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Grotta Polesini is one of the most famous paleontological and archaeological sites of central Italy, which testifies to its human occupation during the Lateglacial. The site comprises a cave system where systematic excavation campaigns have been carried out since the 1950s. In 1974, 656 mammal remains were collected but never studied. This fossil collection is here described for the first time through taxonomic and stable isotope analyses of the enamel of selected mammal teeth. The aim is to reconstruct the paleoenvironmental and climatic conditions of the site and to offer new information on terrestrial ecosystems during the Lateglacial in central Italy. The faunal assemblage studied herein, in addition to other species reported in previous works, suggests cold climate conditions. We also describe a right radius of an adult individual of Homo sapiens, increasing the human fossil record of the site. Carbon isotope data point to a scenario dominated by C3 plants in open and dry habitats, such as grasslands and steppes, in accordance with the pollen data from central Italy. The oxygen isotope data suggest the use of water resources with a local origin, i.e. local precipitation and surface waters with a provenance from the nearby Apennine chain. The ecology of the taxa influenced the oxygen isotope values, especially in the case of semi‐obligate to non‐obligate drinker species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The remains that typically compose the human fossil record often bear cracks, damage, and deformations. The recent rapid development of 'virtual anthropology' has provided innovative tools to manage, study, and preserve cultural and natural heritage. Such tools include computerized tomography (CT), laser scanning, photogrammetry, 3D imaging, and rapid prototyping. These approaches can contribute to any archaeological context from the discovery of artefacts to research, preservation, and dissemination. 3D imaging techniques can substitute physical intervention with a virtual protocol to restore the original shape of a fossil specimen. In a similar way, digital morphological information can be recovered using data preserved even on a fragment through the use of 3D comparative samples. Here we present an extended and updated review of the most innovative protocols in virtual anthropology, also applicable in other fields such as natural history and cultural heritage studies, through the description of recent cast studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over 1 billion people live with some form of disability, i.e. 15% of the current global population. This group generally has poorer health conditions and more easily experiences discrimination and marginalization. But if this is the current situation, what happened in the past? Dealing with consequences of disease or injury, often caused or exacerbated by environmental and/or social constraints, placed significant demands on individuals, their families and their communities. How can we identify the likely impacts of pathology? Who received care? Who provided care? How were short-term needs met and longer-term caregiving sustained? How were people with visible impairments treated? How successful was the care available, and what might difference in access to care (and type of care provided) suggest about contemporary norms and values? Addressing questions such as these will deepen our understanding of past disability and care, a goal now part of a new agenda in bioarchaeology. This presentation aims to widen the concept: 'there are patients who cannot be cured, but there are no patients who cannot be cared for'. This will require new concepts as well as empirical foci, finding in the workshop the ideal venue to explore its limits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A case of trepanation has been documented on a cranium from the Longobard cemetery of Castel Trosino (central Italy, 6th-8th centuries CE). The cranium represents the only remains of an elderly woman (ca. 50yo), and the medical treatment, or the condition that led to it, likely influenced her life course. In this study we have attempted to reconstruct her life-history via multi stable isotope analysis on different tissues. This will assist in reconstructing variations in the nutritional intake and has the potential to highlight physiological stresses during specific time intervals. The isotopic values of the latter years of her life are consistent with those of other adults from the cemetery (n=18). Her life conditions and the level of healthcare will be presented via paleopathological and isotopic analyses, supported by the archaeological context and the medical literature. Our analysis suggests that the community members cared for this woman, at least by providing her with a consistent food intake. This sheds light on two possible, non-mutually alternative, scenarios: a) she had a privileged social status that favored such treatments; b) the care for individuals with severe ailments was likely a practice included in the community habits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The arrival of the Longobards in Italy represents one of the most significant periods of the Early Middle Ages. Such arrival had social and political implications, particularly in relation to cultural admixture with local communities. One way to understand this is through the reconstruction of paleodiet via stable isotope analysis. So far, the subsistence strategy of this population in central Italy remains poorly explored. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses are presented here on a total of 19 human bone collagen samples from the cemetery of Castel Trosino. This isotopic investigation contributes to the dietary reconstruction of Early Medieval populations in Italy, providing a crucial isotopic dataset for an area still poorly explored., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships which have or could be perceived to have influenced the work reported in this article., (© 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The Longobard necropolis of Povegliano Veronese dates from the 6th to the 8th centuries AD. Among the 164 tombs excavated, the skeleton of an older male shows a well-healed amputated right forearm. The orientation of the forearm fracture suggests an angled cut by a single blow. Reasons why a forearm might be amputated include combat, medical intervention, and judicial punishment. As with other amputation cases reported in literature, this one exhibits both healing and osteoblastic response. We argue that the forelimb stump morphology suggests the use of a prosthesis. Moreover, dental modification of RI2 shows considerable wear and smoothing of the occlusal surface, which points to dental use in attaching the prosthesis to the limb. Other indications of how this individual adjusted to his amputated condition includes a slight change in the orientation of the right glenoid fossa surface, and thinning of right humeral cortical bone. This is a remarkable example in which an older male survived the loss of a forelimb in pre-antibiotic era. We link archaeological remains found in the tomb (buckle and knife) with the biological evidence to show how a combined bioarchaeological approach can provide a clearer interpretation of the life history of an individual.