Burial Cave Research Articles

Ankylosing spondylitis and heterotopic calcification: a case from the Prehispanic population of Buenavista del Norte (Tenerife, Canary Islands).

Skeletal remains of an adult (estimated age at death ≈ 27-30 years) Prehispanic male with fusion in the sacroiliac joints showed a heterotopic ossification consisting of a flat, 10 × 5 cm bone formation covering the posterior aspect of the right sacroiliac joint. The bones were recovered from a burial cave containing remains of 4 individuals, located on the side of a ravine, in Buenavista del Norte (NW corner of Tenerife, Canary Islands), at ≈ 450 m altitude. This individual was probably affected by ankylosing spondylitis (AS) that led to bony fusion of the pelvic bones with the sacrum, but several unusual features prompted us to compare the pelvis with those belonging to two modern individuals affected by AS (20th century) housed at the Department of Anatomy of the school of medicine (University of La Laguna, Tenerife). The Prehispanic individual possibly suffered a pelvic fracture that caused a hematoma which underwent ossification. Some features (periosteal reaction, formation of new foramina) may also suggest a superimposed infection. The fracture altered the pelvic structure, severely narrowing the right sciatic notch, possibly causing neural and/or vascular compromise of the lower limbs. Living in a steep mountainous environment, this individual (possibly a goatherder) probably suffered a fall, that caused the fracture complicated by a severe bleeding and pelvic deformation.

Population affinities in pre-colonial West Africa: The case of the burial cave Iroungou (Gabon, 14th-15th century CE).

Our knowledge of the populations of sub-Saharan Africa in the periods before European colonization is limited. Few archeological sites containing human remains have been identified, and written sources for these periods are rare. The discovery in 2018 of the Iroungou sepulchral cave (Gabon), whose use predates the arrival of the Portuguese (14th-15th centuries CE), is an exceptional source of information: at least 28 individuals associated with numerous metal artifacts were found there. The anthropobiological remains were left in situ, but the eight best preserved crania were digitized. This study focuses on the population affinities of these crania, whose morphology was described using 237 landmarks. Geometric morphometric analyses were used to compare the eight Iroungou specimens with 154 individuals representing 12 well-defined African populations. After alignment (Generalized Procrustes Analysis), morphological affinity was assessed using Euclidean and Mahalanobis distances, and posterior probabilities of population membership (discriminant analysis). Results indicate that the eight Iroungou crania have, on average, more affinity with Bayaka Pygmy, followed by Central African Bantu. Nevertheless, individually, the Iroungou specimens show an important morphological variation and the eight crania can be separated into different affinity groups: Bayaka and Central African Bantu, KhoeSan, and East-African Bantu. Finally, one individual presents strong affinity with Somalis. This phenetic mapping of the Iroungou sample raises questions about the profile of the individuals deposited in the cave in a geographical area known for the Loango pre-colonial kingdom, which ruling class seemed to have had privileged relationships with the Pygmy populations.

Osteosclerotic disease and bone cyst in a prehispanic burial from Las Cañadas del Teide (Tenerife, Canary Islands).

Skeletal remains of two prehispanic male adult individuals (antiquity ≈ 550 BP) recovered from a burial cave located in Montaña Blanca (Las Cañadas del Teide) at an altitude of 2450 m above sea level, in the highlands of Tenerife (Canary Islands) showed some unusual features. Femora and tibiae of both individuals showed increased bone density, with irregular thickening of the midshaft diaphyses. One individual showed a cystic lesion in the distal third of the left femoral diaphysis, surrounded by a subtle sclerotic reaction of the spongiosa and a thin cortex that was partially fractured. Periosteal thickening was present, but not around the cystic lesion. A thoracic vertebra with rachischisis was also recovered. The bone density of vertebrae and iliac bones were normal, and one recovered jaw was also normal. The tibiae of one individual showed an abnormal location of the foramen nutritium. Hypoplasia of the lesser trochanter and an abnormally thin left femoral neck were also observed. It is possible that both individuals were affected by diaphyseal dysplasia (possibly Camurati Engelmann or Ribbing disease). One of them also showed a lesion compatible with a unicameral bone cyst. The alternative possibility of a Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber disease, with a bone aneurysmal cyst, also exists.

Indirect dating of secondary cave burials in the Massim region of Papua New Guinea reveals last millennium reorganisation of social practices

ABSTRACTIn the Massim Island region of southeastern Papua New Guinea secondary interment of skeletal remains was widely practiced historically, but its social context and regional expression in the deeper past remains uncertain. In this paper the chronology of secondary burial on Panaeati Island is established indirectly by reconstructing the cultural and spatiotemporal association of 21 clay pots placed with human skeletal remains at Biniwaga Cave, coincidently establishing the first whole vessel typology of Southern Massim Combed Pottery (SMCP) and Southern Massim Pottery (SMP). Comparison with excavated pottery assemblages on Panaeati and elsewhere in the region demonstrates that the Biniwaga pots are consistent with SMCP and early SMP, dating from 740 to 470 calBP. Secondary burial practices on Panaeati are contemporary with those recorded elsewhere in the region and coincide with changes in pottery production centres. Compared to excavated pottery assemblages from contemporary sites, a relatively narrow range of pots are represented at Biniwaga. It is hypothesised that pots were selected to reflect the cultural affiliation of deceased individuals during a period of increasing inter‐island interaction.

A Prehispanic infant from Tenerife with diffuse microporotic lesions.

We describe diffuse microporotic lesions observed in most of the scattered skeletal remains belonging to a ≈ 6 months-old female (genetic sexing) prehispanic (antiquity ≈ 600 years BP) individual recovered from a small recess of a basaltic burial cave in the highlands (2300 m above sea level) of Tenerife. Although sphenoid wings were lacking, microporotic lesions were present in several bones, especially in the hard palate, basilar part of the occipital bone, outer aspect of the maxilla, and proximal half of the right humerus, accompanied by a subtle periosteal reaction. Although non-specific, bone lesions may be compatible with scurvy, possibly in the context of malnutrition, that probably also affected the mother, given the young age of the infant and her dependence on maternal feeding. Pathophysiological connections among iron deficiency, vitamin C deficiency and vitamin D deficiency are discussed. Both observational reports on paleopathological cases of diffuse microporotic lesions as well as experimental studies devoted to discern the relative and combined effects of hypoxia-mediated bone marrow expansion, protein-calorie malnutrition, ascorbate, vitamin D or iron deficiency on such lesions are needed.

Posthumous Release for Lay Women in Tang China: Two Cases from the Longmen Grottoes

Famous for its cliff-carved Buddhist cave-shrines, Longmen was also a burial ground that attracted a few women from the seventh and the eighth centuries. This paper examines the burial caves of two lay women, Lady Lou (d. 661) and Lady Zhang (c. 658–c. 718), in relation to the newly excavated archaeological material and epigraphic evidence. Lady Lou compared her cave burial to the Indian ascetic practice in the forest of Śītavana but did not enact the compassionate offering of flesh. Lady Zhang was later removed from her burial cave by her sons so that she could be interred in a joint tomb with her husband. Through these two cases, I investigate the motivations behind the adoption of cave burials in medieval China. Canonical Buddhist scriptures taught these women that their social gender presented an obstacle to the final release. Dedicatory inscriptions at women’s burials and two tales of miraculous events at Longmen further suggest that family ties, an important constituent of women’s social gender, were believed to persist posthumously. Married women were expected to maintain their spousal and parental relations in the afterlife, and unmarried girls were imagined as turning into seductive spirits because of their lack of spousal union in their lifetime. I argue that cave burials at Longmen were not a compromise of the Indian ascetic practice but rather presented these lay women with a socially acceptable way to break free from their familial attachments after death.

정선 매둔동굴 출토 청동기시대 사람뼈 연구

At Jeongseon Maedun Cave Site, the Bronze Age human skeletons are almost completely restored and preserved in good condition. It is of great importance, as the Site shows the burial cave customs of a type of tomb that is little investigated in Korean peninsula.
 The burial cave comes under a mass tomb in which several individuals are buried, including at least three persons, adults and children. It may be a joint tomb (family tomb) judging from the aspect of excavation and the sex and age of the buried. In particular, human bones in Tomb No. 1 with the most remaining area were buried by burying aside above an ash layer that was intentionally built. The stone chamber is assumed to be a stone coffin, and burial goods include arrowhead and red burnished pottery.
 Based on the result of an analysis of sex and age, No. 1 is of a woman in her mid-30s to 50s; No. 2, of a late-middle-aged to elderly man; and No. 3, of a young child aged 3-6. Measurement of bones in No. 1 reveals that the height is about 151-156㎝ and the cranium type is classified to be high and long. High cranium type is unique characteristic of the inhabitants of the Korean peninsula like other ancient human skeletons; However, the narrow and long cranium type(hyperdolichocrany, the cranial index 66.9) can be differentiated from that. This morphometric characteristic is considered as an unique and inherent feature that the residents around Maedun Cave shared. It has high correlation in the cranium type and archaeological aspects with the Bronze Age human skeletons excavated in Hwangseok-ri, Jecheon. As for pathological features, porotic hyperostosis and cribra orbitalia were found in the cranium; oral cavity and periodontal diseases, in the upper jaw and teeth; and osteoarthritis in the spine and ribs. Lifestyles including diseases, health, and nutritional status could be inferred from such features. Furthermore, the stable isotope analysis, which is of a chemical analytic method of diet, reveals that the proportion of total animal protein consumed in the diet was low, whereas the intake of farm crops(C4 plant), such as millet, foxtail millet and broomcorn was high. This dietary characteristic corresponds with the results of Hwangseok-ri, Jecheon and Joongdo, Chuncheon, enabling the restoration of dietary life of central region residents of the Korean peninsula in the Bronze Age.

An Early Bronze Age I Tomb, a Dwelling Cave, and a Quarry at the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem

A small salvage excavation was conducted in 2007 at the Mount of Offence (part of the Mount of Olives, Ras el-‘Amud neighborhood), overlooking Jerusalem’s old city. The excavation revealed finds of three periods: the EB Ib, late Iron Age IIc, the Early Roman, and the Byzantine periods. The EB Ib remains included a burial cave, which was only partly excavated. The remains provide important information about the inhabitants of early Jerusalem. Later, in the Late Iron Age IIc, part of the cave was cleared and used for temporary habitation, perhaps in anticipation of the impending Babylonian siege. Lastly, in the Early Roman and Byzantine periods, the mountainside was made into a quarry, unaware of the early cave. These three chronological episodes offer us a glimpse into some of the activities on the outskirts of ancient Jerusalem.

A Ring from a Cave in ‘En Gedi and the Conflict Between Herod the Great and Mattathias Antigonus (40–37 BCE)

This paper presents a rare bronze finger ring that was found more than half a century ago and bears a symbol known mainly from the coins of Mattathias Antigonus. A teenager recovered it from one of the burial caves in the cliff of Naḥal David at ‘En Gedi. Although the cave was later excavated by Nahman Avigad, the ring was forgotten and was not incorporated in the excavation report. This paper discusses the ring, the symbol it bears, and its relation to the coins of Antigonus. I suggest a date and identification for the burials in the cave that associates them with the conflict between Herod and Antigonus.

A VIOLENT END OR A RESPECTFUL BEGINNING? CAVE 120 AT LACHISH REVISED

A VIOLENT END OR A RESPECTFUL BEGINNING? CAVE 120 AT LACHISH REVISED

The “post-weanling’s conundrum”: exploring the impact of infant and child feeding practices on early mortality in the Bronze Age burial cave of Moro de Alins, north-eastern Iberia, through stable isotope analysis

The relationship between infant and child feeding practices and early mortality is difficult to address in past societies. Here, stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope measurements of bulk bone and sequential dentine samples of deciduous second and/or permanent first molars of four younger children, one older child, one late adolescent, and two young adults (n = 8) from Moro de Alins cave, north-eastern Iberia, are used to explore the potential impact of early-life nutrition on mortality in the Bronze Age. Isotope results are compatible with generally short exclusive breastfeeding and standard weaning periods compared to other pre-modern populations. However, there are differences in exclusive breastfeeding mean δ13C values and in Δ13C trophic shifts between exclusive breastfeeding and immediate post-weaning isotope values for those individuals who survived into adolescence and adulthood and those who did not. While the former seem to be consistent with trophic distances published for modern mother–infant pairs, the latter are above most of them. This may suggest that individuals who consumed similar foods to their mothers or suffered from less physiological stress during or after weaning had greater chances of survival during early childhood and beyond. Post-weaning seems to have been a particularly stressful period of life, where a number of instances of patterns of opposing isotopic covariance compatible with catabolic changes, often preceding death among non-survivors, are detected. This outcome shows the key role of nutritional and/or physiological status in early-life morbidity and mortality among partially and especially fully weaned children from pre-antibiotic, pre-vaccination, and poor sanitation contexts and proposes that adult survival is rooted in early life experiences, in keeping with the developmental origins of health and disease.

The talus of the pre‐Hispanic population from Punta Azul (El Hierro, Canary Islands): Variability and sexual dimorphism of nonmetric traits

AbstractThe aim of this study was assessing the prevalence of os trigonum, talo‐calcaneal facets, and squatting facet variations among pre‐Hispanic individuals (around 940 ± 30 bp) placed in the collective burial cave of Punta Azul (El Hierro, Canary Islands), and to assess whether prevalence differed among sexes. A total of 149 tali (70 right and 79 left) belonging to adult individuals were found in a comingled context. Sex determination was achieved as follows: genetic sexing of a subsample of 35 tali was assessed using paleogenomic procedures. Anthropometric measurements of the genetically sexed bones were used to calculate an accurate discriminant function that was later applied to the remaining 114 tali. We observed marked differences in the os trigonum pattern among male and female tali, whereas no relevant differences were observed regarding the other two traits. A very high prevalence of squatting facets was observed in both sexes, higher than the reported frequencies for other population groups. The summarized conclusions in this study are the following: (a) the high prevalence of the squatting facets observed in both males and females could indicate the performance of a similar activity that requires a squatting position, such as shellfishing. (b) We observed a predominance of the type C talo‐calcaneal facet configuration among the population that indicates a maximal mobility of the talar joint, well adapted to displacement and/or activities such as goat herding in the steep landscape of El Hierro. (c) The statistically different os trigonum pattern among sexes may suggest a greater activity associated to jumping and climbing among males, possibly related to goat herding in the steep landscape of the island of El Hierro.

Pit, Loculus, and Ossuary: The Family and the Individual in Late Second Temple Judean Burial Caves

Pit, Loculus, and Ossuary: The Family and the Individual in Late Second Temple Judean Burial Caves

What about the buccal surfaces? Dental microwear texture analysis of buccal and occlusal surfaces refines paleodietary reconstructions

ObjectivesThis study analyzes and compares dental microwear textures on occlusal and buccal surfaces from the same tooth to determine if using these surfaces in tandem can provide complementary data for dietary reconstructions.Materials and methodsCova de la Guineu is a Late Neolithic‐Chalcolithic burial cave located in Font‐Rubí (Barcelona, Spain). The study sample consisted of 69 individuals represented by the lower left second molar. However, only 27 individuals had well‐preserved surfaces. Dental Microwear Texture Analysis was performed on both surfaces using a Sensofar® S Neox white‐light confocal profilometer following standard procedures. Toothfrax® software was used to quantify surface complexity and anisotropy.ResultsThe bootstrap resampling analysis shows significant differences in complexity and anisotropy between surfaces. There is no correlation between surfaces for complexity or anisotropy. The occlusal surfaces exhibit high complexities and low anisotropies, which are similar to values observed in Late Neolithic farming groups from Belgium.DiscussionThe combination of occlusal and buccal microwear signatures provided important inferences regarding the studied sample. First, occlusal complexity and anisotropy values indicate an abrasive dietary regime. Second, we propose that the higher anisotropy values found on buccal surfaces, compared to those on the occlusal ones, are attributed to the specific mechanisms of microwear formation for each surface. Finally, combining both surfaces may increase the number of samples suitable for analysis. Further studies, with greater intergroup sampling, will help to understand how buccal microwear reflects or complements DMTA signatures on the occlusal surfaces.

A Survey of the Site and Caves at Tell el-Hawy by the Confluence of the Rukkad and Yarmuk Rivers

The site of Tell el-Hawy is located above the confluence of the Rukkad and Yarmuk Rivers, near Israel’s present-day borders with Syria and Jordan. A survey revealed ancient remains on the hilltop and slopes dating mainly from the Iron Age, Late Hellenistic, and Roman periods. Twenty caves were found, including a large burial cave with loculi. The finds from the survey, as well as the caves, are described. The location of the site and its function are also discussed.

2017 Excavation report of rabat cemetery in Boysun, Uzbekistan

In 2017, the Joint Central Asia Archaeological Team of China and Uzbekistan conducted excavation in the Cemetery No.1 on the north of Rabat Village. The excavation recovered 52 burials, of which 37 were earthen cave burials with sideway chamber, 11 were vertical earthen shaft pit burials, and four had unidentifiable forms. The burial occupants were mostly in extended supine position heading north, and the grave goods unearthed from these burials included pottery wares, bronzes, iron objects, stone implements, glass wares, etc. The burial structures and artifacts unearthed from these burials all had unique characteristics compared to their counterparts found in the nearby areas, and the date of this cemetery is from the end of the 2nd century BC to the early 1st century AD. It would be the remains of the Da Yuezhi (Greater Yuezhi) people and could be named as Yuezhi Culture. The excavation of this cemetery provided important data for the archaeological exploration of the Greater Yuezhi people.

Approaches to Visibility and Strategical Control of the Sierra Harana Schematic Rock Art (Granada, Spain)

An approach about territorial control and mobility in Sierra Harana (Granada, Spain) during Late Prehistory is presented in this paper, according to rock shelters with schematic rock art distribution. Different aspects have been analysed by using tools provided by Geographic Information Systems (GIS): the relationship between rock shelters and hydrographic network and water springs, and, mainly, their visual control. The association between rock shelters with schematic rock art and burial caves use during the Neolithic period is observed in the study area. A strong link between rock shelters and traditional pathways is also attested. These facts can be read as a way to mark symbolically certain routes that could be aimed to short transhumance practice.

Dolmens, sepulchral caves and hypogea in Provence

This contribution concerns the regional administrative entity of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and the south of Drôme. A cartographic analysis looking for possible territorial and geographical specificities allowed us to identify some trends: the distribution of cave burials is not proportional to the density of natural cavities; the distribution zones of dolmens and caves are not exclusive; hypogees, strongly dependent on suitable rocks for their excavation, were chosen as burials in a very limited sector. On the other hand, as the documentation is very unequal for the 262 collective burials selected, the comparison of funerary practices according to architectural type unfortunately remains an open question.

Mortuary behaviour and cultural practices in pre-colonial West Central Africa: new data from the Iroungou burial cave, Gabon—CORRIGENDUM

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Mortuary behaviour and cultural practices in pre-colonial West Central Africa: new data from the Iroungou burial cave, Gabon

This study presents preliminary results of recent explorations at Iroungou (Gabon), a pre-colonial burial cave containing scattered skeletal remains of at least 28 men, women and children. The individuals, whose crania show cultural tooth ablation, were buried with abundant metallic objects, a combination with no known equivalent in West Central Africa.