Commingled Remains Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

These figures were originally published as Supporting Information accompanying an article in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, "Applying Zooarchaeological Methods to Interpret Mortuary Behavior and Taphonomy in Commingled Burials: The Case Study of the Late Neolithic Site of Bolores, Portugal," J.E. Mack, A.J. Waterman, A-M. Racila, J.A. Artz, K.T. Lillios, 31 March 2015. DOI: 10.1002/oa.2443

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- Bioarchaeology, Osteology, Human Osteology, Commingled Remains
- by Kristen Chew
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- Archaeology, Anthropology, Commingled Remains

This document is the second in a series of guides aimed at promoting best practice in different aspects of archaeological science, produced principally by members of the Science and Technology in Archaeology and Culture Research Center (STARC) of The Cyprus Institute. The current document was largely developed in the context of two projects: People in Motion and Promised. The implementation of People in Motion involved the laboratory study of a large commingled skeletal assemblage from Byzantine Amathus, Cyprus, which came to light in the context of excavations led by the Cypriot Department of Antiquities. Osteological work on this assemblage was co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the Republic of Cyprus through the Research and Innovation Foundation (Project: EXCELLENCE/1216/0023). In addition, Promised aims at promoting archaeological sciences in the Eastern Mediterranean, with funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 811068. Commingled assemblages pose special challenges in their study, nonetheless such a study can reveal key information on the osteobiography of those comprising the assemblage and the funerary practices. In addition, since commingling is both a natural and cultural process, it should be viewed not strictly as an impediment to study (though admittedly methodology has to be adapted and ‘traditional’ bioarchaeological conclusions are often limited), but as a kind of ‘life history’ of a skeletal assemblage. In line with the above, the aim of this guide is to cover various aspects of the study of a commingled skeletal assemblage. It should be seen as a supplement to the ‘BASIC GUIDELINES FOR THE EXCAVATION AND STUDY OF HUMAN SKELETAL REMAINS; STARC Guide No. 1’, which outlines the key general methods for human skeletal excavation and analysis. As the first protocol, it focuses on the excavation and study of bioarchaeological assemblages, rather than forensic anthropological material, though many of the practices described are shared between these disciplines. Readers interested in the scientific investigation of multiple burials from forensic contexts are advised to consult the volume by Cox et al. (2008). It cannot be overemphasized that each commingled skeletal assemblage will pose different challenges and any approach to field recovery/excavation and laboratory procedures will have to be adapted to these. Therefore, the current guide is meant to serve only as a general outline and the described field and lab-based methods should be modified depending on individual circumstances, such as the degree of commingling, sample size, preservation of the material, research questions and other parameters. A number of excellent edited volumes have been published in the past years, compiling diverse case studies on the retrieval and examination of commingled skeletal remains in archaeological and forensic contexts (Adams and Byrd 2008, 2014; Osterholtz et al. 2014a; Osterholtz 2016). A lot of the information presented here has been drawn from these resources, as well as from other publications and the authors’ personal experience. References are given throughout the document but our aim is by no means to provide an exhaustive account of the literature. This document is an open resource and it is anticipated to be updated at regular intervals. We would greatly appreciate any feedback and recommendations for future improvement.

- by Efthymia Nikita and +2
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- Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, Bioarchaeology, Physical Anthropology

El objetivo general del presente trabajo de investigación es realizar una aproximación a la bioarqueología de la población subadulta que fue enterrada en la Catedral de Panamá Viejo entre 1540 y 1671. Este estudio se desarrolla a través del análisis de 186 piezas dentales, permanentes y deciduas, encontradas entre el conjunto de restos mezclados durante las excavaciones efectuadas en 2017 por parte del equipo del proyecto ArtEmpire. A partir de la implementación de la metodología propuesta por la antropología dental, se lograron identificar los rasgos para la estimación de la edad de la muestra analizada, además de registrar las lesiones asociadas a las patologías dentales que sufrieron en vida y algunas variaciones morfológicas que permiten hacer referencia a su filiación poblacional.
Teniendo en cuenta de los sesgos característicos de una muestra obtenida en un cementerio, se observa que los individuos de edad comprendida entre 2 meses y 6 años fueron los más representados, seguidos por los individuos entre los 7 y 12 años y, finalmente, por los jóvenes entre 13 y 18 años. En cuanto a las patologías, se observa una mayor incidencia de defectos hipoplásicos, seguidos por caries, calculo dental y opacidad de esmalte, además de varios casos de desgaste dental.
La información bioantropológica sobre los individuos subadultos obtenida a través de esta investigación aporta nuevos datos que complementan los conocimientos ya adquiridos por otros investigadores acerca de la población que vivió en Panamá Viejo durante la época colonial. En particular, este estudio quiso enfatizar la importancia de los niños en el registro arqueológico, que por muchos años han pasado desapercibidos, enfocándose en el reto que representa el uso de metodologías adecuadas para la obtención de datos precisos sobre esta categoría de individuos. En segundo lugar, el análisis de una muestra compuesta por restos mezclados, dada su naturaleza, representa un desafío para los investigadores. Por tanto, el interés de este trabajo es el de obtener la información procedente de este tipo de restos que, generalmente, es poco aprovechada a causa de la dificultad dada por la falta de integridad de los restos aislados del contexto original.

- by Veronica Pace
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- Archaeology, Bioarchaeology, Dental Anthropology, Bioarchaeology of Childhood

Hlavnim cilem teto bakalařske prace je antropologicka analýza osteologickeho materialu pochazejiciho z kaple sv. Jiři v Přerově. Jednalo se převažně o lidske kosterni pozůstatky, v souboru se vsak nachazely take kosti zviřeciho původu, s jejichž přitomnosti v kapli sv. Jiři nikdo dopředu nepocital. Z kosterniho souboru bylo možne vyclenit lidske kosterni pozůstatky pěti jedinců. U zbyleho kosterniho materialu, který nebylo možne přiřadit nebo bliže urcit, byl minimalni pocet jedinců stanoven na zakladě zastoupeni nepřiřazených kosti, zubů a jejich fragmentů na 21 jedinců, minimalni pocet nedospělých jedinců byl pak stanoven na 6. Ze zviřat se v osteologickem souboru vyskytovaly kosterni pozůstatky nasledujicich taxonů: Equus caballus, Bos taurus, Sus scrofa f. domestica a Ovicapridae.

- by Alena Filer
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- Biological Anthropology, Zooarchaeology, Bioarchaeology, Osteology
- by Jennifer E . Mack and +1
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- Bioarchaeology, Neolithic Archaeology, Commingled Remains

Commingled and fragmentary remains are found in numerous contexts worldwide. These assemblages typically require large scale, long
term study to fully extract and contextualize meaningful data. However, when uncovered in CRM and foreign settings where remains cannot
leave their country of origin, there is a need for quick, reliable data collection. Presented here is a recording system for use in field- and
research-based laboratory settings. Utilizing visual forms and a minimal set of observations for skeletal elements from the cranium to the
foot, the database facilitates data collection of fragment identification, age at death and sex estimation, dental observations, trauma
recording, and taphonomic observations. A data dictionary is also provided, with definitions and value lists used in the database itself. The
database has been used in field labs throughout the old world and by numerous researchers who have modified it to meet their own
research needs. By presenting a minimal standard of data in a highly adaptable database, the recording system described here provides
consistent baseline data in a user-friendly, quick-access format

- by Anna Osterholtz
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- Bioarchaeology, Database Systems, Commingled Remains
- by Anna Osterholtz
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- Bioarchaeology, Commingled Remains, Minimum Number of Individuals

In 2015, a Florida forensic anthropology laboratory received a commingled assemblage of human remains (one female, one male) recovered from a freshwater context. We used qualitative and quantitative methods to sort the commingled skeletal elements into discrete individuals prior to conducting more in-depth anthropological analyses. Qualitative sorting methods included comparing morphological similarities between paired and/or associated skeletal elements, assessing the fit of anatomical articulations, and matching skeletal elements with consistent secondary sexual characteristics. Quantitative methods included osteometric sorting (which allowed the individual assignment of measured skeletal elements to be supported or rejected) and portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) spectrometry (which established chemical elemental profiles for the individuals, potentially enabling the assignment of unattributed remains to one individual or the other). In general, quantitative analyses supported the qualitative segregation. No quantitative analysis rejected an original qualitative assignment. However, there were instances when the quantitative analyses failed to segregate skeletal elements into discrete individuals, even when qualitative segregation was clearly indicated. Further, pXRF failed to differentiate between the individuals, likely due to diagenetic alteration of all remains. Ultimately, the quantitative analyses supplemented, but could not replace, qualitative analyses in the resolution of this small-scale case of commingling. Both approaches are warranted.

- by D.T. Potts and +2
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- Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, Bioarchaeology

This thesis is an inventory and analysis of the juvenile remains excavated in 2010 from a Middle Mississippian ossuary at the Shady Grove site (22QU525), located in the Mississippi Delta. This project presents a clear challenge given the commingled and incomplete nature of the sample, as well as the preservation biases associated with subadult material, but this research offers valuable insight into the demographic pattern of the larger population at the site, as well as the mortuary practices which created the ossuary at Shady Grove. A “bone-by-bone” inventory revealed the presence of 43 juvenile individuals between the ages of 0 and 18 years old. Demographic comparisons to contemporaneous populations highlight the under representation of infant individuals within this burial likely due to pre-depositional loss, and the increased representation of 1 to 3 and 3 to 5 years old individuals, potentially relative to the heightened rates of infectious cranial and postcranial lesions in these age groups. The spatial distribution and analysis for each age category display the lack of any intentional pattern or placement design, as well as the high level of commingling and fragmentation within the ossuary. This large mass burial appears to represent the final resting place for a local kin group, bound together by the ritual inclusion in the deposit, and is likely one of many ossuaries still undiscovered at the Shady Grove site.

The determination of the number of individuals represented within commingled remains is based on two types of estimators, those assessing the minimum number of individuals and those assessing the most likely number of individuals. Much as the latter produce improved results, they still exhibit significant drawbacks, which are related to the misidentification of the number of pairs between the existing bilateral elements. This article addresses these problems through the use of two computer algorithms. One algorithm produces
a number of potential pairs between bilateral elements and the other estimates the number of individuals in a commingled sample by incorporating the percentages of lost and altered bones into the analysis. These algorithms were validated using hypothetical and actual skeletal samples, and are more effective in comparison to any conventional estimators, particularly in cases, where the elements are poorly preserved.

- by Marta Mirazon Lahr
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- Bioarchaeology, Human Osteology, Computer Simulations, Commingled Remains
- by Basak Boz and +1
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- Commingled Remains

The paper presents the excavations of 2016 season at the Mycenaean site of Kastrouli, Phokis. The site has been looted in the past decades and excavated in a very limited scale by the Archaeological Service. It is located on the top of a rocky hill and delimited by a fortification wall, probably constructed in two phases, the earliest of which could be Mycenaean. A hybrid rock-cut and built chamber tomb, excavated at the westernmost part of the fortified area, contained an undisturbed commingled burial of at least fifteen individuals. The main pottery shape is the stirrup jar, and the small finds include Phi and Psi figurines, steatite beads, and fragments of gold foil. The period of the original use of the tomb falls between the LH IIIA 2 and the LH IIIC Early or Advanced. There is some evidence that the tomb has been reused in the Middle Geometric Period.

- by IOANNIS LIRITZIS
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- Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Bioarchaeology, Archaeological documentation
- by Anna Osterholtz
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- History, Bioarchaeology, Commingled Remains, Minimum Number of Individuals

The examination of comingled ossuary collections creates unique analytical issues as bones are rarely articulated, requiring that the skeletal elements be examined on an individual basis. A result is that the estimation of crucial demographic information like age at death and sex becomes problematic and attempts to ascertain this information involve a high degree of error. Bearing these issues in mind, however, the focus of this project is to identify and interpret signs of osteoarthritis, osteochondritis dissecans, and osteochondral fracturing, as well as to score for the presence and degree of musculoskeletal markers, on patellae from the ossuary at Tell Abraq. A secondary goal of this project was to utilize the patellae to elicit both estimations of minimum number of individuals and the ratio of sex within the population. Preliminary results indicate a high prevalence of osteoarthritis, osteochondritis dissecans, and enchondral fracture that was not correlated to estimated sex. This lack of correlation may be due to several factors, including difficulty in sex estimation based on metric analysis of a single element, a skewed sex distribution, or an actual lack of correlation. Regardless of the difficulties of estimating sex in a comingled collection, it seems clear that both men and women were exposed to conditions that fostered the development of osteoarthritis and that trauma to the knee was a common occurrence for those ultimately interred in the ossuary.

- by Anna Osterholtz
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- Archaeology, Geology, Bioarchaeology, Paleopathology
- by Susan Guise Sheridan and +1
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- Stable Isotope Analysis, Bioarchaeology, Ancient Near East, Commingled Remains

Commingled and fragmentary remains are found in numerous contexts worldwide. These assemblages typically require large scale, long term study to fully extract and contextualize meaningful data. However, when uncovered in CRM and foreign settings where remains cannot leave their country of origin, there is a need for quick, reliable data collection. Presented here is a recording system for use in field- and research-based laboratory settings. Utilizing visual forms and a minimal set of observations for skeletal elements from the cranium to the foot, the database facilitates data collection of fragment identification, age at death and sex estimation, dental observations, trauma recording, and taphonomic observations. A data dictionary is also provided, with definitions and value lists used in the database itself. The database has been used in field labs throughout the old world and by numerous researchers who have modified it to meet their own research needs. By presenting a minimal standard of data in a highly adaptable database, the recording system described here provides consistent baseline data in a user-friendly, quick-access format.This should be considered a beta version. Anyone using this system is welcome to get in touch with me with any questions about how to record or issues. The database files can be downloaded along with screenshots of the various forms and the data dictionary from the Mississippi State Institutional Repository at http://ir.library.msstate.edu//handle/11668/14276.

- by Anna Osterholtz
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- Database Management Systems, Commingled Remains, Bioarcaheology

Commingled assemblages of fragmentary human skeletal remains are a common feature of many archaeological sites and pose significant analytical problems for bioarchaeologists. Such deposits often contain a high volume of the teeth of sub-adults for which it is challenging to estimate age, including developing permanent teeth with damaged roots, articulated teeth with roots obscured by alveolar bone, and deciduous teeth with completed root apices. Here, we present a new method for more precisely estimating age for the developmentally ambiguous teeth of subadults from archaeological contexts. We used a sample of articulated subadult dentition from the Copper Age site of Marroquíes in Jaén, Spain, to build linear models of the relationship between dental age and tooth wear for deciduous and permanent molars. We tested three different strategies for identifying and removing outliers to build a linear model with the strongest relationship between age and wear. The Adjusted Residual strategy, which used diagnostic plots of linear regression residuals in the statistical package R to identify and remove out-liers, was found to produce the strongest linear model. The linear model developed using the Adjusted Residual strategy was then used to provide estimated midpoint ages and upper and lower age bounds based on the wear scores from the sample of developmentally ambiguous teeth. This study demonstrates that it is possible to estimate the age of developmentally ambiguous deciduous and permanent molars with reference to an adequate sample of subadult dentition with estimated ages from the same population. This new method is valuable as it extracts information from developmentally ambiguous teeth that would otherwise be inaccessible, allows for rapid data collection, employs standard macroscopic dental scoring methods, and can be used for sites from other regions and periods. We conclude by discussing the applications of this new method within bioarchaeology and identify directions for future research on subadult dental wear.

- by Jess Beck
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- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Dental Anthropology, R (Statistics)
- by Leah Damman
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- Zooarchaeology, Neolithic Archaeology, Taphonomy, British Prehistory (Archaeology)

Cussac Cave presents a unique combination of parietal art and several hundred parts of scattered human remains, dated to the Middle Gravettian (29-28,000 cal BP). The cave is protected as a National Heritage site. As a result, only noninvasive bioanthropologi-cal analyses are allowed, consisting of in situ observations and the study of 3D models obtained by photogrammetry. Here we present the first results of these analyses of the human remains from Locus 3. Only 65 of the 106 human skeletal fragments and bones could be firmly identified. Virtual analyses were carried out on 3D models of 16 skeletal elements so that osteometric data could be provided. Despite the limitations inherent in studying commingled remains and those specific to Cussac Cave, the search for virtual pair-matching, articular congruence, and osteometric sorting allowed the allocation of twelve bones to three individuals, one late adolescent and two adults.

- by Sacha Kacki
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- Paleoanthropology, Human Remains (Anthropology), Upper Paleolithic, Gravettian

The paper presents the excavations of 2016 season at the Mycenaean site of Kastrouli, Phokis. The site has been looted in the past decades and excavated in a very limited scale by the Archaeological Service. It is located on the top of a rocky hill and delimited by a fortification wall, probably constructed in two phases, the earliest of which could be Mycenaean. A hybrid rock-cut and built chamber tomb, excavated at the west-ernmost part of the fortified area, contained an undisturbed commingled burial of at least fifteen individuals. The main pottery shape is the stirrup jar, and the small finds include Phi and Psi figurines, steatite beads, and fragments of gold foil. The period of the original use of the tomb falls between the LH IIIA 2 and the LH IIIC Early or Advanced. There is some evidence that the tomb has been reused in the Middle Geometric Period .

- by Athanasios Sideris and +2
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- Archaeological documentation, Greek Archaeology, Mycenaean era archaeology, Late Bronze Age archaeology

Recent work has called attention to the significant numbers of subadults recovered from Late Prehistoric burial contexts in western Iberia. However, subadult burials are also documented at some of the well-known, large-scale Copper Age centers of southeastern Spain, where adults and subadults are represented in both commingled and individual inhumations. The importance of the inclusion and mortuary treatment of subadults at such centers of social and economic activity has yet to be sufficiently explored. Here, I discuss the implications of the presence of subadults for the formation and representation of community identity, with particular emphasis on the case of Marroquíes Bajos. At this site, salvage excavations have yielded evidence of five concentric ditches and one adobe wall that encompass an area of approximately 113 ha, making it one of the largest “matrix villages” of the Iberian Copper Age. Marroquíes Bajos is also a particularly relevant case because subadults occur in formally and spatially distinct funerary contexts. Their remains appear in mortuary structures housing only fragmentary and commingled remains, in mortuary structures housing discrete primary and secondary interments, and in a large, commingled interment in an artificial cave. The significance of subadult burials at Marroquíes Bajos is explored relative to theoretical interpretations of childhood in prehistory, in particular relative to ethnographically and archaeologically documented rites of passage.

- by Jess Beck
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- Bioarchaeology, Osteology, Iberian Prehistory (Archaeology), Human Osteology

Objectives: Palaeopathological analysis is key for characterising population health at the individual level and across large assemblages but is rarely exploited to unite the remains of disarticulated individuals. This study explores the potential for individual identification through differential diagnosis of periosteal lesions in a commingled deposit, both to

- by Jess Thompson and +3
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- Prehistoric Archaeology, Neolithic Archaeology, Palaeopathology, Maltese & Central Mediterranean Prehistory

Accurate sorting of commingled human remains comprises a fundamental requirement for all further anthropological analyses. The lower limb bones are particularly important for reconstructing biological profiles. This study introduces a metric technique for sorting these elements using eight standard anthropological measurements and 222 adult individuals from Greece. The bones utilized were the os coxae, the femora, the tibiae and the tali. Simple regression analyses were used to develop functions for reassociating articulating bones, providing strong correlations (r = 0.74–0.95, p-value <0.05) and high coefficients of determination (r 2 =0.54–0.91). Blind tests demonstrated that combining metric and morphoscopic techniques provides an excellent sorting accuracy for the hip and knee joints (ten of ten individuals), allowing for a reliable reassociation between a sex and age indicator (os coxae) and a body size indicator (femur). Overall, these results indicate the high value of metric methods in sorting commingled human remains. The presence of commingled human skeletal remains is a fundamental issue in anthropological studies, as it is the natural outcome of mass disasters, mass graves, or secondary burials. Regardless of the context, the accurate sorting of commingled remains is the basis for their further anthropological analysis. In a forensic context, it comprises the primary step for reconstructing the identity of unidentified human skeletal remains. In bioarcheological contexts, it can provide crucial demographic knowledge on the ancient population under study (1). Some of the most widely utilized techniques of sorting com-mingled human remains are entirely based on naked-eye observation. Their main criteria involve the morphological compatibility between two adjoining articular surfaces as well as the presence of similar morphological traits between two or more skeletal elements (i.e., texture, coloration, density). This similarity is due to various taphonomic or pathological factors which had a similar effect on multiple bones of the same skeleton (2,3). However, it should be noted that, as far as taphonomic factors are concerned, these often have similar effects on the entire assemblage (involving multiple individuals). Consequently, they may not always comprise an accurate criterion for sorting bones per individual. Moreover, the applicability and accuracy of these methods are influenced by an increased subjectivity in determining the degree of similarity and compatibility between two skeletal elements. These techniques also require the comparison of compatibility across all possible pairs of bones found in a commingled context, which can be an extremely time-consuming task in cases of large-scale commin-gling. Furthermore, this concept entirely relies on the assumption that both bones of each individual are actually preserved and recovered from the field. These limitations can be greatly reduced through the systematic development of original and more objective methods for sorting commingled human remains. If these techniques are proven to be of high precision and accuracy, they could substantially increase the level of certainty in associating a series of bone elements with the same individual. For this purpose, a previous research successfully combined morphoscopic and metric methodology to reassociate the skeletal elements of the subtalar joint (4). The regression equations produced gave a range of possible talus-calcaneus matches, and the morphoscopic evaluation gave the final match. It is crucial for the metric method to be applied first as it considerably reduces the number of possible matches. The method is reported to have rather accurate predictions and to be applicable on mixed-sex samples comprising specimens of both anatomical sides. In up to 95.98% of the cases, the difference between the real and the predicted value ranged between 0 and 2 mm. Finally, a blind test of a sample involving 20 individuals was performed, which presented a very high rate of correct sorting. Particularly in 89.5% for the left and 88.9% for the right skeletal elements, the examined bones were correctly attributed to the corresponding individual.

- by Konstantinos Moraitis and +1
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- Forensic Anthropology, Forensic Science, Commingled Remains, Osteometric Sorting
- by Nicole Lambacher
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- Osteoarchaeology, Human Osteology, Commingled Remains
- by Matthew Schirtzinger
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- History, Archaeology, Geochemistry, Stable Isotope Analysis

- by Anna Osterholtz
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- Bioarchaeology, Database Systems, Commingled Remains, Archaeological Practice

In a commingled context, assessing that a talus and a calcaneus correspond to the same individual could become a primary step for accurately sorting human remains. For this purpose, the lengths and widths of the trochlea, posterior calcaneal articular surface, and posterior talar articular surface were measured in 197 individuals (105 males, 92 females) from the Athens Collection. A total of 12 highly accurate equations for reassociating tali and calcanei were developed, using simple and multiple linear regression analysis and they were found to be suitable for sorting commingled human remains. Bilateral asymmetry and sex did not have an effect on the accuracy of the method.

- by Fotios Alexandros Karakostis and +1
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- Forensic Anthropology, Forensic Science, Commingled Remains, Osteometric Sorting
- by Ana-Monica Racila and +1
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- Archaeology, Geology, Bioarchaeology, Neolithic Archaeology
- by Susan Guise Sheridan and +2
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- Biochemistry, Near Eastern Archaeology, Stable Isotope Analysis, Bioarchaeology
- by Susan Guise Sheridan
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- Bioarchaeology, Paleopathology, Byzantine Studies, Late Antiquity
- by Jess Thompson
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- History, Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Geology

Bachelor's Thesis - Bibliographic Entry and Abstract

- by Alena Filer
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- Biological Anthropology, Zooarchaeology, Osteology, Taphonomy

This chapter will discuss the use of human skeletal collections f om modern day Israel, Palestine, and Jordan (Fig. TI. r) to demonstrate the potential of bioarchaeological reconstructions using mixed and fragmented (commingled) assemblages. I will provide a rationale for analyzing such collections - arguing that our dismissal of commingled remains has skewed a nuanced understanding of the ancient Levant. An overview of new methods, theories, and public interactions will be highlighted as well.

- by Susan Guise Sheridan
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- Bioarchaeology, Ancient Near East, Commingled Remains

Teeth are well represented in the prehistoric record, and bioarchaeologists have developed many techniques to obtain demographic information from human dentition. Existing methods, such as modifications of the Miles method, are used to estimate adult age, and use of developmental standards like the London Atlas can estimate subadult age based on patterns of dental development and eruption. However, to date there is no method that allows for the estimation of age for loose, apex complete deciduous teeth. Here, I describe a newly developed method that regresses estimated midpoint ages (calculated using level of development of the developing sample) against wear in order to estimate the age of loose apex complete deciduous teeth.
This method was developed for a sample of over 200 loose deciduous teeth from Necropolis 4 at the Copper Age (c.3250-2200 cal BC) site of Marroquíes Bajos, in Jaén Spain. Results from the subadult regression model showed that an approach which removed high leverage observations produced the strongest predictive equation, making it possible to estimate age from loose deciduous teeth that have finished development and are apex complete. When combined with a modified Miles method and a sample-specific odontometric approach, it was possible to estimate age and assess sex of both adult and subadult individuals at Necropolis 4. This new method makes it possible to obtain important demographic information about a bioarchaeological sample even when a portion of the sample is composed of fully developed loose deciduous teeth.

Commingling complicates analysis and interpretation of human skeletal remains, especially when reconstructing a paleodemographic profile or assessing frequency of pathological conditions. With no clear indication of which elements belong to which individual, reconstruction of past health is limited since age, sex, and overall distribution of disease in the skeleton cannot be determined. Pathological changes to the skeleton are important for reconstructing past health because they impact an individual’s biological and social well-being and can contribute to mortality. At the pre-Columbian site of Kuelap (AD 800-1535), commingled remains were analyzed to determine the Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI) and identify the range of pathological conditions. A MNI of 75 individuals was determined, including subadults and adults of both sexes. Pathological conditions were observed on various skeletal elements and included arthritis, osteochondritis, periostitis, fractures, and dental pathology. Antemortem traumatic injuries included both cranial and postcranial elements. Antemortem tooth loss and caries were also present in maxillary and mandibular teeth. Comparison with remains from another Chachapoya mortuary complex, Los Pinchudos, revealed that some diseases were not present among individuals from the Kuelap ossuary. This study demonstrates the complex nature of examining fragmentary and commingled remains from secondary interments and how to systematically conduct analysis despite limitations. It also contributes to our understanding of disease experience among the Chachapoya as few studies have been published on paleopathology in the Amazonas Region.

- by J. Marla Toyne
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- Bioarchaeology, Skeletal Biology, Paleopathology, Chachapoyas

Fragmentary and commingled human remains recovered from salvage excavations present bioarchaeologists with a number of interpretative challenges, including calculating MNI in the absence of detailed provenience information, untangling post-excavation commingling of remains, and analyzing high volumes of recovered material. Importantly, analytical techniques developed in recent research on forensic and archaeological taphonomy can help overcome some of these difficulties. Here I focus on the case of Marroquíes Bajos, a 113 hectare Copper Age enclosure site in Andalusia that was salvage-excavated in advance of urban expansion of the city of Jaén. Excavations revealed seven discrete mortuary areas, ranging from commingled deposits in wall trenches to richly accoutered interments in artificial caves. Using the lens of forensic taphonomy to assess the preservational patterning of skeletal and dental remains from three previously unstudied necropolises allows me to identify the types of burial practices likely used at each necropolis. In addition to unpacking Late Prehistoric funerary practices, investigating the demographic composition of these three mortuary populations through an analysis of dental development and wear provides insight as to how Copper Age communities at such large-scale centers were organized socially, illuminating the ways in which community identity was formed and maintained during the Iberian Chalcolithic.

- by Jess Beck
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- Bioarchaeology, Human Osteology, Copper age, Commingled Remains

Within the geographical scope of the Eastern Mediterranean and Near East, commingled human skeletal remains appear frequently in archaeological contexts. This chapter presents recent issues and approaches to analyzing commingled remains at four sites in Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey. The first case, in Late/Roman Early Christian Kalavasos-Kopetra, discusses the misinterpretation of a primary burial grave site for an ossuary as a result of post-excavation commingling. In the Hellenistic and Roman sites of Paphos, Cyprus, and Corinth, Greece, examples of commingled remains are explained as traditions in secondary burial rites. Within two Late Byzantine graves at Thebes, larger skeletal elements were favored in ritualized exhumations, resulting in a preponderance of smaller skeletal elements (e.g., hand and foot bones) within the primary burial. Finally, in the study of a Roman period mass grave from Oymaağaç Höyük (ancient Nerik), Turkey, the authors demonstrate commingling of human remains during excavation and exhumation procedures. From recent work on human skeletal material at Oymaağaç, a methodology for recording and analysis of commingled remains has been developed and implemented.

- by Kathryn E Marklein and +1
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- Commingled Remains

- by matteo borrini
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- Forensic Anthropology, Forensic Science, Humans, Forensic Sciences
- by Kristen Chew
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- Commingled Human Remains, Commingled Remains, Osteometric Sorting