Papers by Giulio Catalano
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
Frontiers in Genetics
Sicily is one of the main islands of the Mediterranean Sea, and it is characterized by a variety ... more Sicily is one of the main islands of the Mediterranean Sea, and it is characterized by a variety of archaeological records, material culture and traditions, reflecting the history of migrations and populations’ interaction since its first colonization, during the Paleolithic. These deep and complex demographic and cultural dynamics should have affected the genomic landscape of Sicily at different levels; however, the relative impact of these migrations on the genomic structure and differentiation within the island remains largely unknown. The available Sicilian modern genetic data gave a picture of the current genetic structure, but the paucity of ancient data did not allow so far to make predictions about the level of historical variation. In this work, we sequenced and analyzed the complete mitochondrial genomes of 36 individuals from five different locations in Sicily, spanning from Early Bronze Age to Iron Age, and with different cultural backgrounds. The comparison with coeval ...
Current Biology, 2021
Evolution on islands, together with the often extreme phenotypic changes associated with it, has ... more Evolution on islands, together with the often extreme phenotypic changes associated with it, has attracted much interest from evolutionary biologists. However, measuring the rate of change of phenotypic traits of extinct animals can be challenging, in part due to the incompleteness of the fossil record. Here, we use combined molecular and fossil evidence to define the minimum and maximum rate of dwarfing in an extinct Mediterranean dwarf elephant from Puntali Cave (Sicily).1 Despite the challenges associated with recovering ancient DNA from warm climates,2 we successfully retrieved a mitogenome from a sample with an estimated age between 175,500 and 50,000 years. Our results suggest that this specific Sicilian elephant lineage evolved from one of the largest terrestrial mammals that ever lived3 to an island species weighing less than 20% of its original mass with an estimated mass reduction between 0.74 and 200.95 kg and height reduction between 0.15 and 41.49 mm per generation. We show that combining ancient DNA with paleontological and geochronological evidence can constrain the timing of phenotypic changes with greater accuracy than could be achieved using any source of evidence in isolation.
Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2020
Sustainability, 2021
The Mediterranean islands and their population history are of considerable importance to the inte... more The Mediterranean islands and their population history are of considerable importance to the interpretation of the population history of Europe as a whole. In this context, Sicily, because of its geographic position, represents a bridge between Africa, the Near East, and Europe that led to the stratification of settlements and admixture events. The genetic analysis of extant and ancient human samples has tried to reconstruct the population dynamics associated with the cultural and demographic changes that took place during the prehistory and history of Sicily. In turn, genetic, demographic and cultural changes need to be understood in the context of the environmental changes that took place over the Holocene. Based on this framework, this paper aims to discuss the cultural and demographic dimension of the island by reviewing archaeogenetic studies, and lastly, we discuss the ecological constraints related to human peopling in times of change in landscapes that occurred on the island...
The vast wealth of cultural artifacts and ancient biological samples can today be investigated us... more The vast wealth of cultural artifacts and ancient biological samples can today be investigated using a great variety of methods and technologies. The result is a growing diffusion of studies on DNA, isotopes and morphometrics, and the exponential growth of publications and bio-archaeological discoveries of inestimable value for different areas of interpretation, such as phylogeny, history and archaeology. This paper describes the morphological and molecular study of a rare specimen of Felis from an Early Bronze Age horizon. The report offers the opportunity for a brief discussion on cat taming, on the origin of this practice and on the archaeological importance of this specimen for the reconstruction of taming practices in the Western Mediterranean Basin.
Quaternary Science Reviews, 2020
Abstract Grotta d’Oriente, a coastal cave located on the island of Favignana (Sicily, Italy) is a... more Abstract Grotta d’Oriente, a coastal cave located on the island of Favignana (Sicily, Italy) is a key site for the study of the early human colonization of Sicily. Inside the cave, during different field excavations, three burials attributable to the Late Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic were found. The Mesolithic Oriente B individual, directly dated at 9,377 ± 25 uncal BP, was previously assigned to HV1 haplogroup using a traditional approach. However, it is well known that PCR based methods are prone to erroneous haplotype or haplogroup determination. In order to redefine the mitochondrial lineage of this Mesolithic hunter-gatherer and explore its phylogenetic position, we target-enriched and sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of Oriente B. Moreover, we conducted a morphometric analysis to assess its phenetic affinities. Oriente B individual was classified into U2′3′4′7′8′9 haplogroup. In Sicily, this lineage has also been found on the Upper Palaeolithic Oriente C and Early Mesolithic individuals from Grotta dell’Uzzo. Our results show significant genetic and morphological similarities in Sicilian Early Mesolithic hunter-gatherers, presumably because of genetic drift processes. Furthermore, dating the emergence of the “Sicilian clade”, we speculate that Epigravettian hunter-gatherers carrying U2′3′4′7′8′9 haplogroup might be the first settlers of Sicily arrived from the Italian peninsula by the crossing of a temporary land-bridge around the Last Glacial Maximum.
Annals of Human Biology, 2021
Abstract Background Recently, the study of mitochondrial variability in ancient humans has allowe... more Abstract Background Recently, the study of mitochondrial variability in ancient humans has allowed the definition of population dynamics that characterised Europe in the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene. Despite the abundance of sites and skeletal remains few data are available for Italy. Aim We reconstructed the mitochondrial genomes of three Upper Palaeolithic individuals for some of the most important Italian archaeological contexts: Paglicci (South-Eastern Italy), San Teodoro (South-Western Italy) and Arene Candide (North-Western Italy) caves. Subjects and methods We explored the phylogenetic relationships of the three mitogenomes in the context of Western Eurasian ancient and modern variability. Results Paglicci 12 belongs to sub-haplogroup U8c, described in only two other Gravettian individuals; San Teodoro 2 harbours a U2'3'4'7'8'9 sequence, the only lineage found in Sicily during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene; Arene Candide 16 displays an ancestral U5b1 haplotype already detected in other Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers from Central Europe. Conclusion Regional genetic continuity is highlighted in the Gravettian groups that succeeded in Paglicci. Data from one of the oldest human remains from Sicily reinforce the hypothesis that Epigravettian groups carrying U2'3'4'7'8'9 could be the first inhabitants of the island. The first pre-Neolithic mitogenome from North-Western Italy, sequenced here, shows more affinity with continental Europe than with the Italian peninsula.
Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2020
Grotta d’Oriente, a small coastal cave located on the island of Favignana (Sicily, Italy) is a ke... more Grotta d’Oriente, a small coastal cave located on the island of Favignana (Sicily, Italy) is a key site for the study of the early human colonization of Sicily. The individual known as Oriente C was found in the lower portion of an anthropogenic deposit containing typical local Late Upper Palaeolithic (Late Epigravettian) stone assemblages. Two radiocarbon dates on charcoal from the deposit containing the burial are consistent with the archaeological context and refer Oriente C to a period spanning about 14,200-13,800 cal. BP. Anatomical features are close to those of Late Upper Palaeolithic populations of the Mediterranean and show strong affinity with Palaeolithic individuals of San Teodoro. Here we present new ancient DNA data from Oriente C. Our results, confirming previous genetic analysis, suggest a substantial genetic homogeneity among Late Epigravettian hunter-gatherer populations of Central Mediterranean, presumably as a consequence of continuous gene flow among different g...
A series of studies have documented how Steppe pastoralist-related ancestry reached central Europ... more A series of studies have documented how Steppe pastoralist-related ancestry reached central Europe by at least 2500 BCE, while Iranian farmer-related ancestry was present in Aegean Europe by at least 1900 BCE. However, the spread of these ancestries into the western Mediterranean where they have contributed to many populations living today remains poorly understood. We generated genome-wide ancient DNA from the Balearic Islands, Sicily, and Sardinia, increasing the number of individuals with reported data from these islands from 3 to 52. We obtained data from the oldest skeleton excavated from the Balearic islands (dating to ∼2400 BCE), and show that this individual had substantial Steppe pastoralist-derived ancestry; however, later Balearic individuals had less Steppe heritage reflecting geographic heterogeneity or immigration from groups with more European first farmer-related ancestry. In Sicily, Steppe pastoralist ancestry arrived by ∼2200 BCE and likely came at least in part fr...
International Journal of Paleopathology, 2019
OBJECTIVE To evaluate, via a multidisciplinary approach, a distinctive paleopathological conditio... more OBJECTIVE To evaluate, via a multidisciplinary approach, a distinctive paleopathological condition believed to be fibrous dysplasia, found on a 19th/20th century skeleton from Certosa Monumental Cemetery, Bologna, Italy. MATERIALS A skeletonized cranium and mandible recovered from an ossuary in 2014. METHODS Pathological alterations were analysed by radiological examination, dental macrowear, histopathological and genetic analyses. RESULT The skeleton is believed to be an adult male. Differential diagnoses include Paget's disease, McCune-Albright syndrome, osteochondroma and osteosarcoma. The radiographic findings, along with the solitary nature of the lesions, are strong evidence for the diagnosis of fibrous dysplasia (FD). Genetic analysis further revealed a frequency of ˜1% of mutant alleles with the R201C substitution, one of the post-zygotic activating mutation frequently associated with FD. CONCLUSIONS The multi-analytical method employed suggests a diagnosis of monostotic form of FD. The diagnostic design incorporates multiple lines of evidence, including macroscopic, histopathological, and genetic analyses. SIGNIFICANCE Through the use of a multi-analytic approach, robust diagnoses can be offered. This case serves as one of the oldest examples of FD from an historical context. The genetic mutation detected, associated with FD, has not been previously reported in historical/ancient samples.
Human skeletal remains from archaeological contexts could often disclose signs of traumatic injur... more Human skeletal remains from archaeological contexts could often disclose signs of traumatic injuries from ancient weapons that can reveal the interpersonal violence grade, the type of weapon equipment and the fighting techniques of a specific historical period. The aim of this work is to analyze and describe traumas in the human skeletal remains dated back to late Antiquity (V-VI centuries AD), discovered during archaeological excavations in Modena (MO); besides it’s intended to describe how such injuries were inflicted and the consequences of generated traumas. The research project aimed also to characterize individuals from an anthropologic and genetic point of view in order to identify the geographic origin of this population. Traumas were observed in four out of the thirteen individuals recovered from the excavation. Anthropological examinations reveal that they are all adult males. The edges of the lesions and the degree of penetration into the bone show sharpness of the weapon...
Quaternary Science Reviews, 2020
Abstract Equus hydruntinus was a small equid that ranged from the Iberian Peninsula to Middle Eas... more Abstract Equus hydruntinus was a small equid that ranged from the Iberian Peninsula to Middle East. In Italy it has been considered present from the Middle Pleistocene to its extinction in the Middle-Late Holocene. E. hydruntinus shares plesiomorphic traits with other known Pleistocene equids. As a consequence, its classification has always been problematic. Genetic analyses on few fossil remains from Iran and Crimea have revealed that E. hydruntinus was more closely related to extant hemiones. To further investigate its systematic position, using target-enrichment capture and next-generation sequencing, we reconstructed a near complete mitogenome of a specimen from San Teodoro Cave from Sicily radiocarbon dated at 23-21 ka cal. BP. Comparisons with extant and extinct equids demonstrate close relationship between this specimen and the Asian wild asses, supporting previous genetic and morphological studies. Furthermore, our findings confirm the occurrence of E. hydruntinus species in Sicily, that presumably might have represented a typical glacial refugium during the LGM.
Farming was first introduced to southeastern Europe in the mid-7th millennium BCE - brought by mi... more Farming was first introduced to southeastern Europe in the mid-7th millennium BCE - brought by migrants from Anatolia who settled in the region before spreading throughout Europe. To clarify the dynamics of the interaction between the first farmers and indigenous hunter-gatherers where they first met, we analyze genome-wide ancient DNA data from 223 individuals who lived in southeastern Europe and surrounding regions between 12,000 and 500 BCE. We document previously uncharacterized genetic structure, showing a West-East cline of ancestry in hunter-gatherers, and show that some Aegean farmers had ancestry from a different lineage than the northwestern Anatolian lineage that formed the overwhelming ancestry of other European farmers. We show that the first farmers of northern and western Europe passed through southeastern Europe with limited admixture with local hunter-gatherers, but that some groups mixed extensively, with relatively sex-balanced admixture compared to the male-biase...
BMC research notes, Jan 5, 2015
Here we present evidence to show that the pla gene, previously thought to be specific to Yersinia... more Here we present evidence to show that the pla gene, previously thought to be specific to Yersinia pestis, occurs in some strains of Citrobacter koseri and Escherichia coli. This means that detection of this gene on its own can no longer be taken as evidence of detection of Y. pestis.
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Papers by Giulio Catalano