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Zink A, Maixner F, Jäger HY, Szikossy I, Pálfi G, Pap I. Tuberculosis in mummies - New findings, perspectives and limitations. Tuberculosis (Edinb) 2023; 143S:102371. [PMID: 38012931 DOI: 10.1016/j.tube.2023.102371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
The molecular analysis of ancient pathogen DNA represents a unique opportunity for the study of infectious diseases in ancient human remains. Among other diseases, paleogenetic studies have been successful in detecting tuberculous DNA in ancient human remains. In the beginning of ancient DNA (aDNA) studies, the presence of tuberculosis (TB) DNA was assessed using a PCR-based assay targeting specific regions of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) complex, such as the repetitive element IS6110. The advent of high-throughput sequencing has enabled the reconstruction of full ancient TB genomes in the field of paleomicrobiology. However, despite the numerous paleopathological and PCR-based studies on the presence of tuberculosis in historic human remains, full genome wide reconstructions are still limited to well-preserved specimens with low environmental contamination and connected with extensive screening efforts. This has led to some controversies regarding the evolutionary history of its causative agent Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In this context, mummies have been shown to be a good source for the detection of MTB complex DNA due to a low exposure to environmental influences and the overall good state of preservation of hard and soft tissues in the human remains. Here, we present the major findings on the presence of TB infections in the 18th century naturally mummified human remains from Vác, Hungary and the current status of the detection of MTB complex DNA in mummified human remains. The future perspectives of detecting tuberculosis in mummies will be discussed in the light of methodological aspects, as well as ethical and curational challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert Zink
- Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy.
| | - Frank Maixner
- Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy
| | | | - Ildikó Szikossy
- Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary
| | - György Pálfi
- Department of Biological Anthropology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Ildikó Pap
- Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Biological Anthropology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary; Department of Biological Anthropology, Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
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Hernigou P, Hosni G, Scarlat MM. Mummies are alive within International Orthopaedics: Ramses II speaks with SICOT surgeons about orthopaedics in ancient Egypt and today. Int Orthop 2023; 47:2631-2636. [PMID: 37870620 DOI: 10.1007/s00264-023-06004-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Gamal Hosni
- Orthopedic Department, Benha University, Faculty of Medicine, Banha, Qalyubia, 13511, Egypt
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3
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Storz JF, Liphardt S, Quiroga-Carmona M, Bautista NM, Opazo JC, Wheeler TB, D'Elía G, Good JM. Genomic insights into the mystery of mouse mummies on the summits of Atacama volcanoes. Curr Biol 2023; 33:R1040-R1042. [PMID: 37875074 PMCID: PMC10652914 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.08.081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
Our understanding of the limits of animal life is continually revised by scientific exploration of extreme environments. Here we report the discovery of mummified cadavers of leaf-eared mice, Phyllotis vaccarum, from the summits of three different Andean volcanoes at elevations 6,029-6,233 m above sea level in the Puna de Atacama in Chile and Argentina. Such extreme elevations were previously assumed to be completely uninhabitable by mammals. In combination with a live-captured specimen of the same species from the nearby summit of Volcán Llullaillaco (6,739 m)1, the summit mummies represent the highest altitude physical records of mammals in the world. We also report a chromosome-level genome assembly for P. vaccarum that, in combination with a whole-genome re-sequencing analysis and radiocarbon dating analysis, provides insights into the provenance and antiquity of the summit mice. Radiocarbon data indicate that the most ancient of the mummies are, at most, a few centuries old. Genomic polymorphism data revealed a high degree of continuity between the summit mice and conspecifics from lower elevations in the surrounding Altiplano. Genomic data also revealed equal numbers of males and females among the summit mice and evidence of close kinship between some individuals from the same summits. These findings bolster evidence for resident populations of Phyllotis at elevations >6,000 m and challenge assumptions about the environmental limits of vertebrate life and the physiological tolerances of small mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay F Storz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA.
| | - Schuyler Liphardt
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Marcial Quiroga-Carmona
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA; Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, 5090000, Chile
| | - Naim M Bautista
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Juan C Opazo
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, 5090000, Chile; Millennium Nucleus of Ion Channels-Associated Diseases (MiNICAD), Valdivia, Chile; Facultad de Medicina y Ciencia, Universidad San Sebastián, Valdivia, 5090000, Chile
| | - Timothy B Wheeler
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Guillermo D'Elía
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, 5090000, Chile
| | - Jeffrey M Good
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
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Fearon S. At mummy's feet: A Black motherwork approach to arts-informed inquiry. Can Rev Sociol 2023; 60:326-331. [PMID: 37017199 DOI: 10.1111/cars.12434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
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5
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Bianucci R, Galassi FM, Donell ST, Nerlich AG. Goitre in a Fayum mummy portrait from Roman Egypt (120-140 CE). J Endocrinol Invest 2023; 46:1041-1042. [PMID: 36217072 DOI: 10.1007/s40618-022-01934-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/01/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- R Bianucci
- Dipartimento di Culture e Società, Università di Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
- The Ronin Institute, Montclair, NJ, USA.
| | - F M Galassi
- Archaeology, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - S T Donell
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - A G Nerlich
- Institute of Pathology, Academic Clinic Bogenhausen, Munich, Germany
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de Gier C, Jungbauer A, Hahnraths MTH, Schouten C, Willeboordse M, Hahnraths MTH, van Schayck CPO. ["Mummy, can I join a sports club?" a qualitative study on the impact of health-promoting schools on health behaviours in the home setting]. Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd 2023; 167. [PMID: 36928038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE/DESIGN Information regarding school-based health-promoting interventions' potential effects in the home environment is scarce. Gaining more insight into this is vital to optimise interventions' potential. The Healthy Primary School of the Future (HPSF) is a Dutch initiative aiming to improve children's health and well-being by providing daily physical activity sessions and healthy school lunches. This qualitative study examines if and how HPSF influenced children's and parents' physical activity and dietary behaviours at home. METHOD In 2018-2019, 27 semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents from two HPSF schools. Interviews were recorded and transcribed, and data were coded and interpreted through thematic analysis. RESULTS HPSF resulted in various behavioural changes at home, initiated by both children and parents. Parents reported improvements in healthy behaviours, as well as compensatory, unhealthy behaviours. Reasons for behavioural change included increased awareness, perceived support to adopt healthy behaviours, and children asking for the same healthy products at home. Barriers to change included no perceived necessity for change, lack of HPSF-related information provision, and time and financial constraints. CONCLUSION Both child-to-adult intergenerational learning and parent-initiated changes play an important role in the transfer of health behaviours from school to home and are therefore key mechanisms to maximise school-based health-promoting interventions' impact.
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De Cupere B, Van Neer W, Barba Colmenero V, Jiménez Serrano A. Newly discovered crocodile mummies of variable quality from an undisturbed tomb at Qubbat al-Hawā (Aswan, Egypt). PLoS One 2023; 18:e0279137. [PMID: 36652670 PMCID: PMC9848469 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
A description is provided of the crocodile remains that were found during an excavation carried out in 2019 at Qubbat al-Hawā (Aswan, Egypt). The material consists of five more or less complete bodies and five heads that were in varying states of preservation and completeness. The absence of resin, which was apparently not used during the preparation of the mummies, and the almost complete loss of linen bandages, due to insect damage, allowed a detailed morphological and osteometric description of the remains. Attention was focused on the general state of preservation of the crocodiles, the completeness of their skeletons and skulls, the presence of cut or other marks that could indicate the cause of death, and the processing of the carcasses. Moreover, the possible provenance of the crocodiles, the methods of capture and killing of the animals and their possible chronological attribution are discussed. It is concluded that the manner in which these specimens were prepared, as well as the variation observed in the type of 'final product', are unlike any other crocodile material described so far. The preparation method suggests a pre-Ptolemaic date for the deposit. The morphological and metrical features indicate that both Crocodylus niloticus and the recently resurrected species Crocodylus suchus are present among these individuals that range from 1.8 to 3.5 m in length.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bea De Cupere
- Operational Directorate Earth and History of Life, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium
- * E-mail:
| | - Wim Van Neer
- Operational Directorate Earth and History of Life, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium
- Laboratory of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Genomics, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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8
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Robinson A. Mummies, myths, and medicine in ancient Egypt. Lancet 2022; 400:1920-1921. [PMID: 36463900 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(22)02416-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
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9
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Farahat RA, Shah J, Abdelaal A. Current monkeypox outbreak: lessons from ancient history in Egyptian mummies? Lancet Microbe 2022; 3:e899. [PMID: 36027919 PMCID: PMC9629010 DOI: 10.1016/s2666-5247(22)00219-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jaffer Shah
- New York State Department of Health, New York, NY 10013, USA.
| | - Abdelaziz Abdelaal
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Boston University, Boston, MA, USA; Tanta University Hospitals, Tanta, Egypt
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Saied AA, Metwally AA, Aiash H. Paleovirology of monkeypox virus: Egyptian animal mummies should be in focus. Lancet Microbe 2022; 3:e900. [PMID: 36306817 PMCID: PMC9597905 DOI: 10.1016/s2666-5247(22)00298-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- AbdulRahman A Saied
- National Food Safety Authority, Aswan Branch, Aswan, Egypt; Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Aswan Office, Aswan 81511, Egypt.
| | - Asmaa A Metwally
- Department of Surgery, Anesthesiology, and Radiology, Aswan University, Aswan, Egypt
| | - Hani Aiash
- Department of Family Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt; Department of Cardiovascular Perfusion, Department of Medicine, and Department of Surgery, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA
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11
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Drumheller SK, Boyd CA, Barnes BMS, Householder ML. Biostratinomic alterations of an Edmontosaurus "mummy" reveal a pathway for soft tissue preservation without invoking "exceptional conditions". PLoS One 2022; 17:e0275240. [PMID: 36223345 PMCID: PMC9555629 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Removal or protection from biostratinomic agents of decomposition, such as predators and scavengers, is widely seen as a requirement for high-quality preservation of soft tissues in the fossil record. In this context, extremely rapid burial is an oft-cited mechanism for shielding remains from degradation, but not all fossils fit nicely into this paradigm. Dinosaurian mummies in particular seemingly require two mutually exclusive taphonomic processes to preserve under that framework: desiccation and rapid burial. Here we present a recently prepared Edmontosaurus mummy that reveals an alternate fossilization pathway for resistant soft tissues (e.g., skin and nails). While the skin on this specimen is well-preserved in three dimensions and contains biomarkers, it is deflated and marked by the first documented examples of injuries consistent with carnivore activity on dinosaurian soft tissue during the perimortem interval. Incomplete scavenging of the carcass provided a route for the gases, fluids, and microbes associated with decomposition to escape, allowing more durable soft tissues to persist through the weeks to months required for desiccation prior to entombment and fossilization. This pathway is consistent with actualistic observations and explains why dinosaurian skin, while rare, is more commonly preserved than expected if extreme circumstances were required for its preservation. More broadly, our assumptions guide specimen collection and research, and the presence of soft tissues and biomolecules in fossils that demonstrably were not rapidly buried, such as this mummy, suggests that such types of evidence may be substantially more common than previously assumed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie K. Drumheller
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee–Knoxville, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America
- * E-mail: (SKD); (CAB)
| | - Clint A. Boyd
- Fossil Resource Management Program, North Dakota Geological Survey, Bismarck, North Dakota, United States of America
- * E-mail: (SKD); (CAB)
| | - Becky M. S. Barnes
- Fossil Resource Management Program, North Dakota Geological Survey, Bismarck, North Dakota, United States of America
| | - Mindy L. Householder
- State Historical Society of North Dakota, Bismarck, North Dakota, United States of America
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Massingham S, Power RK. Interventive dental therapy in Ancient Egypt (ca. 2686 BCE - AD 323): A critical review. Int J Paleopathol 2022; 38:64-75. [PMID: 35816771 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2022.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This paper critically reviews the history of research concerning ancient Egyptian interventive dental therapy between the Old Kingdom - Graeco-Roman Period (c. 2686 BCE-AD 323), concentrating on the published osteological evidence. MATERIALS Eight osteological examples reportedly exhibiting markers of interventive dental therapy, including a mandible presenting purported evidence for a drilling procedure for the relief of an abscess; four dental bridges; a maxilla with multiple teeth extracted; and two carious lesion fillings. METHODS Previous claims are critically reviewed using a qualitative research method involving collecting and critiquing published data, both primary evidence and relevant secondary literature. CONCLUSIONS Without further scientific analysis, only four specimens can currently be plausibly attributed to ancient Egyptian interventive dental therapy including the Tura el-Asmant Bridge, the enucleation described for a Graeco-Roman child, and two carious lesion fillings identified in the mummified individuals known as the 'Redpath Mummy' (RM2718) and 'Sekhem' (AIG3343). SIGNIFICANCE Several enduring historiographical and museological problems within the discourse are identified, revising our understanding of the nature and scope of ancient Egyptian interventive dental therapy based on currently known osteological evidence. LIMITATIONS This review relies on the published documentation for each osteological example, namely images, which in several cases are poor quality. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH There is significant opportunity for further scientific analysis of the osteological evidence discussed. In each case, specific potential methods to improve our understanding and interpretation have been identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Massingham
- Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
| | - Ronika K Power
- Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
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Saldías E, Valdebenito G, Zamora L, Bastías B, Flores C, Vila B, Vinueza D, Tornero C, Malgosa A, Becker E. Multidisciplinary analysis of a mummy from the War of the Pacific. Anthropol Anz 2022; 79:451-465. [PMID: 35734848 DOI: 10.1127/anthranz/2022/1543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Revised: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The War of the Pacific (1879-1884) was a big scale war between Chile against the alliance of Peru and Bolivia. One of the most important battles, the "Batalla del Campo de la Alianza" was situated in the desert near Tacna, Peru. The conditions of this environment favored the conservation of the dead soldiers after many years. Decades ago, the Natural History Museum of Concepción in Chile, received a naturally mummified individual of a probably Chilean soldier as a donation; its uncertain context was never studied nor confirmed. Considering this, our investigation analyzed this body under exploratory methods, ballistic analysis, archaeological contrast, 14C radiocarbon dating, ancient DNA, and isotopic analysis to reconstruct the biological profile of this mummy. The results indicated that the mummy belongs to an adult man between 33-39 years of age (> 1.50 m) and has a perimortem wound in the left flank of the abdomen. CT scan and X-rays revealed the presence of a bullet (Comblain II or Gras) hosted near the L2 vertebra. It is possible that the individual died of bleeding from a gunshot wound done by a long-distance firearm projectile from an inferior level, whose trajectory was from left to right, with slight inclination towards the top, and without a projectile exit. Other analyses confirmed the historical context and suggests the Chilean origin of the mummy. Despite the passage of time and other factors, it was possible to reconstruct the death of this individual thanks to technology and approaches from different disciplines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Saldías
- Departamento de Antropología. Universidad de Chile. Ignacio Carrera Pinto 1045, 6850331, Ñuñoa, Chile
- Museo de Historia Natural de Concepción. 4030000, Concepción, Chile
| | | | - Luis Zamora
- Laboratorio de Criminalística de Carabineros de Chile. 8320000. Santiago, Chile
| | - Bruno Bastías
- Laboratorio de Criminalística de Carabineros de Chile. 8320000. Santiago, Chile
| | - Cristian Flores
- Laboratorio de Criminalística de Carabineros de Chile. 8320000. Santiago, Chile
| | - Bernardo Vila
- Sanisera Archaeology Institute. Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Diana Vinueza
- Unitat d'Antropologia, Departament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carlos Tornero
- Departament de Prehistòria. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Assumpció Malgosa
- Unitat d'Antropologia, Departament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Eduardo Becker
- Museo de Historia Natural de Concepción. 4030000, Concepción, Chile
- Facultad de Ciencias para el Cuidado de la Salud. Universidad San Sebastian. 4080871. Concepción, Chile
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Marković M, Mezzatesta E, Porcier S, Vieillescazes C, Mathe C. Rethinking the Process of Animal Mummification in Ancient Egypt: Molecular Characterization of Embalming Material and the Use of Brassicaceae Seed Oil in the Mummification of Gazelle Mummies from Kom Mereh, Egypt. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27051532. [PMID: 35268632 PMCID: PMC8912108 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27051532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Revised: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The study of animal mummification in ancient Egypt has recently received increasing attention from a number of modern scholars given the fact that this part of ancient Egyptian funerary and religious history is a practice yet to be fully understood. In this study, nine samples of embalming matter were extracted from six gazelle mummies from the archaeological site of Kom Mereh (modern village of Komir), dated to the Roman period of dominance in ancient Egypt. All samples were analyzed for the presence of inorganic and organic matter applying a multi-analytical approach based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Furthermore, in order to identify more specific compounds such as bitumen and beeswax in studied balms, each sample was subjected to a solid phase extraction (SPE) and saponification separation process, respectively. The results of this study revealed that the majority of the analyzed embalming substances sampled from six gazelle mummies from Kom Mereh were complex mixtures of plant oils, animal fats, conifer resin, and beeswax. In this regard, this study was able to report a practice until now unmentioned in the scientific literature, namely, the use of cruciferous oil, derived from seeds of Brassicaceae plants, in animal mummification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milan Marković
- IMBE UMR 7263, IRD237, Avignon University/CNRS/IRD/Aix-Marseille University, Restoration Engineering of Natural and Cultural Heritage, Faculty of Sciences, Campus Jean-Henri Fabre, 301 rue Baruch de Spinoza BP 21239, CEDEX 9, 84916 Avignon, France; (E.M.); (C.V.)
- Correspondence: (M.M.); (C.M.); Tel.: +33-490-144-454 (C.M.)
| | - Elodie Mezzatesta
- IMBE UMR 7263, IRD237, Avignon University/CNRS/IRD/Aix-Marseille University, Restoration Engineering of Natural and Cultural Heritage, Faculty of Sciences, Campus Jean-Henri Fabre, 301 rue Baruch de Spinoza BP 21239, CEDEX 9, 84916 Avignon, France; (E.M.); (C.V.)
| | - Stéphanie Porcier
- ASM, Archéologie des Sociétés Méditerranéennes, UMR5140, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Universités Paul Valéry, MCC (Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication), INRAP (Institut National de Recherches en Archéologie Préventive), CEDEX 5, F-34090 Montpellier, France;
| | - Cathy Vieillescazes
- IMBE UMR 7263, IRD237, Avignon University/CNRS/IRD/Aix-Marseille University, Restoration Engineering of Natural and Cultural Heritage, Faculty of Sciences, Campus Jean-Henri Fabre, 301 rue Baruch de Spinoza BP 21239, CEDEX 9, 84916 Avignon, France; (E.M.); (C.V.)
| | - Carole Mathe
- IMBE UMR 7263, IRD237, Avignon University/CNRS/IRD/Aix-Marseille University, Restoration Engineering of Natural and Cultural Heritage, Faculty of Sciences, Campus Jean-Henri Fabre, 301 rue Baruch de Spinoza BP 21239, CEDEX 9, 84916 Avignon, France; (E.M.); (C.V.)
- Correspondence: (M.M.); (C.M.); Tel.: +33-490-144-454 (C.M.)
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Moissidou D, Derricott H, Kamel G. Mummified embalmed head skin: SR-FTIR microspectroscopic exploration. Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2021; 261:120073. [PMID: 34147735 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2021.120073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 06/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This case report details the examination of the skin of an Egyptian mummified head with a possible skin disorder. The head, thought to be dated in the first half of the 18th Dynasty, New Kingdom (1570-1400 BCE) belongs to the Museum of Forensic Anthropology, University of Madrid. Initial histological examination demonstrated evidence of chronic inflammation, which was confirmed by immunohistochemistry and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). However, confirmation of pathology could be confounded by both the age of the specimen and the process of preservation by mummification. In this case report, Synchrotron Radiation Fourier Transform Microspectroscopy (SR-µFTIR) was used to add novel insights into embalmed mummified tissue. More precisely, FTIR is used for the first time on the specific specimens, while no other similar studies have been performed on these samples priorly. Additionally, modern skin tissue was examined too, in order to compare the amount of degradation to the mummified one. Whilst the FTIR results confirmed the results from the initial histological study, they also showed a biochemical modification of the mummified skin that could be indicative of tissue degradation. The latter was supported by comparing it to FTIR results of the modern tissue used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Despina Moissidou
- Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, Malta Campus, Malta
| | - Hayley Derricott
- Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, Malta Campus, Malta
| | - Gihan Kamel
- SESAME (Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East), Allan, Jordan; Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt.
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Andrey Vladimirovich S, Vladimir Nikolaevich N, Ivan Nikolaevich C, Natalya Viktorovna C, Maria Davidovna S, Anastasia Sergeevna K. Ivan Sokolov and his post-mortem studies of the "Hairy Woman" Julia Pastrana and her son. Endeavour 2021; 45:100780. [PMID: 34364062 DOI: 10.1016/j.endeavour.2021.100780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In this article we document the role of Ivan Matveevich Sokolov, anatomy professor at Moscow University, in the mummification of Julia Pastrana, born in Mexico (afterwards an American citizen by marriage), and her son. Sokolov had investigated and described the corpse of this famous "hairy woman" as an example of a congenital anomaly of the genus Homo. Due to the art of Sokolov's embalming, the mummies of Julia and her son were presented to the scientific world, which made it possible to study similar cases of deformity in the human population. However, the historical role of Sokolov was not limited to his study of a congenital disease. His thorough postmortem examination and description of Pastrana's and her son's bodies allowed Sokolov to make an indirect contribution to evolutionary thought. Sokolov's confirmation that Pastrana belonged to the genus Homo refuted all speculation about her hybrid origins and status as a missing link in the evolution of apes into humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suslov Andrey Vladimirovich
- Department of Human Anatomy, Federal Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education "The First Moscow State Medical University I. M. Sechenov" Ministry of Health of Russia (Sechenovsky University), Moscow, Russia.
| | - Nikolenko Vladimir Nikolaevich
- Department of Human Anatomy, Federal Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education "The First Moscow State Medical University I. M. Sechenov" Ministry of Health of Russia (Sechenovsky University), Moscow, Russia.
| | - Chairkin Ivan Nikolaevich
- Department of Human Anatomy, Federal Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education "The First Moscow State Medical University I. M. Sechenov" Ministry of Health of Russia (Sechenovsky University), Moscow, Russia.
| | - Chairkina Natalya Viktorovna
- Department of Human Anatomy, Federal Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education "The First Moscow State Medical University I. M. Sechenov" Ministry of Health of Russia (Sechenovsky University), Moscow, Russia.
| | - Shepetovskaya Maria Davidovna
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Federal Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education "The First Moscow State Medical University I. M. Sechenov" Ministry of Health of Russia (Sechenovsky University), Moscow, Russia.
| | - Kozhemiako Anastasia Sergeevna
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Federal Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education "The First Moscow State Medical University I. M. Sechenov" Ministry of Health of Russia (Sechenovsky University), Moscow, Russia.
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Delgado-Darias T, Alberto-Barroso V, Velasco-Vázquez J. Oral conditions of the pre-Hispanic mummies of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain). Int J Paleopathol 2021; 34:155-162. [PMID: 34271409 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2021.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To analyse the oral conditions of pre-Hispanic mummies from Gran Canaria (5th-11th centuries AD), comparing the results with published data from the non-mummified population. MATERIALS 440 teeth and 764 alveoli of 30 adult mummies. METHODS Macroscopic examination of pathological and non-pathological features of the oral cavity, using standardized criteria. RESULTS The mummies reveal frequent dental caries (11.8%), especially affecting molars (27.6%), a high prevalence of calculus (66.3%) and periodontal disease (34.9%). The average wear is characterized by extensive dentine exposure. Periapical lesions (10.6%) and antemortem tooth loss (AMTL) (15.9%) are common. A high percentage of individuals exhibit linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) (84%). Except for periodontitis, the data indicate the absence of significant statistical differences between the mummies and the skeletonized sample. CONCLUSIONS The profile of the dental pathologies of the mummies indicates a carbohydrate-rich diet that contained abrasive grit from the stone querns used to grind cereals. Comparison of the oral conditions of mummified and skeletonized remains shows no differences in access to food resources, reinforcing the recent rejection of the traditional interpretation of the mummies as the pre-eminent status group of Canarian society. SIGNIFICANCE This is the first study to delve into the oral conditions of pre-Hispanic mummified remains from Gran Canaria. The results have implications for the framing of research questions based on the social status of these mummies. LIMITATION The preserved sample of mummified remains of ancient Canarians is small. SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER RESEARCH Comparative analysis from a diachronic perspective would improve understanding of the historical development of ancient Canarians.
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Nerlich AG, Egarter Vigl E, Fleckinger A, Tauber M, Peschel O. [The Iceman : Life scenarios and pathological findings from 30 years of research on the glacier mummy "Ötzi"]. Pathologe 2021; 42:530-539. [PMID: 34240239 DOI: 10.1007/s00292-021-00961-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The comprehensive investigation of the excellently preserved mummy of Ötzi, the Iceman, and his equipment over the last 30 years has provided a wealth of information about the life and disease of this late Neolithic individual. This research has indicated that his origin was from a local southern Alpine population, that he grew up in the valleys of the Southern Alps, and that he had considerable local mobility. He had well-balanced nutrition with a mixed vegetable and animal diet. He was very mobile in the alpine terrain and of athletic constitution. The Iceman suffered from mild to moderate degenerative joint disease primarily of the right hip joint, slight spondylosis of the cervical and lumbar spine, a minor focal (premature) arteriosclerosis, lung anthracosis and possibly silicosis, previous pleuritic inflammation (possibly of post-specific origin), intestinal infections of the stomach by Helicobacter pylori and Trichuris trichiura worm infestation in the intestines, a mild osteomalacia of cancellous bone, and diverse pathologies of his teeth with dental caries and periodontitis, as well as hair anomalies. The presence of borreliosis is still under debate. As potential remedies, the Iceman carried some anthelmintic substances with him: a birch polypore and an anthelmintic fern. The numerous tattoos may also have had therapeutic effects. Finally, the last days of Ötzi could be reconstructed quite precisely: his gastrointestinal content indicates that the Iceman moved from Alpine heights to a lower location and then again up to the glacier region where he died. During this journey he encountered two attacks: the first, several days before his death, lead to a stabbing wound in his right hand; the second was an arrow hit that wounded the Iceman lethally at his left axilla by laceration of the subclavian artery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas G Nerlich
- Institut für Pathologie, Klinikum Bogenhausen, München Klinik gGmbH, Englschalkingerstr. 77, 81925, München, Deutschland.
| | | | | | - Martina Tauber
- Betrieblicher Dienst für Pathologische Anatomie, Südtiroler Sanitätsbetrieb, Bozen, Italien
| | - Oliver Peschel
- Institut für Rechtsmedizin, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, München, Deutschland
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Rossi C, Ruß-Popa G, Mattiangeli V, McDaid F, Hare AJ, Davoudi H, Laleh H, Lorzadeh Z, Khazaeli R, Fathi H, Teasdale MD, A'ali A, Stöllner T, Mashkour M, Daly KG. Exceptional ancient DNA preservation and fibre remains of a Sasanian saltmine sheep mummy in Chehrābād, Iran. Biol Lett 2021; 17:20210222. [PMID: 34256582 PMCID: PMC8278039 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Mummified remains have long attracted interest as a potential source of ancient DNA. However, mummification is a rare process that requires an anhydrous environment to rapidly dehydrate and preserve tissue before complete decomposition occurs. We present the whole-genome sequences (3.94 X) of an approximately 1600-year-old naturally mummified sheep recovered from Chehrābād, a salt mine in northwestern Iran. Comparative analyses of published ancient sequences revealed the remarkable DNA integrity of this mummy. Hallmarks of postmortem damage, fragmentation and hydrolytic deamination are substantially reduced, likely owing to the high salinity of this taphonomic environment. Metagenomic analyses reflect the profound influence of high-salt content on decomposition; its microbial profile is predominated by halophilic archaea and bacteria, possibly contributing to the remarkable preservation of the sample. Applying population genomic analyses, we find clustering of this sheep with Southwest Asian modern breeds, suggesting ancestry continuity. Genotyping of a locus influencing the woolly phenotype showed the presence of an ancestral 'hairy' allele, consistent with hair fibre imaging. This, along with derived alleles associated with the fat-tail phenotype, provides genetic evidence that Sasanian-period Iranians maintained specialized sheep flocks for different uses, with the 'hairy', 'fat-tailed'-genotyped sheep likely kept by the rural community of Chehrābād's miners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conor Rossi
- Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, D02 VF25, Ireland
| | - Gabriela Ruß-Popa
- Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austrian Archaeological Institute, Archaeological Sciences, Hollandstraße 11-13, 1020 Vienna, Austria
| | - Valeria Mattiangeli
- Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, D02 VF25, Ireland
| | - Fionnuala McDaid
- Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, D02 VF25, Ireland
| | - Andrew J. Hare
- Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, D02 VF25, Ireland
| | - Hossein Davoudi
- Central Laboratory, Bioarchaeology Laboratory, University of Tehran, 1417634934 Tehran, Iran
| | - Haeedeh Laleh
- Central Laboratory, Bioarchaeology Laboratory, University of Tehran, 1417634934 Tehran, Iran
- Faculty of Humanities, Department of Archaeology, University of Tehran, 1417935840 Tehran, Iran
| | - Zahra Lorzadeh
- Central Laboratory, Bioarchaeology Laboratory, University of Tehran, 1417634934 Tehran, Iran
| | - Roya Khazaeli
- Central Laboratory, Bioarchaeology Laboratory, University of Tehran, 1417634934 Tehran, Iran
| | - Homa Fathi
- Central Laboratory, Bioarchaeology Laboratory, University of Tehran, 1417634934 Tehran, Iran
| | - Matthew D. Teasdale
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Dept. of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3ER, UK
| | - Abolfazl A'ali
- Zanjan Cultural Heritage Centre, Archaeological Museum of Zanjan, Emaarate Zolfaghari, Taleghani St., Zanjan, Iran
| | - Thomas Stöllner
- Research Department, Haus der Archäologien, Ruhr University Bochum, Institute for Archaeological Studies and Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum, Am Bergbaumuseum 31, D-44791 Bochum, Germany
| | - Marjan Mashkour
- Central Laboratory, Bioarchaeology Laboratory, University of Tehran, 1417634934 Tehran, Iran
- Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique, Sociétés, Pratiques et Environnements (AASPE), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, CP 56, 55 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Kevin G. Daly
- Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, D02 VF25, Ireland
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Lebedev AT, Polyakova OV, Artaev VB, Mednikova MB, Anokhina EA. Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry with complementary ionization methods in the study of 5000-year-old mummy. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom 2021; 35:e9058. [PMID: 33496359 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.9058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2020] [Revised: 01/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Mummification is one of the defining customs of ancient Egypt. The nuances of the embalming procedure and the composition of the embalming mixtures have attracted the attention of scientists and laypeople for a long time. Modern analytical tools make mummy studies more efficient. METHODS Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (GCxGC/HRMS) with complementary ionization methods (electron ionization, positive chemical ionization, and electron capture negative ionization [ECNI]) with a Pegasus GC-HRT+4D instrument was used to identify embalming components in the mummy from the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts acquired in 1913 in London at the de Rustafjaell sale. The mummy dates back to the late Predynastic period (direct accelerator mass spectrometry-dating 3356-3098 bc), being one of the oldest in the world. RESULTS The results showed the complexity of the embalming mixtures that were already in use 5000 years ago. Several hundred organic compounds were identified in the mummy samples. Various types of hydrocarbons (triterpanes, steranes, isoprenoid, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) prove the presence of petroleum products. Iodinated compounds detected using ECNI define oils of marine origin, whereas esters of palmitic acid indicate the use of beeswax. The nature of the discovered components of conifer tar proves that the preliminary processing of conifer resins involved heating. GCxGC/HRMS also allowed a number of modern contaminants (phthalates, organophosphates, and even DDT) to be identified. CONCLUSIONS Application of a powerful GCxGC/HRMS technique with complementary ionization methods allowed significant widening of the range of organic compounds used for mummification that could be identified. The complexity of the embalming mixtures supports the hypothesis of the high social status of the child made on the basis of the preliminary study of the mummy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert T Lebedev
- Organic Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Olga V Polyakova
- Organic Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Maria B Mednikova
- Department of Theory and Methods, Institute of Archaeology RAS, Moscow, Russia
| | - Eugenia A Anokhina
- Department of the Ancient Orient, The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow, Russia
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Sowada K, Power RK, Jacobsen G, Murphy T, McClymont A, Bertuch F, Jenkinson A, Carruthers J, Magnussen J. Multidisciplinary discovery of ancient restoration using a rare mud carapace on a mummified individual from late New Kingdom Egypt. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0245247. [PMID: 33534798 PMCID: PMC7857556 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
CT scans of an unnamed mummified adult from Egypt, now in the Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney (NMR.27.3), reveal it to be fully sheathed in a mud shell or carapace, exposing a mortuary treatment not previously documented in the Egyptian archaeological record. The carapace was placed between layers of linen wrappings thus it was not externally visible. Radiocarbon dating of textile samples provide a range of c.1370-1113 cal BC (95.4% probability), with a median date of 1207 cal BC. When assessed against mummification techniques of the era, the individual is placed in the late 19th-20th Dynasty, at the later end of this date range. Multi-proxy analysis including μ-XRF and Raman spectroscopy of carapace fragments from the head area revealed it to consist of three layers, comprising a thin base layer of mud, coated with a white calcite-based pigment and a red-painted surface of mixed composition. Whether the whole surface of the carapace was painted red is unknown. The carapace was a form of ancient conservation applied subsequent to post-mortem damage to the body, intended to reconfigure the body and enable continued existence of the deceased in the afterlife. The carapace can also be interpreted as a form of elite emulation imitating resin shells found within the wrappings of royal bodies from this period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin Sowada
- Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- * E-mail:
| | - Ronika K. Power
- Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Geraldine Jacobsen
- Centre for Accelerator Science, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Timothy Murphy
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Alice McClymont
- Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Fiona Bertuch
- Centre for Accelerator Science, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Andrew Jenkinson
- Centre for Accelerator Science, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Jacinta Carruthers
- Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - John Magnussen
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel G. Breman
- Address correspondence to Joel G. Breman, Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, 16 Center Dr., Bethesda, MD 20892. E-mail:
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Marinozzi S, Messineo D, Gazzaniga V, Iorio S. Public hygiene and funeral rituals during the Risorgimento: mummies and ashes. Med Humanit 2020; 46:492-498. [PMID: 32054772 DOI: 10.1136/medhum-2019-011721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Starting in 1865, regulations pursuant to public hygiene issued by the Unitary Government provided for administrative and political control of the funerary practice. Specifically, they regulated the management of cemeteries and the burials, increasingly drawing the funeral rituals from the control of the Church and of Catholicism, therefore secularising death for the construction of a new political religion. Hygiene became fundamental in order to promulgate cremation as a system of preserving the integrity of the bodies, preserving the ashes as a tangible and indestructible product of body matter and as a measure to protect public health by eliminating the risk of miasmatic pollution of the air caused by the cadaveric fumes. In the early 1870s, the practice of cremation began to spread, especially in the territories of Lombardy-Veneto and Savoy, as an expression of the progressive policies of the new Italian state, antagonistic to the old Catholic religious traditions. This paper intends to highlight the key aspects of the political significance that the cremation took on during the Risorgimento period, while also illustrating the methods adopted by important authors from that time period regarding incineration techniques and cremation methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Marinozzi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Roma, Lazio, Italy
| | - Daniela Messineo
- Department of Radiological, Oncological and Anatomopathological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Roma, Lazio, Italy
- Umberto I Policlinico di Roma, Roma, Italy
| | - Valentina Gazzaniga
- Medico-surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Roma, Lazio, Italy
| | - Silvia Iorio
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Roma, Lazio, Italy
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Cockitt J, Lamb A, Metcalfe R. An ideal solution? Optimising pretreatment methods for artificially mummified ancient Egyptian tissues. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom 2020; 34:e8686. [PMID: 31785028 PMCID: PMC7064939 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.8686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Revised: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 11/29/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Although the analysis of skeletal remains dominates the study of ancient dietary stable isotopes, mummified bodies also allow short-term diet to be studied through the analysis of soft tissues. The application of resins, waxes and oils during mummification can affect the results obtained. This study assesses a range of methods for removing such substances from mummified tissue. METHODS An experimental mummification model following ancient Egyptian methods was created using a modern pig leg. Sub-samples of skin, muscle and bone were removed and coated with a range of substances used in Egyptian mummification. Four methods were used to clean these samples before the measurement of the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios of their gelatinised collagen content using a ThermoFinnigan Flash Elemental analyser coupled to a DeltaPlus XL isotope ratio mass spectrometer via a ConFlo III interface. RESULTS The results showed that embalming materials can significantly affect dietary stable isotope ratios, and that these substances are most effectively removed using a mixture of polar and non-polar solvents. Results indicate that bone samples demineralised with HCl and skin samples produce more accurate results than bone samples demineralised with EDTA or muscle samples. CONCLUSIONS The choice of tissue and the preparation methods used can have a significant effect on the accuracy of stable isotope data obtained from mummified tissue, particularly when embalming materials are also present. A mixture of solvents appears to be a more effective cleaning agent than a single solvent. Demineralisation with HCl is preferable for well-preserved bone, as used in this study, but whether this is the case for more fragile, less well-preserved bone requires further study. Skin samples produce more consistent data than muscle, but visually distinguishing between these tissues is not simple on ancient mummies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenefer Cockitt
- KNH Centre for Biomedical EgyptologyUniversity of ManchesterOxford RoadManchesterM13 9PLUK
| | - Angela Lamb
- National Environmental Isotope FacilityBritish Geological SurveyKeyworth, NottinghamNG12 5GGUK
| | - Ryan Metcalfe
- KNH Centre for Biomedical EgyptologyUniversity of ManchesterOxford RoadManchesterM13 9PLUK
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Oras E, Anderson J, Tõrv M, Vahur S, Rammo R, Remmer S, Mölder M, Malve M, Saag L, Saage R, Teearu-Ojakäär A, Peets P, Tambets K, Metspalu M, Lees DC, Barclay MVL, Hall MJR, Ikram S, Piombino-Mascali D. Multidisciplinary investigation of two Egyptian child mummies curated at the University of Tartu Art Museum, Estonia (Late/Graeco-Roman Periods). PLoS One 2020; 15:e0227446. [PMID: 31945091 PMCID: PMC6964855 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Two ancient Egyptian child mummies at the University of Tartu Art Museum (Estonia) were, according to museum records, brought to Estonia by the young Baltic-German scholar Otto Friedrich von Richter, who had travelled in Egypt during the early 19th century. Although some studies of the mummies were conducted, a thorough investigation has never been made. Thus, an interdisciplinary team of experts studied the remains using the most recent analytical methods in order to provide an exhaustive analysis of the remains. The bodies were submitted for osteological and archaeothanatological study, radiological investigation, AMS radiocarbon dating, chemical and textile analyses, 3D modelling, entomological as well as aDNA investigation. Here we synthesize the results of one of the most extensive multidisciplinary analyses of ancient Egyptian child mummies, adding significantly to our knowledge of such examples of ancient funerary practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ester Oras
- Institute of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Institute of History and Archaeology, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- * E-mail:
| | | | - Mari Tõrv
- Institute of History and Archaeology, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Signe Vahur
- Institute of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Riina Rammo
- Institute of History and Archaeology, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Sünne Remmer
- Estonian Forensic Science Institute, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Maarja Mölder
- Estonian Forensic Science Institute, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Martin Malve
- Institute of History and Archaeology, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Lehti Saag
- Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Ragnar Saage
- Institute of History and Archaeology, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Anu Teearu-Ojakäär
- Institute of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Pilleriin Peets
- Institute of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | | | - Mait Metspalu
- Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | | | | | | | - Salima Ikram
- Department of Sociology, Egyptology and Anthropology, American University in Cairo, New Cairo, Egypt
- Department of Ancient Studies, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Dario Piombino-Mascali
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Anthropology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
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Maixner F, Thorell K, Granehäll L, Linz B, Moodley Y, Rattei T, Engstrand L, Zink A. Helicobacter pylori in ancient human remains. World J Gastroenterol 2019; 25:6289-6298. [PMID: 31754290 PMCID: PMC6861846 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v25.i42.6289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Revised: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infects the stomachs of approximately 50% of all humans. With its universal occurrence, high infectivity and virulence properties it is considered as one of the most severe global burdens of modern humankind. It has accompanied humans for many thousands of years, and due to its high genetic variability and vertical transmission, its population genetics reflects the history of human migrations. However, especially complex demographic events such as the colonisation of Europe cannot be resolved with population genetic analysis of modern H. pylori strains alone. This is best exemplified with the reconstruction of the 5300-year-old H. pylori genome of the Iceman, a European Copper Age mummy. Our analysis provided precious insights into the ancestry and evolution of the pathogen and underlined the high complexity of ancient European population history. In this review we will provide an overview on the molecular analysis of H. pylori in mummified human remains that were done so far and we will outline methodological advancements in the field of ancient DNA research that support the reconstruction and authentication of ancient H. pylori genome sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Maixner
- Institute for Mummy Studies, EURAC Research, Bolzano 39100, Italy
| | - Kaisa Thorell
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg SE405 30, Sweden
| | - Lena Granehäll
- Institute for Mummy Studies, EURAC Research, Bolzano 39100, Italy
| | - Bodo Linz
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States
| | - Yoshan Moodley
- Department of Zoology, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa
| | - Thomas Rattei
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Lars Engstrand
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm 141 83, Sweden
| | - Albert Zink
- Institute for Mummy Studies, EURAC Research, Bolzano 39100, Italy
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Wasef S, Subramanian S, O’Rorke R, Huynen L, El-Marghani S, Curtis C, Popinga A, Holland B, Ikram S, Millar C, Willerslev E, Lambert D. Mitogenomic diversity in Sacred Ibis Mummies sheds light on early Egyptian practices. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0223964. [PMID: 31721774 PMCID: PMC6853290 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0223964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 10/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The ancient catacombs of Egypt harbor millions of well-preserved mummified Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) dating from ~600BC. Although it is known that a very large number of these ‘votive’ mummies were sacrificed to the Egyptian God Thoth, how the ancient Egyptians obtained millions of these birds for mummification remains unresolved. Ancient Egyptian textual evidences suggest they may have been raised in dedicated large-scale farms. To investigate the most likely method used by the priests to secure birds for mummification, we report the first study of complete mitochondrial genomes of 14 Sacred Ibis mummies interred ~2500 years ago. We analysed and compared the mitogenomic diversity among Sacred Ibis mummies to that found in modern Sacred Ibis populations from throughout Africa. The ancient birds show a high level of genetic variation comparable to that identified in modern African populations, contrary to the suggestion in ancient hieroglyphics (or ancient writings) of centralized industrial scale farming of sacrificial birds. This suggests a sustained short-term taming of the wild migratory Sacred Ibis for the ritual yearly demand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally Wasef
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Brisbane, Australia
- Ancient DNA Laboratory, Learning Resource Center, Kasr Al-Ainy Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Sankar Subramanian
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Richard O’Rorke
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Leon Huynen
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Brisbane, Australia
| | | | - Caitlin Curtis
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Alex Popinga
- Centre for Computation Evolution, Department of Computer Science, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Barbara Holland
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
| | - Salima Ikram
- Department of Sociology, Egyptology, and Anthropology, American University in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
- Ancient Studies Department, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Craig Millar
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Eske Willerslev
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, England, United Kingdom
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, United Kingdom
- Centre for GeoGenetics, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - David Lambert
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Brisbane, Australia
- * E-mail:
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Loni A, Fornaciari A, Canale A, Giuffra V, Vanin S, Benelli G. Insights on Funeral Practices and Insects Associated With the Tombs of King Ferrante II d'Aragona and Other Renaissance Nobles. J Med Entomol 2019; 56:1582-1589. [PMID: 31271199 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjz102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The impressive Sacristy of the Basilica of San Domenico Maggiore contains 38 wooden sarcophagi with the bodies of 10 Aragonese princes and other Neapolitan nobles, who died in the 15th and 16th centuries. To improve the knowledge about the entomofauna associated with bodies in archaeological contexts, herein we provide insights on the funerary practices and the insect community associated to Ferrante II King of Naples and other Italian Renaissance mummies of the Aragonese dynasty buried in the Basilica of St. Domenico Maggiore. We identified 842 insect specimens: 88% were Diptera (Muscidae, Fanniidae, and Phoridae), followed by 9% Lepidoptera (Tineidae) and 3% Coleoptera (Dermestidae and Ptinidae). Ninety-seven percent of the specimens were collected from the coffin of Francesco Ferdinando d'Avalos, which was the best preserved. A lack of fly species characterizing the first colonization waves of exposed bodies was noted. The most common fly was the later colonizing muscid Hydrotaea capensis (Wiedemann); only a few Fanniidae (Fannia spp.) were retrieved. The lack of blowflies, coupled with recording H. capensis as the dominant fly, supports our hypothesis that corpses have been kept indoors for a long time under confined environmental conditions. Other explanations include odorous oils/balms having been used in the embalming process, causing the delay or stopping the arrival of first colonizer flies. Hermetically sealing of the coffin with bitumen may also have played a role in preventing access to the corpses. This scenario describes a historical context characterized by a well-advanced knowledge of body preparation, with specific burial techniques adopted for nobles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Augusto Loni
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Antonio Fornaciari
- Division of Paleopathology, Department of Translational Research and of New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Angelo Canale
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Valentina Giuffra
- Division of Paleopathology, Department of Translational Research and of New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Stefano Vanin
- School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, United Kingdom
| | - Giovanni Benelli
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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Tamburini D, Dyer J, Davit P, Aceto M, Turina V, Borla M, Vandenbeusch M, Gulmini M. Compositional and Micro-Morphological Characterisation of Red Colourants in Archaeological Textiles from Pharaonic Egypt. Molecules 2019; 24:molecules24203761. [PMID: 31635425 PMCID: PMC6832961 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24203761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Revised: 09/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
When the imagination conjures up an image of an Egyptian mummy, it is normally one of a human body wrapped with undyed linen bandages. However, the reality was much more colourful, as shown by the set of red mummy shrouds and textile fragments from Pharaonic Egypt considered in this work. The textiles were subjected to scientific investigation with the main aim of shedding light on the sources of red colour and on the possible reasons for the different levels of colour fading. The red colourants were investigated using various non-invasive and micro-invasive approaches. The results pointed towards the presence of three sources of red colour, which, in increasing order of lightfastness, are safflower (Carthamus tinctorius), madder (Rubia spp.), and red ochre. Micro-morphological observations and elemental analyses also enabled some hypotheses to be formulated regarding the application of these colourants to the textiles. The results not only deepen our knowledge of dyeing technologies in ancient Egypt and shed new light on the function of red shrouds and textiles as part of the funerary practices of Pharaonic Egypt, but are also essential in planning the display and future preservation of these mummies and their associated textiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Tamburini
- Department of Scientific Research, The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG, UK.
| | - Joanne Dyer
- Department of Scientific Research, The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG, UK.
| | - Patrizia Davit
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Giuria, 7-10125 Torino, Italy.
| | - Maurizio Aceto
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Innovazione Tecnologica, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale, viale T. Michel, 11-15121 Alessandria, Italy.
| | - Valentina Turina
- Fondazione Museo delle Antichità Egizie, Via Accademia delle Scienze, 6-10123 Torino, Italy.
| | - Matilde Borla
- Soprintendenza Archeologia belle arti e paesaggio per la città metropolitana di Torino, Piazza S. Giovanni, 2-10122 Torino, Italy.
| | - Marie Vandenbeusch
- Department of Egypt and Sudan, The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG, UK.
| | - Monica Gulmini
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Giuria, 7-10125 Torino, Italy.
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Wang M, Chu J, Wang Y, Li F, Liao M, Shi H, Zhang Y, Hu G, Wang J. Forensic entomology application in China: Four case reports. J Forensic Leg Med 2019; 63:40-47. [PMID: 30861472 DOI: 10.1016/j.jflm.2019.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2018] [Revised: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
We present four cases that use entomological data to estimate postmortem interval (PMI). In the first case, the body was found in an outdoor environment at 26 °C and was at the fresh stage. However, the PMImin estimated using maggots collected from the corpse was more than 68 h. This was certainly an incorrect estimation because the degree of the body decomposition was light, and it may have been caused by flies invading the corpse before death occurred. In the second case, a corpse of an adult male was found in a semi-closed room, and the body was highly decomposed and mummified. In this case, we used Dermestes maculatus DeGeer (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) to successfully estimate the PMI. The third case involved a female body discovered in her room after she committed suicide by consuming excessive clozapine and alcohol. The PMImin estimated through entomological data did not match the time of death that the other evidence indicated. Thus, we speculated that clozapine and alcohol may have influenced the development of fly larvae. The fourth case occurred in the winter. The murderer killed the victim and burned and dumped the corpse. However, the burned body still attracted necrophagous insects and we successfully calculated the PMImin by using insect evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Man Wang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou, China
| | - Jun Chu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou, China; Criminal Police Branch, Suzhou Public Security Bureau, Renmin Road, Suzhou, China
| | - Yu Wang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou, China
| | - Fagui Li
- Forensic Center, Department of Public Security of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Xinmin Road, Nanning, China
| | - Mingqing Liao
- Criminal Police Branch, Zhongshan Public Security Bureau, Zhongshan, China
| | - He Shi
- Criminal Police Branch, Guangzhou Public Security Bureau, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yingna Zhang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou, China
| | - Guoliang Hu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou, China
| | - Jiangfeng Wang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou, China.
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Standen VG, Santoro CM, Arriaza B, Valenzuela D, Coleman D, Monsalve S. Prehistoric polydactylism: Biological evidence and rock art representation from the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. Int J Paleopathol 2018; 22:54-65. [PMID: 29864653 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2018.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2017] [Revised: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 05/27/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
A review of the bioarchaeological collections from the site Morro de Arica in northern Chile allowed the identification of two cases of human polydactyly. Both cases are from the Chinchorro culture, hunters, fishers, and gatherers with a maritime orientation who inhabited the coast of the Atacama Desert (9000-3400 BP). Additionally, the analyses of 75 rock art sites in the area, from the Formative to Late Intermediate Periods (3000-550 BP), allowed the identification of hands and feet with six digits. Given the bioarchaeological record of polydactyly, it is highly probable that the rock art images were based on real individuals with polydactyly. However, the Sr chemical signal in a juvenile with polydactyly is the same as the Sr chemical signal in the rest of the individuals buried in the same site, proving that all the individuals were born and lived on the coast. We discuss the idea that, although these anomalies could have been the result of genetic mutations, endogamy and exposition to ecotoxic environments could also be at play within the Chinchorro groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivien G Standen
- Departamento de Antropología, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica, Chile.
| | | | - Bernardo Arriaza
- Instituto de Alta Investigación, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica, Chile.
| | | | - Drew Coleman
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of North Carolina, USA.
| | - Susana Monsalve
- Departamento de Antropología, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica, Chile
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Maixner F, Turaev D, Cazenave-Gassiot A, Janko M, Krause-Kyora B, Hoopmann MR, Kusebauch U, Sartain M, Guerriero G, O'Sullivan N, Teasdale M, Cipollini G, Paladin A, Mattiangeli V, Samadelli M, Tecchiati U, Putzer A, Palazoglu M, Meissen J, Lösch S, Rausch P, Baines JF, Kim BJ, An HJ, Gostner P, Egarter-Vigl E, Malfertheiner P, Keller A, Stark RW, Wenk M, Bishop D, Bradley DG, Fiehn O, Engstrand L, Moritz RL, Doble P, Franke A, Nebel A, Oeggl K, Rattei T, Grimm R, Zink A. The Iceman's Last Meal Consisted of Fat, Wild Meat, and Cereals. Curr Biol 2018; 28:2348-2355.e9. [PMID: 30017480 PMCID: PMC6065529 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.05.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2018] [Revised: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The history of humankind is marked by the constant adoption of new dietary habits affecting human physiology, metabolism, and even the development of nutrition-related disorders. Despite clear archaeological evidence for the shift from hunter-gatherer lifestyle to agriculture in Neolithic Europe [1], very little information exists on the daily dietary habits of our ancestors. By undertaking a complementary -omics approach combined with microscopy, we analyzed the stomach content of the Iceman, a 5,300-year-old European glacier mummy [2, 3]. He seems to have had a remarkably high proportion of fat in his diet, supplemented with fresh or dried wild meat, cereals, and traces of toxic bracken. Our multipronged approach provides unprecedented analytical depth, deciphering the nutritional habit, meal composition, and food-processing methods of this Copper Age individual.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Maixner
- Eurac Research - Institute for Mummy Studies, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy.
| | - Dmitrij Turaev
- CUBE - Division of Computational Systems Biology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Amaury Cazenave-Gassiot
- SLING, Life Sciences Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Department of Biochemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Marek Janko
- Institute of Materials Science, Physics of Surfaces, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Alarich-Weiss-Str. 2, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany; Center of Smart Interfaces, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Alarich-Weiss-Str. 10, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Ben Krause-Kyora
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin-Str. 12, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Michael R Hoopmann
- Institute for Systems Biology, 401 Terry Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Ulrike Kusebauch
- Institute for Systems Biology, 401 Terry Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Mark Sartain
- Institute for Systems Biology, 401 Terry Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Gea Guerriero
- Environmental Research and Innovation (ERIN), Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), Esch/Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Niall O'Sullivan
- Eurac Research - Institute for Mummy Studies, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Matthew Teasdale
- Smurfit Institute of Genetics, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Giovanna Cipollini
- Eurac Research - Institute for Mummy Studies, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Alice Paladin
- Eurac Research - Institute for Mummy Studies, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Valeria Mattiangeli
- Smurfit Institute of Genetics, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Marco Samadelli
- Eurac Research - Institute for Mummy Studies, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Umberto Tecchiati
- Responsabile del Laboratorio di Archeozoologia della Soprintendenza Provinciale ai Beni culturali di Bolzano - Alto Adige, Ufficio Beni archeologica, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Andreas Putzer
- South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Museumstrasse 43, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Mine Palazoglu
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology & Genome Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - John Meissen
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology & Genome Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Sandra Lösch
- Department of Physical Anthropology, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Sulgenauweg 40, 3007 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Philipp Rausch
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann-Strasse 2, D-24306, Plön, Germany
| | - John F Baines
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann-Strasse 2, D-24306, Plön, Germany
| | - Bum Jin Kim
- Cancer Research Institute & Graduate School of Analytical Science and Technology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea
| | - Hyun-Joo An
- Cancer Research Institute & Graduate School of Analytical Science and Technology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea
| | - Paul Gostner
- Department of Radiodiagnostics, Central Hospital Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Eduard Egarter-Vigl
- Scuola Superiore Sanitaria Provinciale "Claudiana," Via Lorenz Böhler 13, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Peter Malfertheiner
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Infectious Diseases, Otto-von-Guericke University, Leipziger Strasse 44, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Keller
- Chair for Clinical Bioinformatics, Saarland University, Medical Faculty, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Robert W Stark
- Institute of Materials Science, Physics of Surfaces, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Alarich-Weiss-Str. 2, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany; Center of Smart Interfaces, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Alarich-Weiss-Str. 10, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Markus Wenk
- SLING, Life Sciences Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Department of Biochemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - David Bishop
- Elemental Bio-imaging Facility, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, New South Wales, 2007, Australia
| | - Daniel G Bradley
- Smurfit Institute of Genetics, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Oliver Fiehn
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology & Genome Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Lars Engstrand
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 141 83 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Robert L Moritz
- Institute for Systems Biology, 401 Terry Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Philip Doble
- Elemental Bio-imaging Facility, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, New South Wales, 2007, Australia
| | - Andre Franke
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin-Str. 12, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Almut Nebel
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin-Str. 12, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Klaus Oeggl
- Institute of Botany, Sternwartestrasse 15, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Thomas Rattei
- CUBE - Division of Computational Systems Biology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Rudolf Grimm
- Agilent Technologies, 5301 Stevens Creek Blvd, Santa Clara, CA 95051, USA
| | - Albert Zink
- Eurac Research - Institute for Mummy Studies, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy.
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Molto E, Sheldrick P. Paleo-oncology in the Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt: Case studies and a paleoepidemiological perspective. Int J Paleopathol 2018; 21:96-110. [PMID: 29499961 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2018.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Revised: 02/07/2018] [Accepted: 02/13/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
This article describes six cases of cancer from the Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt. A mummy had a confirmed 'primary' diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the rectum. The remaining diagnoses were based on the distribution and types of skeletal lesions in conjunction with age, sex, and/or the molecular phylogeny of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a confirmed cause of cancer of the uterine cervix (UC) and testes (TC) and it evolved in Africa long before Homo sapiens emerged. Today these cancers are common in young adult females and males, a fact which was pivotal in respectively including them in the differential diagnosis of UC and TC. The remaining diagnoses were acute lymphocytic leukemia in a 3-5 year old child and an older female with metastatic carcinoma. Due to problems of determining specific diagnoses and their prevalence in 'paleo' populations, we opted for a lifetime cancer risk statistic (LTCR). The LTCR in ancient Dakhleh was ∼5/1000 (6/1087). In modern Western societies the LTCR cancer approaches 50% (500/1000). Thus the LTCR in today's western societies is 100 times greater than in ancient Dakhleh. These cases demonstrate that oncogenes and their environmental cofactors were present in antiquity, but were significantly less pervasive than today.
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Affiliation(s)
- El Molto
- Department of Anthropology, University of Western Ontario, N6A 5C2, Canada.
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Leccia C, Alunni V, Quatrehomme G. Modern (forensic) mummies: A study of twenty cases. Forensic Sci Int 2018; 288:330.e1-330.e9. [PMID: 29807756 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2018.04.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Revised: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 04/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Twenty mummies discovered in a forensic context between 2002 and 2016 were compiled in this work. 15 cases were excluded and 15 cases of forensic mummies were found in the literature. In the current work the percentage of mummification was calculated by "the rule of nines" used for describing burned injuries in livings. Dry and hot environments, emaciation, little access to flies are favorable conditions for mummification. Nevertheless mummification was also observed in other cold and humid environments. Extensive mummification (defined in this work as "at least 50% of mummification of the body skin) has occurred in as little as three weeks in the current series. The post mortem interval was estimated by indirect clues. The cause of death was usually impossible to establish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Céline Leccia
- Laboratoire de Médecine Légale et d'Anthropologie médico-légale, Faculté de Médecine, Université Côte d'Azur, 28 Avenue de Valombrose, 06107 Nice Cedex 2, France.
| | - Véronique Alunni
- Laboratoire de Médecine Légale et d'Anthropologie médico-légale, Faculté de Médecine, Université Côte d'Azur, and CEPAM (UMR CNRS 7264), 28 Avenue de Valombrose, 06107 Nice Cedex 2, France
| | - Gérald Quatrehomme
- Laboratoire de Médecine Légale et d'Anthropologie médico-légale, Faculté de Médecine, Université Côte d'Azur, and CEPAM (UMR CNRS 7264), 28 Avenue de Valombrose, 06107 Nice Cedex 2, France
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Eerkens JW, Hull B, Goodman J, Evoy A, Kapp JD, Hussain S, Green RE. Stable C and N isotope analysis of hair suggest undernourishment as a factor in the death of a mummified girl from late 19th century San Francisco, CA. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0184921. [PMID: 28922420 PMCID: PMC5602664 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The chance discovery of a 1.5–3.5 years old mummified girl presents a unique opportunity to further our understanding of health and disease among children in 19th Century San Francisco. This study focuses on carbon and nitrogen stable isotope signatures in serial samples of hair that cover the last 14 months of her life. Results suggest an initial omnivorous diet with little input from marine resources or C4 plants. Around six months before death δ15N starts a steady increase, with a noticeable acceleration just two months before she died. The magnitude of δ15N change, +1.5‰ in total, is consistent with severe undernourishment or starvation. Cemetery records from this time period in San Francisco indicate high rates of infant and child mortality, mainly due to bacterial-borne infectious diseases, about two orders of magnitude higher than today. Taken together, we hypothesize that the girl died after a prolonged battle with such an illness. Results highlight the tremendous impacts that modern sanitation and medicine have had since the 1800s on human health and lifespan in the United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jelmer W. Eerkens
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Bryna Hull
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Jena Goodman
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Angela Evoy
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Joshua D. Kapp
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| | - Sidra Hussain
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| | - Richard E. Green
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
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Shin DH, Oh CS, Hong JH, Kim Y, Lee SD, Lee E. Paleogenetic study on the 17th century Korean mummy with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0183098. [PMID: 28813480 PMCID: PMC5559090 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0183098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2017] [Accepted: 06/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
While atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is known to be common among modern people exposed to various risk factors, recent paleopathological studies have shown that it affected ancient populations much more frequently than expected. In 2010, we investigated a 17th century Korean female mummy with presumptive ASCVD signs. Although the resulting report was a rare and invaluable conjecture on the disease status of an ancient East Asian population, the diagnosis had been based only on anatomical and radiological techniques, and so could not confirm the existence of ASCVD in the mummy. In the present study, we thus performed a paleogenetic analysis to supplement the previous conventional diagnosis of ASCVD. In aDNA extracted from the same Korean mummy, we identified the risk alleles of seven different SNPs (rs5351, rs10757274, rs2383206, rs2383207, rs10757278, rs4380028 and rs1333049) that had already been revealed to be the major risk loci of ASCVD in East Asian populations. The reliability of this study could be enhanced by cross-validation using two different analyses: Sanger and SNaPshot techniques. We were able to establish that the 17th century Korean female had a strong genetic predisposition to increased risk of ASCVD. The current paleogenetic diagnosis, the first of its kind outside Europe, re-confirms its utility as an adjunct modality for confirmatory diagnosis of ancient ASCVD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Hoon Shin
- Bioanthropology and Paleopathology Lab, Department of Anatomy, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
- Institute of Forensic Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Chang Seok Oh
- Bioanthropology and Paleopathology Lab, Department of Anatomy, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jong Ha Hong
- Bioanthropology and Paleopathology Lab, Department of Anatomy, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Yusu Kim
- Bioanthropology and Paleopathology Lab, Department of Anatomy, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Soong Deok Lee
- Institute of Forensic Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Eunju Lee
- Department of Internal Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
- * E-mail:
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Artioli G, Angelini I, Kaufmann G, Canovaro C, Dal Sasso G, Villa IM. Long-distance connections in the Copper Age: New evidence from the Alpine Iceman's copper axe. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0179263. [PMID: 28678801 PMCID: PMC5497943 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2017] [Accepted: 05/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
25 years after the discovery in the Ötztal Italian Alps, the 5,300-year-old mummy keeps providing key information on human biological and medical conditions, aspects of everyday life and societal organization in the Copper Age. The hand axe found with the body of the Alpine Iceman is one of the rare copper objects that is firmly dated to the early Copper Age because of the radiocarbon dating of the axe wooden shaft. Here we report the measurement of the lead isotope ratios of the copper blade. The results unambiguously indicate that the source of the metal is the ore-rich area of Southern Tuscany, despite ample evidence that Alpine copper ore sources were known and exploited at the time. The experimental results are discussed within the framework of all the available coeval archaeometallurgical data in Central-Southern Europe: they show that the Alps were a neat cultural barrier separating distinct metal circuits. The direct evidence of raw metal or object movement between Central Italy and the Alps is surprising and provides a new perspective on long-distance relocation of goods and relationships between the early Copper Age cultures in the area. The result is in line with the recent investigations re-evaluating the timing and extent of copper production in Central Italy in the 4th millennium BC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilberto Artioli
- Department of Geosciences, Università di Padova, Padova, Italy
- INSTM, Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale per la Scienza e Tecnologia dei Materiali, Firenze, Italy
| | - Ivana Angelini
- INSTM, Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale per la Scienza e Tecnologia dei Materiali, Firenze, Italy
- Department of Cultural Heritage, Università di Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Günther Kaufmann
- Museo Archeologico dell'Alto Adige/Südtiroler Archäologiemuseum, Bolzano/Bozen, Italy
| | - Caterina Canovaro
- Department of Geosciences, Università di Padova, Padova, Italy
- INSTM, Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale per la Scienza e Tecnologia dei Materiali, Firenze, Italy
| | | | - Igor Maria Villa
- Centro Universitario Datazioni e Archeometria, Università di Milano Bicocca, Milano, Italy
- Institut für Geologie, Universität Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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Panzer S, Wittig H, Zesch S, Rosendahl W, Blache S, Müller-Gerbl M, Hotz G. Evidence of neurofibromatosis type 1 in a multi-morbid Inca child mummy: A paleoradiological investigation using computed tomography. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0175000. [PMID: 28403237 PMCID: PMC5389647 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0175000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2016] [Accepted: 03/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective In this study, an Inca bundle was examined using computed tomography (CT). The primary aim was to determine the preservation status of bony and soft tissues, the sex, the age at the time of death, possible indicators for disease or even the cause of death, as well as the kind of mummification. A secondary aim was to obtain a brief overview of the wrapping in order to gain additional information on the cultural background. Materials and methods The bundle belongs to the Museum of Cultures in Basel, Switzerland, and was bought in Munich, Germany, in 1921. Radiocarbon dating of the superficial textile yielded a calibrated age between 1480 and 1650 AD. The mummy was investigated using multi-slice CT with slice thickness of 0.75 mm and 110 kilovolt. For standardized assessment of soft tissue preservation, a recently developed checklist was applied. Results CT revealed the mummy of a seven to nine year old boy with superior preservation of bony and soft tissues allowing detailed assessment. Indicators of neurofibromatosis type 1 (paravertebral and cutaneous neurofibromas, a breast neurofibroma, sphenoid wing dysplasia), Chagas disease (dilatation of the esophagus, stomach, rectum, and large amounts of feces), and lung infection (pleural adherence, calcifications), probably due to tuberculosis, were found. Furthermore, signs of peri-mortem violence (transection of the chest and a defect in the abdominal wall) were detected. CT images revealed a carefully performed wrapping. Conclusion CT examination of the Inca bundle proved to be an important non-destructive examination method. Standardized assessment, especially of the soft tissue structures, allowed for diagnoses of several diseases, indicating a multi-morbid child at the time of death. The careful wrapping pointed to a ceremonial burial. Within the cultural background, the signs of fatal violence were discussed as a possible result of war, murder, accident, or human sacrifice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Panzer
- Department of Radiology, Trauma Center Murnau, Murnau, Germany
- Institute of Biomechanics, Trauma Center Murnau and Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Murnau, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Holger Wittig
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Stephanie Zesch
- German Mummy Project, Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Wilfried Rosendahl
- German Mummy Project, Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | | | | | - Gerhard Hotz
- Anthropology, Natural History Museum of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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Baias M. Mobile NMR: An essential tool for protecting our cultural heritage. Magn Reson Chem 2017; 55:33-37. [PMID: 27748982 DOI: 10.1002/mrc.4544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2016] [Revised: 10/12/2016] [Accepted: 10/13/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
What is 'cultural heritage'? Is it simply our legacy of physical artifacts - or is it our collective legacy as human societies - how we want to be remembered by future generations? With time, negligence, and even military conflict working to erase the past, we must ask: Can a better understanding of our shared heritage assists us in addressing cultural differences in the present day? And how can science both help us understand the historic record and work to preserve it? In this perspective article, we examine an emerging scientific method, mobile nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), which can help us examine in a non-invasive way important objects and sites of our cultural heritage. Following these investigations, one can envisage ways for protecting our global heritage for future generations. For this purpose, we examine how this method can be used to non-destructively explore historical artifacts, which can lead to understanding the science behind the creation of these treasured items - paintings, frescoes, parchments, historical buildings, musical instruments, ancient mummies, and other artifacts. This perspective article follows few relevant examples from the scientific literature where mobile NMR has been applied in a non-invasive way to analyze objects of cultural heritage. One can envision possible future advancements of this technique and further applications where portable NMR can be used for conservation of cultural heritage. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Baias
- New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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Colleter R, Dedouit F, Duchesne S, Mokrane FZ, Gendrot V, Gérard P, Dabernat H, Crubézy É, Telmon N. Procedures and Frequencies of Embalming and Heart Extractions in Modern Period in Brittany. Contribution to the Evolution of Ritual Funerary in Europe. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0167988. [PMID: 28030554 PMCID: PMC5193353 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2016] [Accepted: 11/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of funeral practices from the Middle Ages through the Modern era in Europe is generally seen as a process of secularization. The study, through imaging and autopsy, of two mummies, five lead urns containing hearts, and more than six hundred skeletons of nobles and clergymen from a Renaissance convent in Brittany has led us to reject this view. In addition to exceptional embalming, we observed instances in which hearts alone had been extracted, a phenomenon that had never before been described, and brains alone as well, and instances in which each spouse's heart had been placed on the other's coffin. In some identified cases we were able to establish links between the religious attitudes of given individuals and either ancient Medieval practices or more modern ones generated by the Council of Trent. All of these practices, which were a function of social status, were rooted in religion. They offer no evidence of secularization whatsoever.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rozenn Colleter
- National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP), Cesson-Sévigné, France
- University of Toulouse, French National Center for Scientific Research, UMR 5288, Toulouse, France
- * E-mail: (RC); (EC)
| | - Fabrice Dedouit
- University of Toulouse, French National Center for Scientific Research, UMR 5288, Toulouse, France
- Unit of Forensic and Anthropological Imaging, Centre Universitaire Romand de Médecine Légale (CURML), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sylvie Duchesne
- National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP), Cesson-Sévigné, France
- University of Toulouse, French National Center for Scientific Research, UMR 5288, Toulouse, France
| | - Fatima-Zohra Mokrane
- University of Toulouse, French National Center for Scientific Research, UMR 5288, Toulouse, France
- Radiology department, CHU Toulouse-Rangueil, Toulouse, France
| | - Véronique Gendrot
- French Regional Archaeological Service, Rennes, Bretagne, France and French National Center for Scientific Research, UMR 6566, Rennes, France
| | - Patrice Gérard
- University of Toulouse, French National Center for Scientific Research, UMR 5288, Toulouse, France
| | - Henri Dabernat
- University of Toulouse, French National Center for Scientific Research, UMR 5288, Toulouse, France
| | - Éric Crubézy
- University of Toulouse, French National Center for Scientific Research, UMR 5288, Toulouse, France
- * E-mail: (RC); (EC)
| | - Norbert Telmon
- University of Toulouse, French National Center for Scientific Research, UMR 5288, Toulouse, France
- Medico-Legal department, CHU Toulouse-Rangueil, Toulouse, France
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García Cuerpo E. [The clinical session that never happened.]. ARCH ESP UROL 2016; 69:674-679. [PMID: 28042789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Every illness provides signs that enable diagnosis no matter how hidden they may be, even in a 3.000 years old mummy thanks to the advances in medicine and similarity with other known cases of osseous lithiasis. METHODS We have analyzed the features of its localization (bladder, ureteral or renal); knowledge got its way to allow today the answer to the final arcane enigma. RESULTS The identification of the case being investigated. CONCLUSION Today, in a 3.000 years old mummy, we found the most likely cause of his death thanks to the careful preservation and the scientists decision to select, among the current inspection techniques, those which are less destructive of the wisely embalmed rests.
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Mikšík I, Sedláková P, Pataridis S, Bortolotti F, Gottardo R. Proteins and their modifications in a medieval mummy. Protein Sci 2016; 25:2037-2044. [PMID: 27543755 PMCID: PMC5079257 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2016] [Accepted: 08/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Proteins and their modifications of the natural mummy of Cangrande della Scala (Prince of Verona, Northern Italy, 1291-1329) were studied. The nano-LC-Q-TOF analysis of samples of rib bone and muscle from the mummy showed the presence of different proteins including Types I, III, IV, V, and XI collagen, hemoglobin (subunits alpha and beta), ferritin, biglycan, vitronectin, prothrombin, and osteocalcin. The structure of Type I and Type III collagen was deeply studied to evaluate the occurrence of modifications in comparison with Type I and Type III collagen coming from tissues of recently died people. This analysis showed high percentage of asparaginyl and glutaminyl deamidation, carbamylation and carboxymethylation of lysine, as well as oxidation and dioxidation of methionine. The most common reaction during the natural mummification process was oxidation-the majority of lysine and proline of collagen Type I was hydroxylated whereas methionine was oxidated (oxidated or dioxidated). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study which reports the protein profile of a natural mummified human tissue and the first one which describes the carbamylation and carboxymethylation of lysine in mummified tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Mikšík
- Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, 14220, Czech Republic.
| | - Pavla Sedláková
- Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, 14220, Czech Republic
| | - Statis Pataridis
- Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, 14220, Czech Republic
| | - Federica Bortolotti
- Department of Diagnostic and Public Health, Unit of Forensic Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Rossella Gottardo
- Department of Diagnostic and Public Health, Unit of Forensic Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
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Clark KA, Ikram S, Evershed RP. The significance of petroleum bitumen in ancient Egyptian mummies. Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci 2016; 374:rsta.2016.0229. [PMID: 27644983 PMCID: PMC5031647 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2016.0229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/28/2016] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Mummification was practised in ancient Egypt for more than 3000 years, emerging from initial observations of buried bodies preserved by natural desiccation. The use of organic balms (and other funerary practices) was a later introduction necessitated by more humid burial environments, especially tombs. The dark colour of many mummies led to the assumption that petroleum bitumen (or natural asphalt) was ubiquitous in mummification; however, this has been questioned for more than 100 years. We test this by investigating 91 materials comprising balms, tissues and textiles from 39 mummies dating from ca 3200 BC to AD 395. Targeted petroleum bitumen biomarker (steranes and hopanes) analyses by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry selected ion monitoring (GC-MS SIM, m/z 217 and 191) showed no detectable bitumen use before the New Kingdom (ca 1550-1070 BC). However, bitumen was used in 50% of New Kingdom to Late Period mummies, rising to 87% of Ptolemaic/Roman Period mummies. Quantitative determinations using (14)C analyses reveal that even at peak use balms were never more than 45% w/w bitumen. Critically, the dark colour of balms can be simulated by heating/ageing mixtures of fats, resins and beeswax known to be used in balms. The application of black/dark brown balms to bodies was deliberate after the New Kingdom reflecting changing funerary beliefs and shifts in religious ideology.This article is part of the themed issue 'Quantitative mass spectrometry'.
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Affiliation(s)
- K A Clark
- Organic Geochemistry Unit, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock's Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK
| | - S Ikram
- Department of Egyptology, The American University in Cairo, AUC Avenue, PO Box 74, Tagammu 5, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
| | - R P Evershed
- Organic Geochemistry Unit, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock's Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK
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Jones J, Mirzaei M, Ravishankar P, Xavier D, Lim DS, Shin DH, Bianucci R, Haynes PA. Identification of proteins from 4200-year-old skin and muscle tissue biopsies from ancient Egyptian mummies of the first intermediate period shows evidence of acute inflammation and severe immune response. Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci 2016; 374:rsta.2015.0373. [PMID: 27644972 PMCID: PMC5031639 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2015.0373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/28/2016] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
We performed proteomics analysis on four skin and one muscle tissue samples taken from three ancient Egyptian mummies of the first intermediate period, approximately 4200 years old. The mummies were first dated by radiocarbon dating of the accompany-\break ing textiles, and morphologically examined by scanning electron microscopy of additional skin samples. Proteins were extracted, separated on SDS-PAGE (sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) gels, and in-gel digested with trypsin. The resulting peptides were analysed using nanoflow high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. We identified a total of 230 unique proteins from the five samples, which consisted of 132 unique protein identifications. We found a large number of collagens, which was confirmed by our microscopy data, and is in agreement with previous studies showing that collagens are very long-lived. As expected, we also found a large number of keratins. We identified numerous proteins that provide evidence of activation of the innate immunity system in two of the mummies, one of which also contained proteins indicating severe tissue inflammation, possibly indicative of an infection that we can speculate may have been related to the cause of death.This article is part of the themed issue 'Quantitative mass spectrometry'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Jones
- Department of Ancient History, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Mehdi Mirzaei
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Prathiba Ravishankar
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Dylan Xavier
- Australian Proteome Analysis Facility, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Do Seon Lim
- Department of Dental Hygiene, College of Health Sciences, Eulji University, Sungnam, South Korea
| | - Dong Hoon Shin
- Department of Anatomy, Seoul National University, College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Raffaella Bianucci
- Department of Public Health and Paediatric Sciences, Legal Medicine Section, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy UMR 7268, Laboratoire d'Anthropologie bio-culturelle, Droit, Étique and Santé (ADÉS), Faculté de Médecine de Marseille, 13344 Marseille, France
| | - Paul A Haynes
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia
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Abstract
In 1821 Augustus Bozzi Granville FRS unwrapped and dissected an ancient Egyptian mummy, presenting the results of his examination to the Royal Society in 1825. He commissioned artist Henry Perry to draw the process in stages; these drawings were subsequently engraved by James Basire for publication in Philosophical Transactions. This article presents the original drawings for the first time, allowing comparison with their engravings. Taken together with Granville's accounts of the unwrapping of the mummy, the drawings demonstrate the significant role of illustration and other visual practices in anatomical argumentation in the early nineteenth century, as well as the prestige that commissioned illustrations lent to the performance and dissemination of scientific expertise. Moreover, the drawings include one of the key visual tropes of race science--a skull in left-facing profile, mapped with a facial angle--and thus indicate the early incorporation of Egyptian mummies into typologies of race.
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Kreissl Lonfat BM, Kaufmann IM, Rühli F. A code of ethics for evidence-based research with ancient human remains. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2016; 298:1175-81. [PMID: 25998650 DOI: 10.1002/ar.23126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2015] [Accepted: 01/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
As clinical research constantly advances and the concept of evolution becomes a strong and influential part of basic medical research, the absence of a discourse that deals with the use of ancient human remains in evidence-based research is becoming unbearable. While topics such as exhibition and excavation of human remains are established ethical fields of discourse, when faced with instrumentalization of ancient human remains for research (i.e., ancient DNA extractions for disease marker analyses) the answers from traditional ethics or even more practical fields of bio-ethics or more specific biomedical ethics are rare to non-existent. The Centre for Evolutionary Medicine at the University of Zurich solved their needs for discursive action through the writing of a self-given code of ethics which was written in dialogue with the researchers at the Institute and was published online in Sept. 2011: http://evolutionäremedizin.ch/coe/. The philosophico-ethical basis for this a code of conduct and ethics and the methods are published in this article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bettina M Kreissl Lonfat
- Centre for Evolutionary Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, Zürich, 8057, Switzerland
| | - Ina Maria Kaufmann
- Centre for Evolutionary Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, Zürich, 8057, Switzerland
| | - Frank Rühli
- Centre for Evolutionary Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, Zürich, 8057, Switzerland
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Feldman M, Hershkovitz I, Sklan EH, Kahila Bar-Gal G, Pap I, Szikossy I, Rosin-Arbesfeld R. Detection of a Tumor Suppressor Gene Variant Predisposing to Colorectal Cancer in an 18th Century Hungarian Mummy. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0147217. [PMID: 26863316 PMCID: PMC4749341 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/30/2015] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations of the Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene are common and strongly associated with the development of colorectal adenomas and carcinomas. While extensively studied in modern populations, reports on visceral tumors in ancient populations are scarce. To the best of our knowledge, genetic characterization of mutations associated with colorectal cancer in ancient specimens has not yet been described. In this study we have sequenced hotspots for mutations in the APC gene isolated from 18th century naturally preserved human Hungarian mummies. While wild type APC sequences were found in two mummies, we discovered the E1317Q missense mutation, known to be a colorectal cancer predisposing mutation, in a large intestine tissue of an 18th century mummy. Our data suggests that this genetic predisposition to cancer already existed in the pre-industrialization era. This study calls for similar investigations of ancient specimens from different periods and geographical locations to be conducted and shared for the purpose of obtaining a larger scale analysis that will shed light on past cancer epidemiology and on cancer evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Feldman
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- * E-mail:
| | - Israel Hershkovitz
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Ella H. Sklan
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Gila Kahila Bar-Gal
- Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Ildikó Pap
- Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ildikó Szikossy
- Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Rina Rosin-Arbesfeld
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaus A Haas
- Department for Congenital Heart Defects, Heart and Diabetes Centre North Rhine Westphalia, Ruhr University Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany.
| | | | | | - Albert Zink
- EURAC Institute for Mummies and the Iceman, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Rainer Preuss
- Department for Radiology, Heart and Diabetes Centre North Rhine Westphalia, Ruhr University Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany
| | - Kai Thorsten Laser
- Department for Congenital Heart Defects, Heart and Diabetes Centre North Rhine Westphalia, Ruhr University Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany
| | - Paul Gostner
- Department of Radiodiagnostics, Central Hospital, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Stephan Arens
- Department of Computer Science, University of Paderborn, Paderborn, Germany
| | - Gitta Domik
- Department of Computer Science, University of Paderborn, Paderborn, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Burchert
- Department for Radiology, Heart and Diabetes Centre North Rhine Westphalia, Ruhr University Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany
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Oh CS, Koh BJ, Yoo DS, Park JB, Min SR, Kim YS, Lee SS, Ge J, Seo SB, Shin DH. Joseon funerary texts tested using ancient DNA analysis of a Korean mummy. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2015; 298:1191-207. [PMID: 25998652 DOI: 10.1002/ar.23142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2015] [Accepted: 01/30/2015] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
In Korea, ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis has been applied to investigations into the genetic affiliations of mummies found in Joseon Dynasty tombs (1392-1910 CE), becoming now indispensable tool for researches studying human remains from archaeological sites. In the course of our recent examinations on a Korean mummy of Joseon Dynasty, we discovered many teeth contained in a pouch. And in fact, the historical literature on the topic of Joseon funerals contain general accounts of pouches in which an individual's lost teeth were collected over the course of a lifetime and, after death, placed in the coffin with the body. To test the veracity of the historical texts, the present study undertook aDNA analyses and compared the results between specifically questioned (Q) samples (teeth) and known (K) samples (brain and bone) from the mummy to ensure that they came from the same individual. Although the Q-K comparison of autosomal short tandem repeat results did not show full concordance due to allelic drop-outs in some loci, our statistical calculation indicated that the teeth in the pouch are highly likely those of the mummy. Additionally, Q-K comparison of mitochondrial DNA sequence results showed 100% matches between samples. There results, in short, could not gainsay the conjecture that the teeth samples originated from the person buried in the tomb; and if so, he must have kept his teeth for a long time after their loss. As the application of aDNA analysis to Korean mummy studies develops, there will be other opportunities to test historical documents, particularly those referring to funerary rites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang Seok Oh
- Anthropology and Paleopathology Lab, Department of Anatomy, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yongon-Dong, Chongno-Gu, Seoul, 110-799, Korea
| | - Bou-Ja Koh
- Dankook University, 152, Jukjeon-Ro, Suji-Gu, Yongin-Si, Gyeonggi-Do, 448-701, Korea
| | - Dong Soo Yoo
- Department of Radiology, Dankook University College of Medicine, San 29, Anseo-Dong, Chonan City, Chungcheongnam-Do, 330-715, Korea
| | - Jun Bum Park
- Seoul Institute of Cultural Heritages, 833, Tongil-Ro, Eunpyeong-Gu, Seoul, 122-842, Korea
| | - So Ri Min
- Korean Institute for Archaeology and Environment, 26, Mogwanamu-1 Gil, Jochiwon-Eup, Sejong-Si, 339-806, Korea
| | - Yi-Suk Kim
- Department of Anatomy, Graduate School of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, 911-1, Mok-Dong, Yangcheon-Gu, Seoul, 158-710, Korea
| | - Sang Sup Lee
- National Forensic Service, 331-1 Shinwol 7-Dong, Yangcheon-Gu, Seoul, 158-707, Korea
| | - Jianye Ge
- Department of Forensic and Investigative Genetics, Institute of Applied Genetics, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
| | - Seung Bum Seo
- Department of Forensic and Investigative Genetics, Institute of Applied Genetics, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
| | - Dong Hoon Shin
- Anthropology and Paleopathology Lab, Department of Anatomy, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yongon-Dong, Chongno-Gu, Seoul, 110-799, Korea
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Shved N, Haas C, Papageorgopoulou C, Akguel G, Paulsen K, Bouwman A, Warinner C, Rühli F. Post mortem DNA degradation of human tissue experimentally mummified in salt. PLoS One 2014; 9:e110753. [PMID: 25337822 PMCID: PMC4206501 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0110753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2014] [Accepted: 09/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Mummified human tissues are of great interest in forensics and biomolecular archaeology. The aim of this study was to analyse post mortem DNA alterations in soft tissues in order to improve our knowledge of the patterns of DNA degradation that occur during salt mummification. In this study, the lower limb of a female human donor was amputated within 24 h post mortem and mummified using a process designed to simulate the salt dehydration phase of natural or artificial mummification. Skin and skeletal muscle were sampled at multiple time points over a period of 322 days and subjected to genetic analysis. Patterns of genomic fragmentation, miscoding lesions, and overall DNA degradation in both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA was assessed by different methods: gel electrophoresis, multiplex comparative autosomal STR length amplification, cloning and sequence analysis, and PCR amplification of different fragment sizes using a damage sensitive recombinant polymerase. The study outcome reveals a very good level of DNA preservation in salt mummified tissues over the course of the experiment, with an overall slower rate of DNA fragmentation in skin compared to muscle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natallia Shved
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
| | - Cordula Haas
- Department of Forensic Genetics, Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | | | - Guelfirde Akguel
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Katja Paulsen
- Division of Cell- and Neurobiology, Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Abigail Bouwman
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christina Warinner
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Frank Rühli
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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