20th Congress of the European
Anthropological Association
European Anthropology
in a Changing World:
From Culture to Global Biology
Zagreb, Croatia
24th – 28th August 2016
ABSTRACT
BOOK
Society
Institute for Anthropological
Research, Zagreb, Croatia
Croatia
n
Anthropological
European
Anthropological
Association
lead by George Milner, Steve Ousley and the author with the assistance from Svenja Weise, Peter
Tarp and Sara Getz.
NEW RESULTS FROM ZAGAJCI NEAR BELIŠĆE (CROATIA) RELATED TO THE MIDDLE
AGES: RADIOCARBON DATING PLACES A SINGLE HUMAN CRANIUM IN THE 11TH
CENTURY AD
Boljunčić Jadranka1, Barešić Jadranka2, Krajcar Bronić Ines2
1Institute
of Archaeology, Zagreb, Croatia
Bošković Institute, Laboratory for Measurement of Low-level Radioactivity, Division
of Experimental Physics, Zagreb, Croatia
[email protected]
2Ruđer
We present the results of radiocarbon dating a random find of a partial human cranium
discovered in Zagajci near Belišće (Eastern Slavonia, Croatia) in the vicinity of the
Prehistoric/Medieval Belišće-Zagajci I-II burial site. The cranial remains of an adult female,
apparently from a destroyed skeletal burial lacking grave goods, were discovered in 1996,
around hundred metres away from the findspot of a prehistoric (Early Iron Age) female
discovered in 1992, likewise from a destroyed skeletal grave. The cranium was dated by using
the radiocarbon method applying the accelerator mass spectrometry (14C-AMS) technique. The
procedure included collagen extraction from bone taken from the skull vault, combustion to CO2
and conversion to graphite by zinc reduction. 14C activity of prepared graphite targets was
measured using a compact Pelletron AMS unit at the AMS facility of the University of Georgia
(Atlanta, USA). The conventional radiocarbon age was 1000 ± 25 BP resulting in a narrow
calibrated age interval of 995 – 1035 cal AD within 1 sigma confidence interval and median 1023
cal AD (OxCal 4.2.4 on-line software, by using IntCal13 atmospheric curve). Although this is
about the only 11th century AD dated skeletal remains – stemming from the vicinity of the
Belišće-Zagajci I-II cemetery, this new 14C evidence supplements the previous knowledge of
burials in that area in light of the (early) part of the Middle Ages, not recorded so far. In
conclusion, this study broadens the time span of burials found at Belišće-Zagajci in both overall
and historical context: from the prehistory – the Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age, i.e. Early Iron
Age through the Early Middle Ages of the 7th-8th century (burials dated chronologically) to the
Early Middle Ages of the 11th century (skeletal burial remains dated by radiocarbon analysis).
TOGETHER FOREVER: COLLECTIVE FIND OF THE NEOLITHIC HUMAN AND ANIMAL
CREMATED BONES (BAPSKA, E CROATIA)
Burić Marcel1, Špoljarić Igor2, Mršić Gordan2, Mihelić Damir3, Hincak Zdravka1
1Faculty
of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Science Centre „Ivan Vučetić“, Zagreb, Croatia
3Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
2Forensic
[email protected]
A goup of human and animal burned bones were discovered on excavations of the Late
Neolithic Tell site Bapska, E Croatia. They belong to a closed context discovered with collapsed
wall on a wooden feature (floor or furniture) within a house, showing an unusual artificial
articulation. The find was not deposited as a grave considering a fact that it is consisted of a fistfull of osteological material designedly surrounded by cattle horns. In order to shed more light
on this case of interpretative challenging find, several analysis were performed. The
macromorphometric analysis revealed that one part of the remains belong to a young individual
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of a small ruminant, not older than three months. Burned osteological remains are
predominantly fragmented, more than 70%. Due to a problem of high fragmentation of long
bone remains, hystological method has been introduced. Using the histological appearance of
cortical bone it was possible to distinguish human from nonhuman remains. Five fragments of
human bone remains were identified. Further analysis of plexiform and Haversian bone tissue
helped to distinguish samples of a pig, small ruminants and cattle tracing the general
microstructural appearance and measurements of histological structures. With application of
the light microscopic analysis and the scanning electron microscopy (Scanning Electron
Microscopy/Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy method SEM/EDX) morphological 2D and 3D
characterization of the samples were obtained. The analysis has also provided a detailed
description of the nature of cremated bone present, and estimation of sex and age at death for
human samples.
LIFE AND DEATH IN MEDIEVAL (XI – XV c.) BYCZYNA (POLAND, OPOLE PROVINCE)
FROM PALEOPATHOLOGICAL POINT OF VIEW
Cieslik Izabela Agata1, Przysiezna-Pizarska Magdalena2
1Polish
Academy of Sciences, Unit of Anthropology in Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland
of Opole, Institute of History, Opole, Poland
[email protected]
2University
The aim of our study was preliminary assessment of the biological condition and health
status of the inhabitants of medieval Byczyna and its relationship with environmental
conditions. Byczyna, which is a small town, located in the North of the Opole Province, has very
rich history. One of the most important events was battle of Byczyna, which took place in 1588.
In this battle hetman Jan Zamojski defeated the army of Archduke Maximilian von Habsburg,
who aspired to the throne of Poland. Byczyna is a historically unique place, also because of
defensive walls preserved almost entirely around the city. Rescue archaeological excavations in
Byczyna was carried out at the historical cemetery located near the St. Nicholas church, in the
center of the town. The excavations in Byczyna have a long history, dating back to the 70s of the
last century, but this presentation is focused on skeletal material that had been unearthed
between 2009 and 2010. During this phase of archeological research more than 600 skeletons
were excavated. Hitherto 400 individuals have undergo anthropological analysis and they are
the subject of this report. Both physical stress indicators and the structure of diseases were
taken into consideration. The identification of abnormal bone conditions was mainly performed
by macroscopic examination. The structure of illnesses which were possible to assess in
examined material was various and dependent on gender and age of the individuals. One of the
most common pathological lesions was spinal osteoarthritis. The incidence of trauma was also
quite high. There were also traces of inflammatory processes, developmental disorders and
metabolic diseases. We believe that the structure of diseases observed in the skeletal material is
a reflection of a variety of environmental factors that affected the biological condition and health
status of the inhabitants of the medieval Byczyna.
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