Maria Liston | University of Waterloo (original) (raw)

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Papers by Maria Liston

International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2020

This case study documents an unusual heterotopic ossification with associated pseudarthroses of t... more This case study documents an unusual heterotopic ossification with associated pseudarthroses of the lumbar spine. We examined the partial skeletal remains of an adult from a Late Bronze Age (Mycenaean Late Helladic IIB-IIIA1 period, approximately1400-1375 BCE) chamber tomb from the Athenian Agora excavations in Greece. This individual had a large bony mass in the region of the inter-transversarius muscle that spanned L3-L5 vertebrae and formed pseudarthroses at the superior and inferior ends. The differential diagnosis of the bony mass included dystrophic and neoplastic calcifications and myositis ossificans traumatica (MOT). MOT is a benign heterotopic bone growth typically found in skeletal muscles. MOT usually results from a trauma and is most commonly found in the thigh, buttocks, or upper arm, although it has been documented clinically in other areas as well, such as in paravertebral muscles. The mature, remodelled cortex of the bony mass and the two well-developed pseudarthroses indicate that this individual lived with this condition for a number of years. K E Y W O R D S Athenian Agora, heterotopic bone, pseudarthrosis, traumatic injury

A Companion to Women in the Ancient World, 2012

Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports, 2019

Although the ceramic phases and relative chronology of the Mycenaean (or “Late Helladic” abbr. LH... more Although the ceramic phases and relative chronology of the Mycenaean (or “Late Helladic” abbr. LH) period on
the Greek mainland are well established, there is ongoing disagreement regarding the relationship between the
ceramic phases and their associated calendar dates. Part of the problem is the small number of radiocarbon dates
from Mycenaean sites. In this article, we publish a set of 15 new AMS radiocarbon dates from the Mycenaean site
of Iklaina, in southwestern Greece. The resulting date ranges allow us to establish an absolute chronology for
major stages in the life of the Iklaina settlement and the associated relative chronology based on ceramic phases.
In general, the Iklaina dates show a better fit with the High Chronology for the early Mycenaean period.
Specifically, the transition from the Middle to Late Helladic, at the beginning of the Mycenaean period, is placed
between the end of the 19th c. and the beginning of the 17th c. BC. The LH II period, when large-scale architecture
appears at Iklaina for the first time, spans the 17th century BC and the LH IIIA1 period goes into the 15th
century. None of the analyzed samples were recovered from secure LH IIIA2 deposits, so they do not affect the
chronology of this period. However, the samples from the destruction of the monumental buildings, which
ceramically is placed in the LH IIIB period, provide a general latest use date in the 13th century. Given the
possibility that this destruction marks the annexation of Iklaina by the Palace of Nestor and the unification of the
Pylian state, this becomes an important chronological marker for the formation of this state. It also indicates a
very short life-span for this state, since its destruction is traditionally dated to ca. 1200 BCE.