Northern Saudi Arabia is regarded as one of the primary regions for prehistoric archaeological sites in the Arabian Peninsula. Extensive archaeological surveys and excavations conducted over a long history of research have revealed varying chronologies for Palaeolithic and Neolithic sites. These sites are found mainly in the Nefud Desert and volcanic landscapes, and they exhibit diverse lithic technologies, including resemblances to Acheulean, Levallois, and Neolithic productions known in central and northern Arabia. Some of these sites also display technological elements similar to those found in the Levant and Africa. Although large-scale surveys and excavations of prehistoric sites have been conducted in northern Saudi Arabia, many areas still lack extensive survey coverage and comprehensive comparative studies. This research presents a newly discovered open-air prehistoric site, identified in Trubah, northern Saudi Arabia. The site's location and surface artefact distribution reveal substantial evidence of prehistoric occupation, including Acheulean and Middle Palaeolithic horizons. Lithic classifications and measurements indicate a predominance of Acheulean and Levallois stone tool production. The data recovered from the site offer a new perspective on long-term Palaeolithic habitation by different cultural groups.
In the early 1950s, the bones of AMH ZlatP kiln 1 were discovered alongside a small collection of artefacts deep within the Koneprusy Caves system. Modern genetic research and dating techniques have placed this individual at the beginning of the modern human penetration of Europe, around 45,000 years ago. The small artefact assemblage consisted of six pieces of chipped stone industry, seven bones bearing traces of human impacts, and foreign seashell, which originated from either the Tertiary sediments of the Alpine Foredeep or the Mediterranean Sea. While the assemblage is not significant, it does not contain typical features of the younger, more evolved Aurignacian; rather, general analogies can be found in the Lincomb-Ranis-Jerzmanowice complex, which is documented at the closely related Ranis site.
The anthropological study of archaeological skeletal remains is a fundamental approach to defining the state of health and well-being of ancient populations. In this perspective, this work illustrates the first results of the study of a sample attributed to an indigenous Sicanian population from the necropolis ofBaucina (Palermo, Sicily), a settlement dated between 7th-5th centuries BCE. The remains were found inside a large artificial cave tomb which is distinguished by its monumentality and number of occupants, which amounts to fifty-nine individuals, a significant number for a population of this period. Consequently, it was decided to proceed with the study of the sample, applying anthropological methodologies for the definition of demography, paleopathological aspects, entheseal changes and non-metric traits. The results obtained provide important data concerning individual pathologies and variants of the skeletal morphology, both in adults and non-adults: for instance, individuals show osteomas, porous skeletal lesions, musculoskeletal stress markers. This study represents one of the first concerning the bio-anthropology sphere of Sicanian communities, reporting new insights regarding the lifestyle and health status in Baucina.
To investigate the connection between body measurements and the development of motor coordination in preschool-aged children, 77 children (54 boys, 23 girls) with an average age of 5.71 +/- 0.54 years were measured and tested. The study involved 9 tests to assess body measurements, which were used as predictive variables. Additionally, four tests from the KTK battery were used to evaluate motor skills and coordination. The data was analysed using descriptive and regression analyses. The average values of coordination (KTK) significantly positively correlated with anthropometric variable of body height (BH, r = a 259, p = 0.013), and significantly negatively correlated with variables of abdominal skin fold (ASF, r =-0209, p = 0.037), dorsal skinfold (DSF, r =-0.282, p = 0.007) and uper arm skin fold (UASF, r =-0.244, p = a 018). The results of the regression analysis (backward method) showed that the model that best explains the variability of the dependent variable was defined by folloving variables: forearm circumferences (FCIRC), dorsal skinfold (DSF) and upper arm skin fold (UASF) with 23.4% of explained variance. Additionally, the results suggest that children between the ages of 5 and 7 who possess greater forearm circumferences, lower dorsal skinfold, and upper arm skinfold have better coordination abilities.
Joint diseases are traditionally categorized into conditions characterized by either bone production or bone loss. Osteoarthritis (OA), or degenerative joint disease (DJD), is the primary condition under the former category, affecting synovial joints through the degeneration of articular hyaline cartilage and subsequent pathological changes in cartilage and subchondral bone. This study explores a case of probable osteoarthritis of a right elbow, secondary to trauma, from an individual from the hypogeal cemetery of Santa Maria Maggiore in Vercelli, dated to the late 18(th) to early 19(th) century. The subject, identified as Ind#3, was a male aged 50-60 years, whose remains were found in secondary deposition in an ossuary chest. Macroscopic and radiological evaluations revealed significant pathological alterations in the right elbow joint, including extensive eburnation, osteophyte formation and joint morphology changes. The study suggests that the observed DJD resulted from a significant trauma several years before death, leading to extensive bone remodeling due to continued joint use. This case contributes to the understanding of post-traumatic osteoarthritis in archaeological contexts, highlight the complexity of diagnosing OA in this context and the lack of such cases and descriptions in literature.
