Papers by Sineo Luca
![Research paper thumbnail of Iain Mathieson/[47 Authors], Michael Francken/Borislava Galabova/Georgi Ganetsovski/[59 Authors], Johannes Krause/Ron Pinhas/David Reich. THE GENOMIC HISTORY OF SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE. Nature 555, 197–210; doi:10.1038/nature25778](https://a.academia-assets.com/images/blank-paper.jpg)
by Borislava Galabova, Michael Francken, Raiko Krauß, Philipp Wolfgang Stockhammer, Isil Kucukkalipci, Darko Komšo, Alexandra Kozak, Catalin A Lazar, Pavel (Cristi) Mirea, T. Douglas Price, Angela Simalcsik, Sineo Luca, Andrej Starovic, Frederique C Valentin, Sergey Vasilyev, Joško Zaninović, Bisserka Gaydarska, Alexey G Nikitin, and Inna Potekhina To view the full article text and supplements, visit the link: https://rdcu.be/5WSc.
Farming w... more To view the full article text and supplements, visit the link: https://rdcu.be/5WSc.
Farming was first introduced to Europe in the mid-seventh millennium BC, and was associated with migrants from Anatolia who settled in the southeast before spreading throughout Europe. Here, to understand the dynamics of this process, we analysed genome-wide ancient DNA data from 225 individuals who lived in southeastern Europe and surrounding regions between 12000 and 500 BC. We document a west–east cline of ancestry in indigenous hunter-gatherers and, in Eastern Europe, the early stages in the formation of Bronze Age steppe ancestry. We show that the first farmers of northern and western Europe dispersed through southeastern Europe with limited hunter-gatherer admixture, but that some early groups in the southeast mixed extensively with hunter-gatherers without the sex-biased admixture that prevailed later in the north and west. We also show that southeastern Europe continued to be a nexus between east and west after the arrival of farmers, with intermittent genetic contact with steppe populations occurring up to 2,000 years earlier than the migrations from the steppe that ultimately replaced much of the population of northern Europe.
PNAS, 2006
Cattle domestication from wild aurochsen was among the most important innovations during the Neol... more Cattle domestication from wild aurochsen was among the most important innovations during the Neolithic agricultural revolution. The available genetic and archaeological evidence points to at least two major sites of domestication in India and in the Near East, where zebu and ...
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2017
The aim of this paper is to examine the fresh evidence retrieved in the early cemetery or 'archai... more The aim of this paper is to examine the fresh evidence retrieved in the early cemetery or 'archaic necropolis' (eighth to sixth century BC) on the island of Motya, one of the main Phoenician colonies in the Mediterranean. Because of its integrity and the large number of finds, the cemetery has been considered one of the most relevant sites for the study of early burial customs in the West. The absence of anthropological data, completely neglected in the past, was a major shortcoming of previous research. This failing is now being rectified by a new project of fieldwork and excavation undertaken on the island by a team from Palermo University. This report provides a close examination of the human remains from a group of 32 graves discovered during three seasons (2013–2015) in a combined archaeological and taphonomic perspective and contributes to shed light on the funerary practices of the Phoenicians in Sicily.
Summary
The vast wealth of cultural artifacts and ancient biological samples can today be investi... more Summary
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.
Riassunto
Il vasto patrimonio culturale di manufatti e di reperti biologici antichi può attualmente essere investigato con molte metodologie e tecnologie. Ne deriva una crescente diffusione di studi sul aDNA, isotopici e morfogeometrici e una crescita esponenziale delle pubblicazioni e dei risultati bio-archeologici di inestimabile valore per ambiti interpretativi
diversi, filogenetici, storici, archeologici. Il presente lavoro descrive uno studio morfologico e molecolare di un raro reperto di Felis proveniente da un orizzonte del Bronzo Antico. Il report offre per altro l’occasione per una breve disamina sull’addomesticamento del gatto, la provenienza di tale pratica e sull’importanza zooarcheologica della relazione con Homo nel Mediterraneo occidentale.
In this report we present a case of neoplastic disease affecting an Iron Age skull that provides ... more In this report we present a case of neoplastic disease affecting an Iron Age skull that provides some of the earliest evidence of metastatic cancer (MC) in Western Europe. The cranium comes from the indigenous site of Baucina (Palermo, Sicily) and was recovered in a multiple burial context dated to the 6th-5th centuries BCE. The skull was attributed to an adult female and was characterized by numerous perforating lytic lesions. CT and 3D imaging analyses were crucial for obtaining a diagnosis of MC. Based on the morphology of the lytic lesions and the biological profile of our specimen, we can tentatively suggest breast carcinoma as the primary origin of the clinical manifestations recorded on the skull. This work also highlights the importance of utilizing an analytical approach to paleopathology that incorporates up-to-date CT and 3D imaging techniques.
The animal and plant biodiversity of the Italian territory is known to be one of the richest in t... more The animal and plant biodiversity of the Italian territory is known to be one of the richest in the Mediterranean basin and Europe as a whole, but does the genetic diversity of extant human populations show a comparable pattern? According to a number of studies, the genetic structure of Italian populations retains the signatures of complex peopling processes which took place from the Paleolithic to modern era. Although the observed patterns highlight a remarkable degree of genetic heterogeneity, they do not, however, take into account an important source of variation. In fact, Italy is home to numerous ethno-linguistic minorities which have yet to be studied systematically. Due to their difference in geographical origin and demographic history, such groups not only signal the cultural and social diversity of our country, but they are also potential contributors to its bio-anthropological heterogeneity. To fill this gap, research groups from four Italian Universities (Bologna, Cagliari, Pisa and Roma Sapienza) started a collaborative study in 2007, which was funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research and received partial support by the Istituto Italiano di Antropologia. In this paper, we present an account of the results obtained in the course of this initiative. Four case-studies relative to linguistic minorities from the Eastern Alps, Sardinia, Apennines and Southern Italy are first described and discussed, focusing on their microevolutionary and anthropological implications. Thereafter, we present the results of a systematic analysis of the relations between linguistic, geographic and genetic isolation. Integrating the data obtained in the course of the long-term study with literature and unpublished results on Italian populations, we show that a combination of linguistic and geographic factors is probably responsible for the presence of the most robust signatures of genetic isolation. Finally, we evaluate the magnitude of the diversity of Italian populations in the European context. The human genetic diversity of our country was found to be greater than observed throughout the continent at short (0-200 km) and intermediate (700-800km) distances, and accounted for most of the highest values of genetic distances observed at all geographic ranges. Interestingly, an important contribution to this pattern comes from the "linguistic islands" (e.g. German speaking groups of Sappada and Luserna from the Eastern Italian Alps), further proof of the importance of considering social and cultural factors when studying human genetic variation.
The relationship between genetic and linguistic diversification in human populations has been oft... more The relationship between genetic and linguistic diversification in human populations has been often explored to interpret some specific issues in human history. The Albanian-speaking minorities of Sicily and Southern Italy (Arbereshe) constitute an important portion of the ethnolinguistic variability of Italy. Their linguistic isolation from neighboring Italian populations and their documented migration history, make such minorities particularly effective for investigating the interplay between cultural, geographic and historical factors. Nevertheless, the extent of Arbereshe genetic relationships with the Balkan homeland and the Italian recipient populations has been only partially investigated. In the present study we address the genetic history of Arbereshe people by combining highly resolved analyses of Y-chromosome lineages and extensive computer simulations. A large set of slow- and fast-evolving molecular markers was typed in different Arbereshe communities from Sicily and Southern Italy (Calabria), as well as in both the putative Balkan source and Italian sink populations. Our results revealed that the considered Arbereshe groups, despite speaking closely related languages and sharing common cultural features, actually experienced diverging genetic histories. The estimated proportions of genetic admixture confirm the tight relationship of Calabrian Arbereshe with modern Albanian populations, in accordance with linguistic hypotheses. On the other hand, population stratification and/or an increased permeability of linguistic and geographic barriers may be hypothesized for Sicilian groups, to account for their partial similarity with Greek populations and their higher levels of local admixture. These processes ultimately resulted in the differential acquisition or preservation of specific paternal lineages by the present-day Arbereshe communities.
Conservation …, Jan 1, 2008
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2011
The subsistence of hunter-gatherers in the Mediterranean Basin has been the object of few studies... more The subsistence of hunter-gatherers in the Mediterranean Basin has been the object of few studies, which have not fully clarified the role of aquatic resources in their diets. Here we present the results of AMS radiocarbon dating and of isotope analyses on the earliest directly-dated human remains from Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The radiocarbon determinations show that the Upper Palaeolithic (Epigravettian) humans from Grotta di San Teodoro (15 232e14 126 cal. BP) and Grotta Addaura Caprara (16 060e15 007 cal. BP) date to the Late-glacial and were possibly contemporary. The diets of these individuals were dominated by the protein of large terrestrial mammalian herbivores, such as red deer (Cervus elaphus). There is no evidence for the consumption of marine resources, which is probably the result not only of the oligotrophic nature of the Mediterranean, but also perhaps of the lack of adequate technology for exploiting intensively the resources from this sea. In spite of being contemporaneous and of the cultural and technological affinities present between the San Teodoro and Addaura humans, the carbon (d 13 C) and nitrogen (d 15 N) isotope composition of their bone collagen suggests that significant differences were present in their diets. In particular, the hunter-gatherers from Grotta di San Teodoro, in NE Sicily where coastal plains are backed by high mountain chains (Monti Nebrodi), probably had easy access to resources such as anadromous brown trout (Salmo trutta), which might not have been similarly available in the NW of the island, where reliefs are noticeably lower and watercourses fewer and farther between. This study shows that the high biodiversity of this region, which results from the complex topography of Mediterranean landscapes, was probably exploited opportunistically by Lateglacial foragers. Our data also suggest that intensification and diversification of food acquisition in Sicily did not start in the closing stages of the late Pleistocene, as in other Mediterranean regions, probably because the island had only been (re-)colonized by humans around the Last Glacial Maximum.
PLoS ONE, 2012
Hunter-gatherers living in Europe during the transition from the late Pleistocene to the Holocene... more Hunter-gatherers living in Europe during the transition from the late Pleistocene to the Holocene intensified food acquisition by broadening the range of resources exploited to include marine taxa. However, little is known on the nature of this dietary change in the Mediterranean Basin. A key area to investigate this issue is the archipelago of the Ègadi Islands, most of which were connected to Sicily until the early Holocene. The site of Grotta d'Oriente, on the present-day island of Favignana, was occupied by hunter-gatherers when Postglacial environmental changes were taking place (14,000-7,500 cal BP). Here we present the results of AMS radiocarbon dating, palaeogenetic and isotopic analyses undertaken on skeletal remains of the humans buried at Grotta d'Oriente. Analyses of the mitochondrial hypervariable first region of individual Oriente B, which belongs to the HV-1 haplogroup, suggest for the first time on genetic grounds that humans living in Sicily during the early Holocene could have originated from groups that migrated from the Italian Peninsula around the Last Glacial Maximum. Carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses show that the Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic hunter-gatherers of Favignana consumed almost exclusively protein from terrestrial game and that there was only a slight increase in marine food consumption from the late Pleistocene to the early Holocene. This dietary change was similar in scale to that at sites on mainland Sicily and in the rest of the Mediterranean, suggesting that the hunter-gatherers of Grotta d'Oriente did not modify their subsistence strategies specifically to adapt to the progressive isolation of Favignana. The limited development of technologies for intensively exploiting marine resources was probably a consequence both of Mediterranean oligotrophy and of the small effective population size of these increasingly isolated human groups, which made innovation less likely and prevented transmission of fitness-enhancing adaptations.
The animal and plant biodiversity of the Italian territory is known to be one of the richest in t... more The animal and plant biodiversity of the Italian territory is known to be one of the richest in the Mediterranean basin and Europe as a whole, but does the genetic diversity of extant human populations show a comparable pattern? According to a number of studies, the genetic structure of Italian populations retains the signatures of complex peopling processes which took place from the Paleolithic to modern era. Although the observed patterns highlight a remarkable degree of genetic heterogeneity, they do not, however, take into account an important source of variation. In fact, Italy is home to numerous ethnolinguistic minorities which have yet to be studied systematically. Due to their difference in geographical origin and demographic history, such groups not only signal the cultural and social diversity of our country, but they are also potential contributors to its bio-anthropological heterogeneity. To fill this gap, research groups from four Italian Universities (Bologna, Cagliari, Pisa and Roma Sapienza) started a collaborative study in 2007, which was funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research and received partial support by the Istituto Italiano di Antropologia. In this paper, we present an account of the results obtained in the course of this initiative. Four case-studies relative to linguistic minorities from the Eastern Alps, Sardinia, Apennines and Southern Italy are first described and discussed, focusing on their micro-evolutionary and anthropological implications. Thereafter, we present the results of a systematic analysis of the relations between linguistic, geographic and genetic isolation. Integrating the data obtained in the course of the long-term study with literature and unpublished results on Italian populations, we show that a combination of linguistic and geographic factors is probably responsible for the presence of the most robust signatures of genetic isolation. Finally, we evaluate the magnitude of the diversity of Italian populations in the European context. The human genetic diversity of our country was found to be greater than observed throughout the continent at short (0-200 km) and intermediate (700-800km) distances, and accounted for most of the highest values of genetic distances observed at all geographic ranges. Interestingly, an important contribution to this pattern comes from the "linguistic islands" (e.g. German speaking groups of Sappada and Luserna from the Eastern Italian Alps), further proof of the importance of considering social and cultural factors when studying human genetic variation.
Il Quaternario-Italian …, 2010
Incarbona, A., Agate, M., Arisco, G., Bonomo, S., Buccheri, G., Di Patti, C., et al. (2010). Ambi... more Incarbona, A., Agate, M., Arisco, G., Bonomo, S., Buccheri, G., Di Patti, C., et al. (2010). Ambiente e clima della Sicilia durante gli ultimi 20 mila anni. Il Quaternario - Italian Journal of Quaternary Sciences, 2010(23 (1)), 21-35. ... Ambiente e clima della Sicilia durante gli ultimi 20 mila ...
Central European Journal of Geosciences, 2010
We present a thorough review of the knowledge on the climate and environment in Sicily over the l... more We present a thorough review of the knowledge on the climate and environment in Sicily over the last 20 000 years, taking into account results of several studies carried using terrestrial and marine records. We obtain a coherent framework of the most important changes succeeded in the island, even if some points need further investigation. All the reconstructions of surface temperatures of the seas and the air surrounding Sicily point out severe climatic conditions during the last glacial period. The steppe- and semisteppe-like vegetation pattern testifies, together with additional evidence from geochemical data of lacustrine evidence, markedly arid conditions. Fi-nally, significant episodes of sea level drop connected Sicily to the Italian Peninsula and favoured the dispersion of faunal elements from southern Italy. The transition between the last glacial and the Holocene was not characterized by a gradual warming but was punctuated by two abrupt suborbital climatic fluctuations: Bølling-Allerød (warm) and Younger Dryas (cold), as recognized in the sediments recovered close to the northern and southern coast of Sicily. A denser arboreal cover is possibly indicated by the occurrence of dormouse and Arvicola remains. Finally the sensitivity of Sicily to climate perturbations is demonstrated by the occurrence of repeated subtle climatic anomalies during the Holocene, including the Little Ice Age, also known from historical chronicles. Forests, woods and Mediterranean maquis developed in the early-middle Holocene. Thereafter was a general decline of arboreal vegetation, following a general aridification trend that seems to be a common feature in southern Europe and North Africa. Science Greek colonization (7th century before Christ), the landscape was intensively modelled for agriculture and breeding, leading to a significant loss of vegetation cover.
Encephalopathy in sheep was at first described in Ireland in 1732 and was called scrapie. Ancient... more Encephalopathy in sheep was at first described in Ireland in 1732 and was called scrapie. Ancient DNA in archaeogenetics represents an effective method to evaluate the ancestral pedigree of living animals and track evolutionary changes occurred between the past and the present day. Since several point mutations are today widely described in modern scrapie, no data about both sequence and frequency are still available for the prion protein (PrP) gene in ancient breeds. In order
to evaluate whether the haplotypes distribution in ancient sheep differed from those of the modern population we evaluated polymorphism at four well know codons of the Prp Open Reading Frame. In the present work, we collected 37 medieval sheep bone remains found at the Calathamet
(n = 11), Palazzo Bonagia (n = 12) and Palazzo Steri (n = 14) Sicilians archeological sites and dated back between 9th - 15th century. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at codons 136, 141, 154 and 171 of the prion protein (PrP) were investigated using cycle sequencing. Sequenom Mass ARRAYiPLEX platform confirmed the results for 5 individuals out of 37. Cycle sequencing showed at all samples the AA136LL141RR154QQ171 (hereafter ALRQ/ALRQ) genotype except at 2 individuals showing the very susceptible genotype VLRQ/VLRQ (n = 1) and the resistant (ALRR/ALRR) (n = 1) respectively. Supported by a high incidence of susceptible genotype to prion infection we concluded that presumably scrapie was already widespread enough in the medieval Sicily.
Moreover, we described conceivable scenarios that could have underlain evolutionary changes in the medieval sheep population.
Summary — The modern mummies and the inner meaning of the double burial in Mediterranean
cultures... more Summary — The modern mummies and the inner meaning of the double burial in Mediterranean
cultures have long been debated. In this paper we discuss a particular “collection” of ecclesiastical
bodies, mummified and displayed in a small mountain town of Sicily, Gangi, in the Madonie Mountains.
The bodies, dating back to the nineteenth century, mummified by pouring in the tradition of the time
and carefully dressed in robes, are exposed in the lower floor of the Chiesa Madre, in what the tradition
is called “fossa dei parrini” (pit of priests). The mummies, unlike other Sicilian and Mediterranean sites,
are accompanied by commemorative sonnet and death mask made of finish wax. The primary interest
of our study was aimed specifically at this particular manifestation of the double burial complex, which
lies in the representation of the face. The work expresses an examination of the concept of death
mask in antiquity and leads to the conclusion that the place, for its scenic values and sophistication of
ritual, should be designed to the ostentation and the consolidation of the image of the Church
and of the his power within the small rural society.
Vengono presentati i risultati di uno studio multidisciplinare condotto nell'area de La Montagnol... more Vengono presentati i risultati di uno studio multidisciplinare condotto nell'area de La Montagnola (Sicilia centrale). L'area indagata presenta peculiari aspetti scientifici e culturali. Essa costituisce un settore rappresentativo della geologia e della geomorfologia dei Monti Sicani. In questo settore si riconoscono: successioni di carbonati di mare profondo, del Giurassico-Eocene (successione Imerese) e le coperture clastico-torbiditiche dell'Oligo-Miocene (flysch Numidico); successioni di depositi clastico-evaporitici di bacino di wedge-top, del Miocene Pliocene; culminazioni anticlinaliche e fronte SO delle unità Imeresi sovrascorse sulle unità Sicane; forme fluviali di approfondimento, forme strutturali derivate, forme gravitative e forme di ruscellamento diffuso o concentrato, quali tipiche morfologie dei rilievi collinari della Sicilia centrale. Dal punto di vista speleologico e carsologico, l'elemento più significativo presente nell'area indagata, che costituisce anche l'emergenza di maggiore interesse, è la Grotta dell'Acqua Fitusa. Questa grotta è costituita da un sistema di cavità sotterranee la cui genesi è dovuta alla risalita di acque termali profonde di natura sulfurea. Al suo interno sono stati inoltre ritrovati resti scheletrici ed industriali di Homo sapiens, che conferiscono a questa cavità un importante valore antropologico; così come di sicuro interesse antropologico è la Rocca del Vruaro, con i suoi reperti industriali. La totalità dei dati acquisiti mostra quindi un'area con elementi geologici e antropologici significativi, di una certa importanza scientifica e culturale, tali da giustificare la proposizione di un Geosito.
Bias in skeletal sexing is well known and depends upon the completeness of the skeletal remains. ... more Bias in skeletal sexing is well known and depends upon the completeness of the skeletal remains. The problem is very hard concerning prehistorical remains. We applied 'Visual methods' and 'Probabilistic Sex Diagnosis' (DSP) on the coxal bones on the Epigravettian skeleton (ST1) from San Teodoro (Messina, Sicily). On the basis of cranial characters and the overall robustness of the postcranial skeleton, it was suggested, since the time of the discovery, a male sex for ST1. This determination was later modified on the basis of the pelvic girdle morphology, and the skeleton was attributed the female sex for many years by large consensus.
Conference Presentations by Sineo Luca
XXI Congresso AAI-Associazione Antropologica Italiana - Patrocinato dall'Università di Bologna (Bologna-Ravenna, 3-5 settembre ), 2015
La campagna 2014 dell’Università di Palermo ha ampliato lo scavo nella necropoli arcaica (Zona N)... more La campagna 2014 dell’Università di Palermo ha ampliato lo scavo nella necropoli arcaica (Zona N) ove, oltre alla trincea N15 (aperta nel 2013), è stata aperta una nuova trincea denominata N23. In entrambe le trincee sono stati rinvenuti numerosi reperti scheletrici il cui studio ha gettato nuova luce sui riti funerari praticati nell’ isola. Nel corso dell’ultima missione infatti in N15 e N23 sono stati ritrovati i resti di oltre 40 individui appartenenti a diverse classi d’età (fetali, infans, giovani e
adulti), inumati in fosse terragne o tombe, in sepolture sia singole che multiple. I pochi casi di incinerazione trovati mostrano ossa combuste ad una temperatura di circa 700°C; solo in un caso (locus 15070), dove sono stati ritrovati i resti di una pira molto estesa, sono state riscontrate ossa diagenizzate da temperature superiori ai 900°C. La maggior parte degli inumati del area quindi non è stata incinerata ma semplicemente seppellita dopo una probabile riduzione. Questi dati confermano che tale settore della necropoli non fosse dedicato esclusivamente all’inumazione di determinate classi d’età (le sepolture potevano contenere classi di età molto diverse) ma anche che le stesse sepolture (site nel terreno o in urne o ciste) oltre a poter contener più individui, avvenivano anche senza il preventivo rito dell’incinerazione. Queste differenze nel rituale possono essere spiegate, oltre che da contingenze puntuali (eventi di morte massiva e improvvisa), anche a diversa
provenienza etnica e a diverse culture insistenti sull’isola nel periodo.
XXI Congresso AAI-Associazione Antropologica Italiana - Patrocinato dall'Università di Bologna (Bologna-Ravenna, 3-5 settembre) , 2015
La necropoli arcaica di Mozia è uno dei siti di maggior interesse per lo studio dei costumi funer... more La necropoli arcaica di Mozia è uno dei siti di maggior interesse per lo studio dei costumi funerari dei Punici. Malgrado ciò l’analisi antropologica delle oltre 300 sepolture rinvenute è stata in passato trascurata. In questo lavoro vengono esaminate le sepolture del settore orientale della necropoli arcaica (Zona N) ove, nel 2013 si sono aperte due trincee (N15 e N16). L’analisi antropologica ha consentito di stabilire il numero minimo ed l’età degli individui; nonché di valutare le procedure di incinerazione. Tra i dati ottenuti due casi sono caratterizzati dalla composizione mista del contesto funerario: il locus 15040 conteneva resti relativi ad un individuo infans e ad un adulto, la cista T.219 conteneva materiali relativi a due adulti e un infans. Le temperature di combustione sono risultate superiori ai 645 gradi C° in entrambi i casi. Dalla T.212 è stato studiato un infans, incinerato in modo parziale, inumato in una certa connessione anatomica, in posizione verticale con
il cranio adagiato sul fondo. Alla luce di questi dati è plausibile ipotizzare che questo settore dellanecropoli non fosse dedicato esclusivamente all’incinerazione di determinate classi di età e che le sepolture, contrariamente a quanto atteso, potevano contenere più individui, di classi di età molto diverse.
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Papers by Sineo Luca
Farming was first introduced to Europe in the mid-seventh millennium BC, and was associated with migrants from Anatolia who settled in the southeast before spreading throughout Europe. Here, to understand the dynamics of this process, we analysed genome-wide ancient DNA data from 225 individuals who lived in southeastern Europe and surrounding regions between 12000 and 500 BC. We document a west–east cline of ancestry in indigenous hunter-gatherers and, in Eastern Europe, the early stages in the formation of Bronze Age steppe ancestry. We show that the first farmers of northern and western Europe dispersed through southeastern Europe with limited hunter-gatherer admixture, but that some early groups in the southeast mixed extensively with hunter-gatherers without the sex-biased admixture that prevailed later in the north and west. We also show that southeastern Europe continued to be a nexus between east and west after the arrival of farmers, with intermittent genetic contact with steppe populations occurring up to 2,000 years earlier than the migrations from the steppe that ultimately replaced much of the population of northern Europe.
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.
Riassunto
Il vasto patrimonio culturale di manufatti e di reperti biologici antichi può attualmente essere investigato con molte metodologie e tecnologie. Ne deriva una crescente diffusione di studi sul aDNA, isotopici e morfogeometrici e una crescita esponenziale delle pubblicazioni e dei risultati bio-archeologici di inestimabile valore per ambiti interpretativi
diversi, filogenetici, storici, archeologici. Il presente lavoro descrive uno studio morfologico e molecolare di un raro reperto di Felis proveniente da un orizzonte del Bronzo Antico. Il report offre per altro l’occasione per una breve disamina sull’addomesticamento del gatto, la provenienza di tale pratica e sull’importanza zooarcheologica della relazione con Homo nel Mediterraneo occidentale.
to evaluate whether the haplotypes distribution in ancient sheep differed from those of the modern population we evaluated polymorphism at four well know codons of the Prp Open Reading Frame. In the present work, we collected 37 medieval sheep bone remains found at the Calathamet
(n = 11), Palazzo Bonagia (n = 12) and Palazzo Steri (n = 14) Sicilians archeological sites and dated back between 9th - 15th century. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at codons 136, 141, 154 and 171 of the prion protein (PrP) were investigated using cycle sequencing. Sequenom Mass ARRAYiPLEX platform confirmed the results for 5 individuals out of 37. Cycle sequencing showed at all samples the AA136LL141RR154QQ171 (hereafter ALRQ/ALRQ) genotype except at 2 individuals showing the very susceptible genotype VLRQ/VLRQ (n = 1) and the resistant (ALRR/ALRR) (n = 1) respectively. Supported by a high incidence of susceptible genotype to prion infection we concluded that presumably scrapie was already widespread enough in the medieval Sicily.
Moreover, we described conceivable scenarios that could have underlain evolutionary changes in the medieval sheep population.
cultures have long been debated. In this paper we discuss a particular “collection” of ecclesiastical
bodies, mummified and displayed in a small mountain town of Sicily, Gangi, in the Madonie Mountains.
The bodies, dating back to the nineteenth century, mummified by pouring in the tradition of the time
and carefully dressed in robes, are exposed in the lower floor of the Chiesa Madre, in what the tradition
is called “fossa dei parrini” (pit of priests). The mummies, unlike other Sicilian and Mediterranean sites,
are accompanied by commemorative sonnet and death mask made of finish wax. The primary interest
of our study was aimed specifically at this particular manifestation of the double burial complex, which
lies in the representation of the face. The work expresses an examination of the concept of death
mask in antiquity and leads to the conclusion that the place, for its scenic values and sophistication of
ritual, should be designed to the ostentation and the consolidation of the image of the Church
and of the his power within the small rural society.
Conference Presentations by Sineo Luca
adulti), inumati in fosse terragne o tombe, in sepolture sia singole che multiple. I pochi casi di incinerazione trovati mostrano ossa combuste ad una temperatura di circa 700°C; solo in un caso (locus 15070), dove sono stati ritrovati i resti di una pira molto estesa, sono state riscontrate ossa diagenizzate da temperature superiori ai 900°C. La maggior parte degli inumati del area quindi non è stata incinerata ma semplicemente seppellita dopo una probabile riduzione. Questi dati confermano che tale settore della necropoli non fosse dedicato esclusivamente all’inumazione di determinate classi d’età (le sepolture potevano contenere classi di età molto diverse) ma anche che le stesse sepolture (site nel terreno o in urne o ciste) oltre a poter contener più individui, avvenivano anche senza il preventivo rito dell’incinerazione. Queste differenze nel rituale possono essere spiegate, oltre che da contingenze puntuali (eventi di morte massiva e improvvisa), anche a diversa
provenienza etnica e a diverse culture insistenti sull’isola nel periodo.
il cranio adagiato sul fondo. Alla luce di questi dati è plausibile ipotizzare che questo settore dellanecropoli non fosse dedicato esclusivamente all’incinerazione di determinate classi di età e che le sepolture, contrariamente a quanto atteso, potevano contenere più individui, di classi di età molto diverse.
Farming was first introduced to Europe in the mid-seventh millennium BC, and was associated with migrants from Anatolia who settled in the southeast before spreading throughout Europe. Here, to understand the dynamics of this process, we analysed genome-wide ancient DNA data from 225 individuals who lived in southeastern Europe and surrounding regions between 12000 and 500 BC. We document a west–east cline of ancestry in indigenous hunter-gatherers and, in Eastern Europe, the early stages in the formation of Bronze Age steppe ancestry. We show that the first farmers of northern and western Europe dispersed through southeastern Europe with limited hunter-gatherer admixture, but that some early groups in the southeast mixed extensively with hunter-gatherers without the sex-biased admixture that prevailed later in the north and west. We also show that southeastern Europe continued to be a nexus between east and west after the arrival of farmers, with intermittent genetic contact with steppe populations occurring up to 2,000 years earlier than the migrations from the steppe that ultimately replaced much of the population of northern Europe.
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.
Riassunto
Il vasto patrimonio culturale di manufatti e di reperti biologici antichi può attualmente essere investigato con molte metodologie e tecnologie. Ne deriva una crescente diffusione di studi sul aDNA, isotopici e morfogeometrici e una crescita esponenziale delle pubblicazioni e dei risultati bio-archeologici di inestimabile valore per ambiti interpretativi
diversi, filogenetici, storici, archeologici. Il presente lavoro descrive uno studio morfologico e molecolare di un raro reperto di Felis proveniente da un orizzonte del Bronzo Antico. Il report offre per altro l’occasione per una breve disamina sull’addomesticamento del gatto, la provenienza di tale pratica e sull’importanza zooarcheologica della relazione con Homo nel Mediterraneo occidentale.
to evaluate whether the haplotypes distribution in ancient sheep differed from those of the modern population we evaluated polymorphism at four well know codons of the Prp Open Reading Frame. In the present work, we collected 37 medieval sheep bone remains found at the Calathamet
(n = 11), Palazzo Bonagia (n = 12) and Palazzo Steri (n = 14) Sicilians archeological sites and dated back between 9th - 15th century. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at codons 136, 141, 154 and 171 of the prion protein (PrP) were investigated using cycle sequencing. Sequenom Mass ARRAYiPLEX platform confirmed the results for 5 individuals out of 37. Cycle sequencing showed at all samples the AA136LL141RR154QQ171 (hereafter ALRQ/ALRQ) genotype except at 2 individuals showing the very susceptible genotype VLRQ/VLRQ (n = 1) and the resistant (ALRR/ALRR) (n = 1) respectively. Supported by a high incidence of susceptible genotype to prion infection we concluded that presumably scrapie was already widespread enough in the medieval Sicily.
Moreover, we described conceivable scenarios that could have underlain evolutionary changes in the medieval sheep population.
cultures have long been debated. In this paper we discuss a particular “collection” of ecclesiastical
bodies, mummified and displayed in a small mountain town of Sicily, Gangi, in the Madonie Mountains.
The bodies, dating back to the nineteenth century, mummified by pouring in the tradition of the time
and carefully dressed in robes, are exposed in the lower floor of the Chiesa Madre, in what the tradition
is called “fossa dei parrini” (pit of priests). The mummies, unlike other Sicilian and Mediterranean sites,
are accompanied by commemorative sonnet and death mask made of finish wax. The primary interest
of our study was aimed specifically at this particular manifestation of the double burial complex, which
lies in the representation of the face. The work expresses an examination of the concept of death
mask in antiquity and leads to the conclusion that the place, for its scenic values and sophistication of
ritual, should be designed to the ostentation and the consolidation of the image of the Church
and of the his power within the small rural society.
adulti), inumati in fosse terragne o tombe, in sepolture sia singole che multiple. I pochi casi di incinerazione trovati mostrano ossa combuste ad una temperatura di circa 700°C; solo in un caso (locus 15070), dove sono stati ritrovati i resti di una pira molto estesa, sono state riscontrate ossa diagenizzate da temperature superiori ai 900°C. La maggior parte degli inumati del area quindi non è stata incinerata ma semplicemente seppellita dopo una probabile riduzione. Questi dati confermano che tale settore della necropoli non fosse dedicato esclusivamente all’inumazione di determinate classi d’età (le sepolture potevano contenere classi di età molto diverse) ma anche che le stesse sepolture (site nel terreno o in urne o ciste) oltre a poter contener più individui, avvenivano anche senza il preventivo rito dell’incinerazione. Queste differenze nel rituale possono essere spiegate, oltre che da contingenze puntuali (eventi di morte massiva e improvvisa), anche a diversa
provenienza etnica e a diverse culture insistenti sull’isola nel periodo.
il cranio adagiato sul fondo. Alla luce di questi dati è plausibile ipotizzare che questo settore dellanecropoli non fosse dedicato esclusivamente all’incinerazione di determinate classi di età e che le sepolture, contrariamente a quanto atteso, potevano contenere più individui, di classi di età molto diverse.