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Brzobohatá H, Bejdová Š, Černíková A, Velímský F, Frolík J, Velemínský P. Dental health status of the medieval silver-mining community from Kutná Hora (Czech Republic, 13th-16th c.): Impact of socioeconomic changes and mortality crises. Arch Oral Biol 2024; 161:105913. [PMID: 38382163 DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2024.105913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to evaluate the pathological conditions in teeth from skeletal remains found in the medieval burial ground at Kutná Hora (13th-16th centuries, Czech Republic). We focused on the effect on dental health of socioeconomic changes associated with the boom in silver mining at the site. DESIGN In this study, dental caries and antemortem tooth loss were recorded for 469 sexed adults (10,558 permanent teeth). Pathologies were analysed and presented by teeth and alveoli, and the differences between their frequencies were tested in sex-, age-, and burial context-separated groups (mass vs. individual graves). RESULTS The oral conditions were characterised by a low frequency of caries and moderate frequency of antemortem tooth loss (AMTL). For caries, males and females showed the same frequencies while AMTL comparisons indicated a higher rate in females. Most differences emerged between age-separated and burial context-separated groups. The age progression of the pathologies was confirmed for both caries and AMTL. Skeletons from mass burials had higher caries and AMTL frequencies than those buried in individual graves. CONCLUSIONS The dataset exhibited low caries and below average AMTL rates compared to other medieval European skeletal series. We think that life in this mining centre had a positive effect on the dental health of its inhabitants. The relatively poorer dental health of those buried in mass graves reflected either the specific composition of the population in the first half of the 14th century or the lower resilience of these individuals when facing mortality crises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hana Brzobohatá
- Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Letenská 4, 118 01 Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Šárka Bejdová
- Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 44 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Alena Černíková
- Institute of Applied Mathematics and Information Technologies, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 128 43 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Filip Velímský
- Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Letenská 4, 118 01 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Frolík
- Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Letenská 4, 118 01 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Velemínský
- Department of Anthropology, National Museum Prague, Václavské náměstí 68, 115 79 Prague, Czech Republic
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Bertilsson C, Vretemark M, Lund H, Lingström P. Caries prevalence and other dental pathological conditions in Vikings from Varnhem, Sweden. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0295282. [PMID: 38091309 PMCID: PMC10718447 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
In a late Swedish Viking Age population dating from around 10th-12th century AD, the prevalence, distribution and location of dental caries were studied. Tooth wear, other dental pathology and anatomical variations were identified and recorded clinically and radiographically. A total of 3293 teeth were analyzed from 171 individuals with complete and partial dentitions, of which 133 were permanent and 38 deciduous/mixed dentition. The dentitions were studied clinically, using a dental probe under a strong light source, and radiographs were taken for 18 of the individuals to verify and complement the clinical caries registration. Almost half the population, 83 of 171 individuals (49%), had at least one carious lesion. All individuals with deciduous or mixed dentitions were caries-free. The number of teeth affected by caries among adults was 424 (13%) and the surface most susceptible to caries was the root surface. The tooth most commonly affected by caries was the first mandibular molar. Other findings included apical infections, which were detected clinically in 4% of the teeth, and one case of filed front teeth. The findings gave a unique understanding of life and death in this early Christian Viking community and indicated that it was common to suffer from dental caries, tooth loss, infections of dental origin and tooth pain. These Vikings also manipulated their teeth through filing, tooth picking and other occupational behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Bertilsson
- Department of Cariology, Institute of Odontology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | - Henrik Lund
- Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Radiology, Institute of Odontology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Peter Lingström
- Department of Cariology, Institute of Odontology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Bertilsson C, Nylund L, Vretemark M, Lingström P. Dental markers of biocultural sex differences in an early modern population from Gothenburg, Sweden: caries and other oral pathologies. BMC Oral Health 2021; 21:304. [PMID: 34126983 PMCID: PMC8204436 DOI: 10.1186/s12903-021-01667-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background With the aim to study dental pathological lesions in an early Swedish modern population, with special reference to sex variances of dental caries, the prevalence and distribution of dental caries and tooth wear were determined in complete and partial human dentitions from an early modern-time city graveyard (1500–1620) excavated in Gamlestaden, Gothenburg, Sweden. Methods Partial and complete dentitions were examined through visual inspection and using a dental probe. Pathologies were studied, evaluated and presented by teeth and alveoli. Results The study population consisted of 308 individuals. A total of 4,951 teeth in adults and 1,660 teeth in children were examined. Caries prevalence in the studied population was 55% and the highest prevalence of caries was found among the adults, where 68% of the individuals had at least one carious lesion. Caries experience (DMT > 0) in the entire population was 60%, and among adults caries experience was 76%. Women had significantly higher caries experience than men (p < 0.05). Caries was most prevalent in the molar teeth and least prevalent in the incisors and canines. Significant age-related increases in tooth wear were found, and a positive correlation between wear in molars and incisors (p < 0.001). Other clinical findings were signs of apical lesions, crowding of teeth, aplasia, non-erupted canines and calculus. Conclusions Findings show that dental pathological lesions affected a majority of the studied population, and indicate that women were more predisposed to dental disease than their male counterparts. Results are discussed from a multi-factorial explanation model including dietary, physiological and cultural etiological factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Bertilsson
- Department of Cariology, Institute of Odontology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Lisa Nylund
- Department of Cariology, Institute of Odontology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | - Peter Lingström
- Department of Cariology, Institute of Odontology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Kinkopf KM, Agarwal SC, Goodson C, Beauchesne PD, Trombley TM, Candilio F, Rubini M, Coppa A. Economic access influences degenerative spine disease outcomes at rural Late Medieval Villamagna (Lazio, IT). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 174:500-518. [PMID: 33247981 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Revised: 09/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Degenerative joint disease in the spine is heavily influenced by genetic, environmental, and epigenetic factors, as well as exacerbated by physical activity and injury. The objective of this study was to investigate the multivariate relationship between known predictors of degenerative joint disease in the spine, such as age and sex, with mortuary indicators of economic access such as grave inclusions, burial location, and burial type. MATERIALS AND METHODS The presence and severity of vertebral osteophytosis (VO) and vertebral osteoarthritis (VOA) was recorded for the vertebral columns of N = 106 adult individuals from the Late Medieval period at the rural monastery of San Pietro at Villamagna in Lazio, Italy (1300-1450 AD). Multiple skeletal indicators of degenerative joint disease, morphological sex, and age were compared with differences in mortuary treatment across four regions of the spine. RESULTS There are marked differences in severe joint disease outcome between groups with more and less economic access. Relative risk ratios suggest that males and females with less economic access have elevated risk for VO and VOA in specific spine regions, although this effect is reduced among females. DISCUSSION Current research on the consequences of economic and social inequality point to the important role of economic inequality in shaping disease outcomes. Our results suggest that biocultural effects of reduced economic access at the intraclass level may increase vulnerability to the downstream effects of risk exposure (e.g., biomechanical injure, physical activity, biochemical imbalance), and ultimately increase the risk and prevalence for severe degenerative disease outcomes in medieval Italy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine M Kinkopf
- Department of Geography and Anthropology, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Pomona, California, USA
| | - Sabrina C Agarwal
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.,Archaeological Research Facility, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | | | - Patrick D Beauchesne
- Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of Michigan, Dearborn, Dearborn, Michigan, USA
| | - Trent M Trombley
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.,Archaeological Research Facility, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Francesca Candilio
- Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per la città metropolitana di Cagliari ele province di Oristano e Sud Sardegna, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Mauro Rubini
- Department of Archaeology, Foggia University, Foggia, Italy.,Anthropological Service, S.A.B.A.P.-RM-MET, S.A.B.A.P.-LAZ, Rome, Italy
| | - Alfredo Coppa
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Antonio ML, Gao Z, Moots HM, Lucci M, Candilio F, Sawyer S, Oberreiter V, Calderon D, Devitofranceschi K, Aikens RC, Aneli S, Bartoli F, Bedini A, Cheronet O, Cotter DJ, Fernandes DM, Gasperetti G, Grifoni R, Guidi A, La Pastina F, Loreti E, Manacorda D, Matullo G, Morretta S, Nava A, Fiocchi Nicolai V, Nomi F, Pavolini C, Pentiricci M, Pergola P, Piranomonte M, Schmidt R, Spinola G, Sperduti A, Rubini M, Bondioli L, Coppa A, Pinhasi R, Pritchard JK. Ancient Rome: A genetic crossroads of Europe and the Mediterranean. Science 2020; 366:708-714. [PMID: 31699931 DOI: 10.1126/science.aay6826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Ancient Rome was the capital of an empire of ~70 million inhabitants, but little is known about the genetics of ancient Romans. Here we present 127 genomes from 29 archaeological sites in and around Rome, spanning the past 12,000 years. We observe two major prehistoric ancestry transitions: one with the introduction of farming and another prior to the Iron Age. By the founding of Rome, the genetic composition of the region approximated that of modern Mediterranean populations. During the Imperial period, Rome's population received net immigration from the Near East, followed by an increase in genetic contributions from Europe. These ancestry shifts mirrored the geopolitical affiliations of Rome and were accompanied by marked interindividual diversity, reflecting gene flow from across the Mediterranean, Europe, and North Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret L Antonio
- Program in Biomedical Informatics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Ziyue Gao
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Hannah M Moots
- Stanford University, Department of Anthropology, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Michaela Lucci
- DANTE Laboratory for the study of Diet and Ancient Technology, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Candilio
- School of Archaeology, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.,Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Susanna Sawyer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Victoria Oberreiter
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Diego Calderon
- Program in Biomedical Informatics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Rachael C Aikens
- Program in Biomedical Informatics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Serena Aneli
- Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Università di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Fulvio Bartoli
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Alessandro Bedini
- Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali (retired), Rome, Italy
| | - Olivia Cheronet
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniel J Cotter
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Daniel M Fernandes
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,CIAS, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Gabriella Gasperetti
- Soprintendenza Archeologia, belle arti e paesaggio per le province di Sassari e Nuoro, Sassari, Italy
| | - Renata Grifoni
- Dipartimento di Civiltà e Forme del Sapere, Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Alessandro Guidi
- Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici, Università degli Studi di Roma Tre, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Ersilia Loreti
- Curatore beni culturali presso la Sovrintendenza Capitolina, Rome, Italy
| | - Daniele Manacorda
- Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici Università degli Studi di Roma Tre, Rome, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Matullo
- Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Università di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Simona Morretta
- Soprintendenza Speciale Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessia Nava
- DANTE Laboratory for the study of Diet and Ancient Technology, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy.,Servizio di Bioarcheologia, Museo delle Civiltà, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Federico Nomi
- Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici, Università degli Studi di Roma Tre, Rome, Italy
| | - Carlo Pavolini
- Università della Tuscia, DISUCOM Dipartimento di Scienze Umanistiche, della Comunicazione e del Turismo, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Massimo Pentiricci
- Curatore beni culturali presso la Sovrintendenza Capitolina, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Marina Piranomonte
- Soprintendenza speciale Archeologia Belle arti e paesaggio di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Alessandra Sperduti
- Servizio di Bioarcheologia, Museo delle Civiltà, Rome, Italy.,Dipartimento di Archeologia, Università di Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Mauro Rubini
- SABAP-LAZ Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali, Rome, Italy.,Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Luca Bondioli
- Servizio di Bioarcheologia, Museo delle Civiltà, Rome, Italy
| | - Alfredo Coppa
- Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy.
| | - Ron Pinhasi
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Jonathan K Pritchard
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. .,Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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