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The definition of the Cretaceous shark genus Cretodus Sokolov, 1965 is primarily based on isolated teeth. This genus includes five species. Among these, Cretodus houghtonorum Shimada and Everhart, 2019 is the only species based on a partially preserved skeleton. Here, the taxonomic attribution of a virtually complete skeleton of Cretodus from the Turonian of northeastern Italy is discussed, together with a few specimens from the Turonian of England. One of the latter is investigated through micropaleontological analysis to determine its stratigraphic position. The material is referred to Cretodus crassidens (Dixon, 1850), the diagnosis of which is emended herein. The dentition is tentatively reconstructed, exhibiting strong similarities with congeneric species, although it differs in having strong vertical folds on the main cusp labial face, a mesiodistally broad tooth aspect, weak and well-spaced 'costulae' at crown base, and a different dental formula in the number of parasymphyseal and lateral rows. Some tooth malformations are interpreted as feeding-related or senile characters. The Italian specimen suggests that Cretodus crassidens had a wide and laterally expanded mouth and head, a stout body, and attained a gigantic size. Cretodus crassidens was a moderate-speed swimming shark ecologically like the extant tiger shark Galeocerdo cuvier (Péron and Lesueur in Lesueur, 1822). The age estimate from vertebral-band counting suggests that the Italian individual was at least 23 years old and the growth model indicates a longevity of 64 years and a maximum attainable total length of 9–11 m. Cretodus crassidens occurs both in Boreal and Tethyan domains, implying a broad paleobiogeographic distribution and a preference toward offshore settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The extremities of the fibula may reflect differences between males and females, although so far only few studies included this bone for post-cranial sex assessment. Our work explored shape and size variation between sexes in identified skeletal samples comprising different populations from Italy and South Africa and showed that fibular extremities are significantly smaller, with narrower articular surfaces in females than in males. Consistent sex-related differences are revealed in fibular form and size in Italians but not in South Africans. Potential application in forensic and bioarcheological contexts may benefit from the use of this approach. Fibular metric variations have revealed their potential in distinguishing between males and females; however the fibula remains scarcely analyzed in studies of sexual dimorphism. This work aims at investigating sexually dimorphic features in fibular proximal and distal epiphyses through geometric morphometrics methods. A total of 136 left fibulae, from two Italian and one South African identified skeletal collections were virtually acquired through CT and laser scanning and analyzed using geometric morphometric methods. Statistical analyses were performed on shape, form, and size variables. Results show that fibular epiphyses are smaller with narrower articular surfaces in females than in males in both extremities. Relevant sexual differences emerge in fibular form and size for the two Italian samples but not for the South African one, likely for its small sample size. Discriminant analysis on form principal components (PCs) offers accuracy above 80% when the samples are pooled, and reaches accuracy of 80–93% when the Italian samples are considered separately. However, our method on form PCs was not successful for the South African sample (50–53% accuracy), possibly due to the small sample size. These results show relevant morphological variation in relation to fibular form and size, with a degree of accuracy that indicates the utility of the present method for sexing human fibulae in both forensic and bioarchaeological contexts for Italian samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the antiquity of two well-known conditions often associated with advancing age, namely superior vena cava syndrome and gynecomastia, through the veristic sculptural representation dating back to the classical age. The statue of the Old Fisherman from the "Paolo Orsi" Regional Archaeological Museum of Syracuse, Italy, thanks to the extremely accurate rendering of the appearance of the cutaneous tissues, makes it possible to open a window to the antiquity and morphologic presentation of pathologic phenomena that would be difficult to infer solely from the human skeleton remains. The analysis of this statue also offers an opportunity to highlight the capacity of Hellenistic art in portraying human misery and illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The restitution and reburial of human skeletons from a Medieval Jewish cemetery • Different types of human skeletal remains are differently managed • Uncertain position of human skeletal remains in the frame of cultural heritage • The role of Institutions in the management of the human remains • The need for ethical codes and guidelines in Italy For social, cultural, religious and political reasons the human remains may represent powerful symbols with different meanings that changed over time among the different communities and countries. Thus, they have a sensitive nature that poses them in a "grey area", still failing in terms of finding an adequate positioning in the research, in the contemporary cultural institutions and museums. Italy still lacks any official guidelines to follow in the case of protests and claims for restitution of human remains. Only recently, Italy experienced for the first time the restitution and reburial of skeletons coming from a medieval Jewish cemetery before the whole anthropological study could be completed. This event re-opens the debate, largely addressed in many Western countries from the 1990s but marginally until now in Italy, of the disputes between the legitimacy of scientific research on human remains and other various instances (ethnicity, religion, public view...). The case study provides the opportunity to propose our reflections on the legal position of human remains and on their fate in the often-contrasting viewpoints between the public and the researches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we present the results of a pilot study that adopts an interdisciplinary off‐site approach combining detailed surface survey, remote sensing analyses, geophysical prospections, geoarchaeological investigations and palaeoenvironmental analyses to investigate long‐term human‐environment interactions in the Pontine plain (Lazio, Central Italy). Focusing on a small study area just north of the ancient Roman way station of Ad Medias, in the middle of this former wetland, the developed integrated approach turned out to be very much successful, providing additional information on (a) the interpretation of the surface record in light of landscape and environmental dynamics, (b) the exposure of "hidden landscapes" that date from before the Roman phase of exploitation that is well‐attested in the surface archaeological record, and (c) the texture of this Roman landscape, allowing for a more accurate interpretation of both mapped surface materials and the wider context in which these surface sites were set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on the development of scientific archaeology. Topics discussed here include, the skeletal remains of the Vesuvius sites, the results of the analysis of the residues of human skeletons, and human trace studies. Also being discussed are the human remains in Pompeii dates.

One of the unanswered questions in Palaeolithic studies is how Neanderthals adapted their subsistence strategies by changing their diet at such a late stage of their existence. Zooarchaeological and taphonomic studies are critical to determine anthropogenic behaviour and to accurately understand the strategies used to exploit different ecological niches. In this line of research, the present paper aims to provide a thorough assessment of the unpublished faunal assemblages from two Late Mousterian Italian sites: Riparo del Broion (northern Italy) and Roccia San Sebastiano cave (southern Italy). These two sites occupy two distant and different areas of Italy, however providing late Neanderthals coeval occupations dated between 50,000–44,000 cal BP. In this study we analysed more than 27,000 remains following a multidisciplinary approach that combines taxonomical, anatomical and taphonomic investigations. Moreover, an experimental study that supports the instrumental use of valve fragments of Anodonta sp. is also presented for Riparo del Broion. Strontium isotope analysis of cervid remains, the most exploited prey in both sites, provides useful information to explore selection of available animals, the mobility of human groups, and the composition of animal herds. In general, the characteristics of the territory of the two sites highlight the exploitation of different resources that could vary from almost specialized small game (Riparo del Broion) to selective ungulates (Roccia San Sebastiano) hunting strategies. At Riparo del Broion, the main exploitation of red deer was accompanied by beaver hunting, fishing, and shellfish gathering from freshwater lake environments. On the contrary, human groups at Roccia San Sebastiano cave hunted almost exclusively red deer, despite the sea was not far from the cave. The absence of shellfish and fish remains is remarkable. In addition, the transformation and use of diaphyseal bone flakes as retouchers at both sites and the presence of a probable "bone awl" at Roccia San Sebastiano, further confirm an extended capacity in the use of a large range of materials for different subsistence activities. Present results consist of the first zooarchaeological comparison of the Late Mousterian levels of Roccia San Sebastiano cave and Riparo del Broion. These allowed us to detail environments, and subsistence strategies of two Neanderthal groups that inhabited different ecological niches of the Italian territory and provide important data to disentangle possible changes in faunal exploitation strategies, butchering, processing, and cultural behaviours during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in Italy. • Late Middle Palaeolithic sites are key to understanding Human subsistence • Two of the most recent sites in Italy to have yielded a Neanderthal deciduous tooth • Zooarchaeological analysis highlights diversified "menu" between north to south Italy • Detailed taphonomic analysis shows use of a broad range of materials as tools • Patterns suggest Late-Neanderthals diversified subsistence behaviour [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entheseal changes are traditionally included in a large array of skeletal features commonly referred to as 'skeletal markers of activity.' However, medical studies and recent anthropological analyses of identified skeletal series suggest a complex combination of physiological and biomechanical factors underlying the variability of such 'markers.' The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between age, sex, physical activity, and entheseal variability. To this end, 23 postcranial entheses are examined in a large ( N = 484) Italian contemporary skeletal series using standardized scoring methods. The sample comprises subjects of known age, sex and, mostly, occupation. Results show a strong relationship between age and entheseal changes. Differences between sexes are also highlighted, while the effects of physical activity appear moderate. Altogether, our study indicates that entheseal morphology primarily reflects the age of an individual, while correlation with lifetime activity remains ambiguous. Am J Phys Anthropol 148:379-388, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The site of Grotta d'Oriente, Island of Favignana, Sicily has yielded the complete skeleton of an adult female (OB) dated to the Mesolithic age. The cranial morphometry of this individual can provide us with some useful information about the peopling of Sicily in the Early Holocene period. Aim: Morphological affinities of OB and other Sicilian Mesolithic specimens were assessed to verify hypotheses concerning the early peopling of Sicily. Subjects and methods: Craniofacial metric data were employed in a comparative analysis with European Upper Palaeolithic (UP), Mesolithic, Neolithic, and Copper/Bronze age samples, and contemporary Italians. Both a model-free and a model-bound approach were used not only to calculate craniometric distances, but also to assess the role played by gene flow and drift to produce the resulting pattern of variations and relationships. Results: A Sicilian Mesolithic (SM) sample, including OB, resulted morphologically very close to an Italian Late UP comparative group. A general similarity among Western/Central European UP and Mesolithic groups was also detected. Conclusion: Intense gene flow among hunter–gatherer populations accounts for close resemblances among various UP and Mesolithic groups. The beginning of a regional characterization is suggested by the morphological similarity between Italian Late UP and SM, and by decreasing gene flow among populations during the transition from the Upper Palaeolithic to the Mesolithic period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human bones recovered from the archaeological site of Pontecagnano (Salerno, Italy) have been studied to reconstruct the diet of an Etrurian population. Two different areas were investigated, named Library and Sant’ Antonio , with a total of 44 tombs containing human skeletal remains, ranging in age from the 8 th to the 3 rd century B.C. This time span was confirmed by 14 C dating obtained using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) on one bone sample from each site. Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) was used to extract information about the concentration of Sr, Zn, Ca elements in the bone inorganic fraction, whilst stable isotope ratio measurements (IRMS) were carried out on bone collagen to obtain the δ 13 C and δ 15 N. A reliable technique has been used to extract and separate the inorganic and organic fractions of the bone remains. Both IRMS and AAS results suggest a mixed diet including C 3 plant food and herbivore animals, consistent with archaeological indications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Existing 14C dates of charcoal and bone samples from different layers of the Late Epigravettian sequence at Arene Candide (Liguria, Italy) place the formation of the deposit between 12,000 and 10,000 (uncal.) BP, but it is unclear how long this cave was used for funerary purposes. Clarifying this point has important archaeological and anthropological implications, given number and variety of inhumations. These include single and double burials of richly ornamented adults, adolescents and children and disarticulated accumulations of bones. Six new direct 14C AMS dates obtained from human skeletons place more precisely the necropolis at the Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene boundary, and appear distributed in two distinct groups that indicate two phases of funerary utilisation of the cave. Although separated by many centuries, the two phases of interment show recurring formal elements. Both groups include skeletons in anatomical connection exhibiting similar grave goods as well as chaotic accumulations of bones and, more importantly, the double burial of an adult with a child lying to its left. The reappearance of similar funerary patterns in the same site at two widely separated points in time suggests that the cave held a symbolic significance over several centuries. This, and the additional evidence of funerary use of the cave during the preceding Gravettian, points to the endurance of Upper Palaeolithic cultural traditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Collegium Antropologicum is the property of Croatian Anthropological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Collegium Antropologicum is the property of Croatian Anthropological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Collegium Antropologicum is the property of Croatian Anthropological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Collegium Antropologicum is the property of Croatian Anthropological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

I present a novel machine learning approach to predict sex in the bioarchaeological record. Eighteen cranial interlandmark distances and five maxillary dental metric distances were recorded from n = 420 human skeletons from the necropolises at Alfedena (600–400 BCE) and Campovalano (750–200 BCE and 9–11th Centuries CE) in central Italy. A generalized low rank model (GLRM) was used to impute missing data and Area under the Curve—Receiver Operating Characteristic (AUC-ROC) with 20-fold stratified cross-validation was used to evaluate predictive performance of eight machine learning algorithms on different subsets of the data. Additional perspectives such as this one show strong potential for sex prediction in bioarchaeological and forensic anthropological contexts. Furthermore, GLRMs have the potential to handle missing data in ways previously unexplored in the discipline. Although results of this study look promising (highest AUC-ROC = 0.9722 for predicting binary male/female sex), the main limitation is that the sexes of the individuals included were not known but were estimated using standard macroscopic bioarchaeological methods. However, future research should apply this machine learning approach to known-sex reference samples in order to better understand its value, along with the more general contributions that machine learning can make to the reconstruction of past human lifeways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the discovery of a skeleton in an Italian tomb with preserved hair covered with a snood called sakkos during an excavation in the Coste di Manone area in Civita Castellana (ancient Falerii), Italy. According to the letter of Mancinelli Scotti written on July 29, 1900 in Rome, the skeleton was described as a resemblance to terracotta, with preserved hair covered with a woolen textile. It mentions that the textile was identified by doctor Margarita Gleba as linen.

The article presents a study which examined the human skeletal remains that were discovered from two Copper Age Monte Claro sites in Italy as of January 2012. The excavation activities were led by Donatella Cocco of Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici per le Province di Cagliari e Oristano. The data recorded include morphology of public symphysis, the degree of synostosis of cranial sutures, and the degree of dental wear.

The age at death estimation is one of the main components of the anthropological study and is the basis of demographic studies conducted on ancient peoples. However, the different methods commonly used in anthropology for adult age at death determination provide estimates of the age in the form of wide intervals. This happens regardless of the state of preservation of bones, even if in case of a poorly preserved skeletons we can only determine the individual as an adult. The consequence is the inability to develop demographic studies with a good degree of reliability. Several age estimation methods apply the various forms of tooth modification, including wear, root dentine transparency, tooth cementum annulation, racemization of aspartic acid, and apposition of secondary dentine. Wear and the apposition of secondary dentine are the currently available non-destructive methods. Tooth wear is influenced by various external factors (masticatory function, type of food, timing and sequence of tooth eruption, tooth form, position of teeth, thickness and hardness of enamel, and predisposition to enamel hypoplasia) while the apposition of secondary dentine (Cameriere's method) is a continuing, regular process, which is only modified by caries or particular abrasion. The purpose of this communication was to apply the Cameriere's method on an important sample of 16 adults Neolithic skeletons from three sites in southern Italy (Apulia): Serra Cicora, Masseria della Marina and Carpignano. The estimates derived from the study of the canines were compared with the age ranges obtained with the commonly used anthropological indicators: fusion of cranial sutures, degree of tooth wear, remodelling of the pubic symphysis and the auricular surface of the Ilium. The latter two provide intervals which encompass the ages estimated with Cameriere's method. The results show that we are facing a population with a high presence of persons of advanced age, even beyond the age of 50, hardly distinguishable by other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]