Search

Recent reanalysis of the human remains unearthed from the grave cists of the necropolis of Casas Velhas (Melides, Portugal) from the Southwest Iberian Middle Bronze Age, with a minimal number of 25 individuals (23 adults and 2 non-adults), allowed relevant anthropological data. This culture, although widespread in southern Portugal and nearby areas of southwest Spain in the Middle Bronze Age, is characterized by the paucity of preserved human remains and thus the anthropological knowledge of these human populations. The adult female skeleton exhumed from cist 30, the last interment of this double burial, exhibit a complete perforation on the right parietal bone. The aim of this paper is to present and discuss this defect, which most probable diagnosis is trepanation. The hole is oval shape exhibiting long term healing. A shallow remodelled area is visible around the defect, which suggests scraping method. No complications or evident reasons for the intervention were observed. In terms of mortuary practices no clear distinction was observed between this individual and others from this cemetery. The features of this trepanation fit in the major points summarized by Silva () for prehistoric Portuguese trepanation. These data sustain the existence of an old tradition of this procedure is this region of Iberia, present, at least, since the Middle Neolithic. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses and discusses the fuel and plant offerings found in 174 primary (pyre remains) and secondary contexts (ritual pits) of the necropolis of Via XVII in Bracara Augusta (Braga), in northern Portugal. This site is one of the largest Roman funerary complexes in the Iberian Peninsula, spanning from the last decades of the 1st century BC to the 7th century AD. More than 42500 charcoal fragments, comprising 44 different taxa, were analysed. Wood from deciduous Quercus was the most frequent, although other taxa such as Fraxinus sp., Fabaceae, Salix sp., Prunus sp., Rosaceae Maloideae and Castanea sativa were also relevant. The main criteria for the wood collection and use in the pyres might have been its availability in the region, although symbolic factors cannot be discarded. Evidence of wood from Fagus sylvatica and Pinus sylvestris , allowed to discuss the range of wood catchment area. A total of 407 remains of fruits and seeds were also identified in the samples, including shells of Juglans regia nuts, seeds and cones of Pinus pinea, endocarps of Prunus avium , P. domestica and P. persica , cotyledons of domestic pulses and a fragments of Cupressus sempervirens fruits. These remains were associated with symbolic and ritual aspects of the roman cremation ceremony. The results obtained were interpreted and contextualized according to their known use in the ritual process of Roman cremations by reviewing data from classical literary sources and other sites throughout the Roman Empire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In 2009, an archaeological intervention in the Valle da Gafaria (Lagos, Portugal) allowed the excavation of part of a leprosarium and an associated necropolis (15th–17th centuries). The individuals recovered were buried directly in the soil, in positions and orientations discordant to the prevailing Christian rules. The sample is made up of eleven adult individuals of both sexes. This paper discusses the differential diagnosis of unusual and distinct pathological changes in five of the individuals recovered. The differential diagnosis of the lesions gave rise to several possible pathological conditions, namely, leprosy, treponematosis, brucellosis, slipped femoral capital epiphysis, and Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease. Various macroscopic and radiological aspects led us to consider leprosy as the most probable diagnosis in two individuals. Treponematosis and brucellosis were the probable diagnosis in other two individuals, respectively. One individual presented lesions in the right femur compatible with Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease. Historical documents suggest that the poor, mentally disabled, and people suffering from syphilis, tuberculosis, among others, were also housed in leprosaria. Therefore, it is possible that evidence of other conditions is found in human remains uncovered at a leprosarium. The cases under study enrich the scanty osteoarchaeological documentation of palaeopathology in Portugal in the Modern Age, namely of leprosy, brucellosis, treponematosis, and Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease, and they can contribute to reduce the discrepancy between historical and biological evidences of disease. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Documenta Praehistorica is the property of Documenta Praehistorica 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.)