Microbiological investigations of skin, hair, and intra-corporeal tissue of the mummified body of Zsofia SeredyAndrassy, who had been laid to rest in a glass coffin in the Krasna Horka Castle in southeastern Slovakia, revealed necrobiome dominated by the phylum Firmicutes followed by representatives of the phyla Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria. Optically visible bright-to-yellow mineral precipitates on the skin and organs are dominated by potassium sulphate (the mineral arcanite), with a minor admixture of chlorides (probably halite). Only a very rare calcium carbonate has been identified on the hair surface. The high concentrations of potassium in both tissue and hair, together with the 34S-rich isotope compositions of keratin sulphur (delta 34S = 11.6-11.7%o CDT) and skin leachate (delta 34S = 7.1-8.5%o CDT), suggest either the excessive use of K2SO4 during medical treatment or intentional embalming - the first such documented case in Europe for the period. Biogenic microbial or fungal origin of essentially pure K2SO4 is highly unlikely. The high residual levels of non-excreted salts, combined with the dry microclimatic environment of church crypt, resulted in the body mummification and crystallization of potassium sulphate on the skin surface and internal organs. The commonly accepted conjecture regarding the natural mummification of Zsofia's corpse, which is believed to be caused by calcium hydrogen carbonate or calcium bicarbonate-rich drip water and subsequent desiccation, should be rejected.

Individual identification plays an important role in forensic anthropology, where biological profiles are created. Estimating body height is a key parameter, alongside age, sex and ethnicity. This study aims to assess the relationship between height and hand dimensions, and to develop regression equations specific to the Slovak population. The sample consists of 125 women and 90 men aged 18-30. Twenty-two hand dimensions were measured on both hands (hand length and width, palm length, finger length, and the length of individual finger phalanges), as well as participants' height. The measurement data were subsequently analysed using simple and multiple regression analysis. Significant differences between the sexes were found for all measured variables, with bilateral asymmetry observed for certain dimensions. The accuracy of predicting height using these hand dimension-based equations ranges from ±5.14 to ±5.92 cm for women and from ±5.57 to ±7.35 cm for men. The results indicate a positive correlation between height and all hand-related variables (R = 0.366-0.894, p < 0.001), with a stronger association observed between hand and finger length than between finger phalanx length and height. Our study provides equations that can be used to estimate stature based on palm and finger measurements among Slovaks.

The subject of this multidisciplinary forensic archaeological-anthropological research is a near-complete skeleton of a woman aged 40–49 years with possible perimortal cranial trauma, found within a known archaeological site from the 7th−3rd century calBCE. The skeleton (without any artefacts) was exhumed by speleologists from a depth of 14 metres, 2.8 m below the sedimentary deposit, in a deep and narrow karst abyss known as Studňa na Jame, which is located in the district of Liptovský Mikuláš in the Low Tatra Mountains (Liptov Region, north Slovakia). Enthesopathies rank her among strong, physically-working individuals living in a mountainous terrain. Analysis of δ13C and δ15N testify to a terrestrial diet with high animal protein. A Bayesian chronological model with two 14C dates and osteological prior information suggested her death occurred in the 19th−20th centuries calCE. Oral history research in the nearby village concluded that reportedly, after 1870, an adult woman of a known name had gone missing. Genealogical and archival research produced her date of birth and later corrected the earliest possible date of missing to 1891. Analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial aDNA extracted from her molar were used for identification of the skeletal remains. Her only found living female offspring could not be sampled for DNA due to ethical reasons. Therefore, profound archival genealogical research was conducted and two living distant matrilineal relatives were identified. They were chosen as probands and were DNA matched as relatives of the studied woman, whom we refer to as LM. Hence, we could add her date of birth as new prior information in the Bayesian chronological model and, eventually, estimate her date of death to 1891–1911 calCE. In Slovakia, this is the first forensic archaeological-anthropological case of successful identification of a missing person from skeletal remains using a strong, multidisciplinary, case-specific research toolkit rooted both in sciences and humanities.

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of chronic sinusitis in an osteoarchaeological sample from the Kostolec cemetery in the Ducové village (Slovakia) dated from the Late Bronze Age (1250–1000 BC) to the Modern Age (mid 16th–mid 19th century AD). The skeletons of 1,746 individuals were examined: 13 from the Late Bronze Age (LBA), 28 from the Great Moravian Period (GM), 1,468 from the Medieval Period (M) and 237 from the Modern Age (MA). The prevalence of sinusitis was 11.11

To quantify the prevalence and topographic distribution of accessory cranial bones in children with sagittal craniosynostosis versus trauma controls, and to assess their incremental diagnostic value beyond cranial index, age and anterior fontanelle status. We conducted a retrospective review of head computed tomography (CT) examinations [axial images and three-dimensional computed tomography (3D CT) reconstructions] in 442 infants aged 0–24 months (94 with sagittal craniosynostosis; 348 trauma controls) acquired between 2014 and 2024. Accessory bones were classified using predefined anatomical criteria. Group differences were tested using chi-squared or Fisher’s exact tests with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. We compared two logistic regression models: a baseline model incorporating cranial index, age and anterior fontanelle status, and an extended model incorporating three prespecified ossicle variables. Accessory cranial bones were more prevalent in infants with craniosynostosis than in the trauma control group [79.8

Sinusitis is classified among the inflammatory diseases of the paranasal sinuses. Is divided into acute and chronic inflammation. There is not much research on respiratory conditions on bioarcheological material from the whole world, and none has been conducted in Slovakia. This study aims to enrich the data on sinusitis in our region. The sample from the cemetery in Ducové, with 1881 uncovered graves, with 1745 individuals represents the largest dataset from both Slovakia and the Czech Republic. We estimated sex, age categories, and sinusitis prevalence among individuals based on chronological factors. The remains from this burial site are dated to the Late Bronze Age to the Modern Age. The individuals were divided into four sets: the Late Bronze Age (LBA) set, the Great Moravian (GM) set, the Medieval (M) set, and the Modern (MA) set. In all sets, we revealed a high percentage of sinusitis prevalence: 20.00% LBA, 45.00% GM, 38.39% M, and 37.16% MA. The difference in the prevalence of sinusitis between the age groups was probably due to exposure to adverse factors. There were no significant differences between males and females. The study confirmed our hypotheses of an increase in the prevalence of sinusitis with increasing age, but the magnitude of environmental burden or type of environmental burden and the association with social status could not be revealed.

Orofacial clefts are a common developmental anomaly in living individuals; however, skulls with clefts are relatively rarely found in archaeological specimens. The presented research is dealing with the first and only historical skeletal case of cleft lip and palate from the territory of Slovakia. The skeletal remains belonged to a juvenile male impiously buried in a storage pit together with an adult male. The position of the skeletons strongly suggests that the deposition of the two bodies was a single event, dated to the mid-seventeenth century or in the late eighteenth century calAD. A juvenile male found in a squatting position at the bottom of the pit was affected by an incomplete unilateral cleft palate combined with a right-sided cleft lip. The defect was associated with dental anomalies and defects such as supernumerary teeth and enamel hypoplasia, as well as dysmorphology of the facial complex. Both the affected juvenile male and the adult male consumed meat, indicating their stable, if not higher, social status. That, coupled with the fact that the individual with cleft lived to the age of 16–18 years, suggests that at least this younger male must have been well cared for and lived in an economically and socially stable environment. The buried males were not biologically related and were probably of Western European origin. All these facts indicate that they were travelling foreigners from the higher class who died unexpectedly with a possibility of a violent death.

The article brings the first information about the research of the baroque church of St. Nicholas in Kovarce, dist. Topolcany. The research was carried out in 2016-2019 and was induced by the construction activity (hot water connection and lightning conductor). During the archaeological research, several new building units were uncovered and documented: a smaller room in the NW corner of the church, a crypt under the northern sacristy and the eastern part of the extinct original polygonal Gothic presbytery of the older church. Three medieval graves from the church cemetery were also documented. In the crypt we documented the remains of A. Wels from the end of the 19th century. (Great-grandfather of British actress A. Hepburn). Material culture acquired during the research documents the life in the village in the 17th-18th century and grave equipment of the second half of the 19th cent. The anthropological analysis of found skeletal remains is also a part of the paper.

The anti of the study was to determine the diet of the historical human population using trace elements in dental tissues and dental buccal microwear Although 466 individuals had been buried in the cemetery, preservation of the remains did not allow analysis of all of them. 34 permanent premolars and one permanent molar from 35 individuals were analysed for trace elements. Dental microwear was studied in 26 permanent molars of the same individuals. Both trace-element and microwear analyses were performed 012 26 individuals, of the remaining nine individuals' only trace elements avers analysed. All analysed teeth avers intact, with fully developed roots, without dental calculus and macro-abrasion. Concentrations of Sr Zn, and Ca, and their ratios, were used to determine the relative proportions of plant and animal protein in the diet. Samples were analysed using optical emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma. The values of the Sr and Zn concentrations indicate that a diet of the examined population was of a mixed character. A higher intake of animal protein was detected in individuals of higher social status. Apparently, within the population there were individuals whose content of trace elements ill dental tissue did not reflect the way of feeding, resp. social status, but was instead related to their health. Buccal microwear was studied in molds of buccal surfaces and observed at 100x magnification with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Length and orientation of striations were determined with the SigmaScan Pro 5,0 image analysis program. The results obtained from microwear analysis correspond with those,from trace-element analysis and showed that the population consumed a mixed diet, which contained higher proportion of abrasive components. The way of feeding of this historical population could be similar to recent populations of hunters and gatherers, and the greater density and length of scratches may have been caused by other technology of food preparing

The stature and the body weight as part of the biological profile can aid the personal identification. The dimensions of the human foot, as well as the footprint, can be used for the prediction due to the existence of its positive correlation with the stature and body weight. Five diagonal axes and ball breadth of bilateral static footprints of 132 young Slovak adults were obtained. All diameters were larger in a male group than female group. No bilateral differences were found except the first diagonal axis and ball breadth. A positive correlations between the selected footprint diameters with the stature (r = 0.37-0.64) and the body weight (r = 0.29-0.71) were confirmed. The linear and multiple regression prediction equations were developed. A stature prediction equation using the most lateral diameters (the fourth and fifth diagonal axis) exhibited the highest accuracy ranging from 4 to 7.5 cm. Similar results were found for the body weight estimation of the male and mixed group. In the female group, the most medial axis (first and second) exhibited the highest accuracy. The body weight estimation accuracy ranges from 9.09 to 11.09 kg. The real and predicted stature and body weight were compared and found differences were lower than calculated SEEs. Thresholds and prediction trend of under- or overestimation was identified. The results of the present study show that selected measurements of static footprints could be used to predict stature and body weight but should be applied only for Slovaks due to population specificity.

In this study, we want to distinguish soil contamination from elements which come from calculus (which are special for the individual). We continue in our previous study (Fialova et. al. 2016) to recognize elements from external environment which can affect the results of an authentic composition of dental calculus. A sample of dental calculus came from a 20-29-year-old female from the burial site Kopcany Kacenareň (from the 9th-10th century, Slovak Republic). For the SEM-EDX analysis, a SEM Magellan 400 (FEI) equipped with an ED APOLLO X Silicon Drift Detector (EDAX) was used.

The area of the oral vestibule is often a place where pathologies appear (e.g., peripheral odontomas). The origin of these pathologies is not fully understood. In the present study, we traced a cell population expressing Sonic hedgehog (Shh) from the beginning of tooth development using Cre-LoxP system in the lower jaw of wild-type (WT) mice. We focused on Shh expression in the area of the early appearing rudimentaryincisor germs located anteriorly to the prospective incisors. The localization of the labelled cells in the incisor germs and also in the inner epithelial layer of the vestibular anlage showed that the first very early developmental events in the lower incisor area are common to the vestibulum oris and the prospective incisor primordia in mice. Scanning electron microscopic analysis of human historical tooth-like structures found in the vestibular area of jaws confirmedtheir relation to teeth and thus the capability of the vestibular tissue to form teeth. The location of labelled cells descendant of the early appearing Shh expression domain related to the rudimentary incisor anlage not only in the rudimentary and functional incisor germs but also in the externally located anlage of the oral vestibule documented the odontogenic potential of the vestibular epithelium. This potential can be awakened under pathological conditions and become a source of pathologies in the vestibular area.

Prezentace výsledků zahranicniho pracovniho pobytu na Katedre antropologie, Univerzity Komenskeho v Bratislave. Přednaska byla orientovana na výzkum zubniho kamene u velkomoravských populaci, se zaměřenim na rozdily mezi moravskými a slovenskými populacemi z tehož obdobi (tedy 9.-10.stol.n.l.).

Microscopic fungi were isolated from different materials including muscles, bones, skin and funeral clothes from the mummified human remains of three members of the Kuffner's family and from the surrounding air environments. Their hydrolytic abilities such as cellulolytic, lipolytic, and proteolytic-keratinolytic were also assessed. The most isolated fungi, from human remains, belonged mainly to the species of Aspergillus (Aspergillus candidus, Aspergillus calidoustus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus sydowii, Aspergillus terreus, Aspergillus ustus, Aspergillus venenatus, Aspergillus versicolor, Aspergillus westerdijkiae) and Penicillium (Penicillium chrysogenum, Penicillium commune, Penicillium crustosum, Penicillium griseofulvum, Penicillium hordei, Penicillium polonicum). Aspergilli and penicillia were the predominant actors also in the air samples, but also many strains belonging to the Rhizopus group were isolated as well. Several fungi exhibited different hydrolytic ability, the most active isolated from human remains belonged to the species A. candidus, A. westerdijkiae, Coprinellus xanthothrix, P. chrysogenum, P. commune, P. griseofulvum and Scopulariopsis brevicaulis. The species recovered from the air displayed stronger deterioration characteristics as compared to human samples. This study can be considered one of few investigations focused on mummified human remains conserved in this kind of the environment.

The aim of this study is to confront the methods of traditional (classical) morphometrics (TM) with geometric morphometrics (GM). TM applies direct measurements of an object using some anthropometric instruments. In GM, object is analyzed in a virtual space and except the metric characteristics it is allowed to measure also the object’s shape independently of its position, orientation, and/or size. Furthermore, the study is focused on the classification of measurement errors in TM and GM, as well as the possibilities of their minimization. An overview and classification of (semi)landmarks depending on their reliability are proposed. In 2D analysis, only three types of landmarks are differentiated but in 3D approach nine types of (semi)landmarks are described. Selected curves and surface patches on the skull are also defined. A comparison of 2D and 3D analyses shows that the 2D photos (projections) are suitable for measuring only if the skull itself is not available. Only a slight rotation of the skull from the standardized planes (anthropometric norms) leads to artificial optical deformations, which increases distortion of the real variability. Contrary to 2D approach, the 3D one is offering not only richer information on the object using three coordinates additionally to only two, but more accurate measurements using mathematical definition of Frankfort horizontal and sagittal plane as well. The complexity of human skull measured by landmark coordinates is augmented by geometrically homologous (semi)landmarks on curves and surfaces, which are very important also backwards to calculate linear measurements from (semi)landmark coordinates. The major advantage of GM methods is the preservation of the full geometry of the object under study and the possibility to generate clear graphical outputs of the associated shape changes. However, landmark data have the disadvantage of being more difficult to analyze statistically than traditional morphometric variables due to the problem of mutual multivariate relationship of (semi)landmark coordinates enriched by triangulated mesh of surface points. Therefore, a collaboration of anthropologists with mathematicians, statisticians, and computer scientists is necessary starting at the time of study design. Only so could be eliminated the systematic measurement errors prior to any analysis, during statistical analysis, and at its conclusion due to interpretation of the results using static and dynamic statistical visualisation methods.

In this study we present find of skeletal remains from the St. Martin Cathedral from the 17th – 18th centuries which were excavated in year 2008. Especially of individual from grave no. 2/2008 – preserved cranium showed marks of endocranial hyperostosis (stage B according Hershkovitz et al. 1999). Hyperostosis frontalis interna (HFI) is an overgrowth of bony tissue on the inner plate of the frontal bone of the calvaria, the irregular thickening of the endocranium (may be 1 cm or thicker). It is typically bilateral and symmetrical, and may extend to involve the parietal bones. It was first described in 1765 by Morgagni and Santorini as an obesity and virilism associated with thickening of internal table of the frontal bone called hyperostosis frontalis interna. HFI appears more commonly in women than in men, with an estimated male:female ratio 1:9, usually in age 35 years and older women. In modern population this condition is most prevalent in postmenopausal females, with frequencies of 40 – 62% reported, in general population, composed of males and females of different ages HFI affects 3 – 15% of individuals. In contrast, HFI is rarely reported in an archeological context. Using an anthropomorphological and paleopathological examination of the skeletal remains we realized that this women was in age category adultus II (30 – 39 years) or older, her stature was cca 151.875 cm and she also suffered from DISH, healed fracture of styloid process of right ulna, osteoarthrosis of humeral and femoral heads and spondylosis.