes to the issue of sex determination of cremated remains from ancient contexts, by analyzing the degree of sexual dimorphism of a set of skeletal quantitative traits. The survey has considered a sample of cremated remains from protohistoric Italian necropolises, using the gender, as inferred from the archaeological record, as the proxy for sex. A sample of 80 cremated individuals (45 females and 35 males) from 5 Italian protohistoric necropoli .

Attività sul “metodo scientifico” nell’ambito dei laboratori e delle visite guidate sull’Evoluzio... more Attività sul “metodo scientifico” nell’ambito dei laboratori e delle visite guidate sull’Evoluzione Umana al Museo Pigorini di Roma

Nell’insegnamento dell’evoluzione umana, la comprensione e l’acquisizione del metodo scientifico rappresenta un momento irrinunciabile, per orientare i ragazzi tra ipotesi, fatti e credenze.
Poiché lo studio della nostra storia naturale comporta, il più delle volte,
una contrapposizione tra preconoscenze, preconcezioni e nuovo
sapere, è opportuno mettere in atto processi d’apprendimento attivi,
esplorativi, critici e collaborativi.

Intervento per il ciclo «Lèggere Dante al Museo delle Civiltà» in occasione del Dantedì, giornata... more Intervento per il ciclo «Lèggere Dante al Museo delle Civiltà» in occasione del Dantedì, giornata nazionale dedicata a Dante Alighieri in occasione del settecentesimo anniversario della morte del poeta, MuCiv, 25 marzo 2021; dello stesso evento è stato coordinatore.

I testi della tradizione esoterica, liturgica e iniziatica del Buddhismo (tantra) alludono per ci... more I testi della tradizione esoterica, liturgica e iniziatica del Buddhismo (tantra) alludono per cifre sottili all’instaurarsi di una complessa interdipendenza emozionale finalizzata alla creazione di un ambiente perfetto (maṇḍala) pervaso di beatitudine e sapienza, nel cui centro, vibrante di gioia, risiede la coppia divina divenuta in tal modo pronta a dedicarsi efficacemente alla realizzazione del vero bene degli esseri.

American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2020

Italian Iron Age populations have been generally described as suffering from a high prevalence of... more Italian Iron Age populations have been generally described as suffering from a high prevalence of dental diseases. However, previous studies have focused on single skeletal samples with few individuals and limited comparisons at regional and diachronic level. This study provides a more extensive picture of the phenomenon by presenting the data from 37 necropolises from central and southern Italy (most of them previously
unpublished). Three pathological affections were considered: dental caries was observed for presence, severity and position in 774 individuals (14,255 teeth). Ante-mortem tooth loss (AMTL) was recorded in 610 individuals (13,326 alveoli); periapical lesions in 576 individuals (9,797 alveoli).
Only individuals with at least 5 teeth (caries) or alveoli (AMTL and periapical lesions) were included in the analysis. Overall, the results indicate a high prevalence of oral pathologies: 71,83% of the adult individuals (18+ years) show at least one carious tooth; 54,26% of the sample has at least one case of AMTL; periapical lesions affect 37,15% of the individuals. No differences are recorded between sexes, while a significant age-related increase was observed for caries and AMTL, but not so for periapical lesions. Early Iron age communities (IX-VIII century BCE) show significant lower affection than the following time periods (Orientalizing/Archaic Phase, VII-V century BCE and Hellenistic Phase, IV-III century BCE), with some differences across sites and ethnic groups. These results may be the reflection of sociopolitical and subsistence strategies shifts among the different periods, regions and ethnicities of the Italian Iron Age.

LUCCI M., CRISTIANI E., CUCINA A., D’ERCOLE V., LAPASTINA F., SPERDUTI A., COPPA A. 2020 in Program of the 89th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, pp. 166-167.

American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2020

Moots, H., Pickel, D., Sperduti, A., Antonio, ML., Gao, Z., Nava, A., Gelabert, P., Lucci, F., Ca... more Moots, H., Pickel, D., Sperduti, A., Antonio, ML., Gao, Z., Nava, A., Gelabert, P., Lucci, F., Candilio, F., Sawyer, S., Oberreiter, V., Rubini, M., Bondioli, L., Coppa, A., Pinhasi, R., Pritchard, J. 2020. The genetics of malaria resistance in ancient Rome. 89th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, Los Angeles, April 15-18, 2020 (Meeting Cancelled). American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 171 (S69): 191-192. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajpa.24023.

Who was buried with Nestor’s Cup? Macroscopic and microscopic analyses of the cremated remains from Tomb 168 (second half of the 8th century BCE, Pithekoussai, Ischia Island, Italy), 2021

Cremation 168 from the second half of the 8 th century BCE (Pithekoussai's necropolis, Ischia Isl... more Cremation 168 from the second half of the 8 th century BCE (Pithekoussai's necropolis, Ischia Island, Italy), better known as the Tomb of Nestor's Cup, is widely considered as one of the most intriguing discoveries in the Mediterranean Pre-Classic archaeology. A drinking cup, from which the Tomb's name derives, bears one of the earliest surviving examples of written Greek, representing the oldest Homeric poetry ever recovered. According to previous osteological analyses, the Cup is associated with the cremated remains of a juvenile, aged approximately 10-14 years at death. Since then, a vast body of literature has attempted to explain the unique association between the exceptionality of the grave good complex, the symposiac and erotic evocation of the Nestor's Cup inscription with the young age of the individual buried with it. This paper reconsiders previous assessments of the remains by combining gross morphology with qualitative histology and histomorphometric analyses of the burnt bone fragments. This work reveals the commingled nature of the bone assemblage, identifying for the first time, more than one human individual mixed with faunal remains. These outcomes dramatically change previous reconstructions of the cremation deposit, rewriting the answer to the question: who was buried with Nestor's Cup?.