Papers by David Gonçalves
American Journal of Physical Anthropology
OBJECTIVES Heat exposure can lead to apparently random osteometric changes that hinder the applic... more OBJECTIVES Heat exposure can lead to apparently random osteometric changes that hinder the application of metric methods used for biological profiling. The impracticality of using objective and burn-specific osteometric methods reduces the chances of establishing the biological profiles of unknown individuals based on their skeletal remains. We investigated the potential of chemometry analysis based on infrared spectroscopy to predict the amount of heat-induced osteometric changes and how this reflected into sex estimation. MATERIAL AND METHODS Bones from 41 identified adult skeletons (24 females and 17 males with ages between 62 and 90 years old) were experimentally burnt to maximum temperatures ranging from 450°C to 1,100°C (attained after 65 to 240 min). Measurements were taken both before and after each experiment and powder samples were analyzed through FTIR-ATR. Correlations among heat-induced metric changes and chemometric indices (crystallinity index; B-type carbonates; carbonate [A + B] to carbonate B ratio; hydroxyl to phosphate ratio; 630 cm-1 , 1450 cm-1 , 3572 cm-1 , and 3642 cm-1 ) were tested. Significant variables were used to build regression models to predict heat-induced metric change which were then tested on an independent set of samples. Agreement in sex estimation between the pre- and post-burnt samples was also evaluated. RESULTS All indices were significantly correlated to heat-induced metric changes (α = .01) and the highest correlations were obtained for the 630 cm-1 , 3572 cm-1 , and crystallinity index. We confirmed that regression models based on chemometrics obtained from infrared spectra through FTIR-ATR are better at estimating heat-induced metric changes affecting bone and at sexing remains than other osteometric methods such as those based on correction factors or on metric references specific to calcined bones. DISCUSSION Regression models avoid the subjectivity associated with the application of other methods. While the latter can be applied only to calcined bones, which is difficult to assess sometimes, regression models can be applied to all bones regardless of their condition. Also, regression models have the advantage of allowing to infer about heat-induced metric change on a case-by-case basis.
Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, 2020
The practice of cremation is often interpreted as an alternative to inhumation, taking place shor... more The practice of cremation is often interpreted as an alternative to inhumation, taking place shortly after an individual's death. However, cremation could be a final stage in complex mortuary practices, with previous steps that are obscured due to the heating process. This project reports on experimental scoping research on a set of experimentally heated femoral fragments from modern and archaeological collections of the University of Coimbra. Sixteen recent femur samples from eight individuals, as well as five femur samples from an archaeological skeleton from the medieval-modern cemetery found at the Hospital de Santo António (Porto), were included in this research. Samples presented five different conditions: unburnt, and burnt at maximum temperatures of 300°C, 500°C, 700°C and 900°C. Each sample was prepared to allow observation using binocular transmitted light microscopes with ×10, ×25 and ×40 magnifications. Results indicated that, if burial led to bioerosion, this will r...
Analytical chemistry, Jan 2, 2018
The estimation of the maximum temperature affecting skeletal remains was previously attempted via... more The estimation of the maximum temperature affecting skeletal remains was previously attempted via infrared techniques. However, fossilization may cause changes in the composition of bones that replicate those from burned bones. We presently investigated the potential of three OH/P indices (intensity ratios of characteristic infrared bands for OH and phosphate groups, respectively) to identify bones burned at high temperatures (>800 °C) and to discriminate between fossil and burned archeological bones, using vibrational spectroscopy: combined inelastic neutron scattering (INS) and FTIR-ATR. The INS analyses were performed on two unburned samples and 14 burned samples of human femur and humerus. FTIR-ATR focused on three different samples: (i) modern bones comprising 638 unburned and 623 experimentally burned (400-1000 °C) samples; (ii) archeological cremated human skeletal remains from the Bronze and Iron Ages comprising 25 samples; and (iii) fossil remains of the Reptilia class f...
Science & justice : journal of the Forensic Science Society, Jul 1, 2017
Metric features are often the only preserved sexually dimorphic features to allow sex estimation ... more Metric features are often the only preserved sexually dimorphic features to allow sex estimation in burned human remains, but this is complicated by heat-induced dimensional changes. The potential of odontometry for sex estimation was investigated. A sample of permanent lower second pre-molars from 20 males and 20 females was experimentally burned at 900°C to assess heat-induced changes in the sexual dimorphism of seven dimensions of the cementum-enamel junction and the root. Four of them, cementum-enamel junction perimeter; mesiodistal, buccolingual and perimeter at the mid-root level, were investigated for the first time. Also, five measurements combining some of the isolated standard measurements were investigated. Additionally, 10 permanent upper central incisors and 10 permanent lower first molars were experimentally burned at 400°C and 700° C to document heat-induced dimensional changes and serve as comparison with the 900°C sample. Results showed that most of the standard mea...
The analysis of burned bone stumbles on the problems raised by the heatinduced changes that serio... more The analysis of burned bone stumbles on the problems raised by the heatinduced changes that seriously interfere with the methods adopted by biological anthropologists. These changes especially affect the structure of bone leading to fragmentation, dimensional modification, warping and fracturing. As a result, quantitative analysis based on measurements and weighing are usually overlooked due to uncertainties regarding their ability to correctly process burned skeletal remains. Although some pioneering research on this issue has been carried out in the Past, this remained sporadic and with little application from bioanthropologists. In addition, a significant part of that research was either developed on rather small samples of human bones or on samples of faunal bones. Also, some other investigation was carried out by extrapolating from the results obtained on unburned skeletons, which is an inadequate indirect approach. The present research tackled these problems by analysing prese...
International Journal of Legal Medicine
After the publication of the first article in 2014, 21st Century Identified Skeletal Collection, ... more After the publication of the first article in 2014, 21st Century Identified Skeletal Collection, housed in the Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology, Department of Life Sciences at the University of Coimbra, Portugal, has been growing. Currently, the collection is composed of 302 complete adult skeletons of both sexes, which means that in 5 years it has doubled. The collection consists mostly of elderly individuals, with only 12.25% of the individuals aged less than 61 years old. All individuals are Portuguese nationals who died between 1982 and 2012. Ninety individuals exhibit prostheses, other medical devices and signs of surgical procedures. Moreover, a sub-collection of experimentally burned skeletons is under development, and currently includes 56 individuals (18.54% of the collection). The 21st Century Identified Skeletal Collection constitutes a fundamental tool for forensic anthropology research, including the development and validation studies of methods that focus on elderly individuals, as can be ascertained by the numerous scientific publications and academic scholarship that have been produced in previous years.
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2019
Previous multi-isotopic research on the human remains of the Neolithic cave-cemetery of Bom Santo... more Previous multi-isotopic research on the human remains of the Neolithic cave-cemetery of Bom Santo (Lisbon, Portuguese
Estremadura) led to the conclusion that this fourth millennium BC population was very heterogeneous at several levels. Two
in particular were subsistence habits and mobility: although consumption of terrestrial foods was the norm, aquatic food sources
totalling > 20% of overall diets were detected in 60% of the population, and, surprisingly, 79% of the individuals were classed as
non-local, having lived most of their life in geologically older regions. These figures were however obtained on a sample of 15
individuals. Further isotopic analyses have enlarged the original sample to 35 individuals (i.e., half of the exhumed population)
and were also employed in the study of the coeval cave-cemeteries of Barrão and Mureta. This has permitted a sounder depiction
of past behaviours, with a structural difference being observed at both levels between BomSanto and the latter sites: at the former
cave, 70% of the population consumed > 20% of aquatic foods and 34% were non-local (23% from outside Estremadura),
whereas the latter were all local and showed no signals of aquatic diets. Comparisonwith other fourth millenniumBC populations
in central-southern Portugal suggests a model where the exploitation of locally available aquatic/marine food sources was not
mandatory but optional and that human mobility represented an important socio-economic behavioural feature of these
(presumably) segmentary societies. How both aspects related to the then-emerging megalithic phenomenon is a question that
should be investigated in future research.
Editorial Vou tirar já isto do caminho: sou antropólogo. Apesar do meu trabalho actual se focar e... more Editorial Vou tirar já isto do caminho: sou antropólogo. Apesar do meu trabalho actual se focar exclusivamente em antropologia biológica, a minha formação de raíz é mais abrangente. Tirei a licenciatura na Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, cujo currículo, apesar de incluir algumas (poucas) cadeiras ligadas à antropologia biológica, está essencialmente vocacionado para a antropologia social e cultural. Obviamente, poderei ser acusado de indiscreta parcialidade, porém não hesito em afirmar que toda e qualquer comunidade, beneficiaria do ensino universal da antropologia, tornando-a mais tolerante e auto-crítica. Conhecer " o outro " de forma aprofundada, e não apenas através dos noticiários, confere-nos uma capacidade inigualável de aceitar a diferença como elemento básico e inescapável da condição humana. A variabilidade e flexibilidade culturais que nos caracterizam estão estreitamente ligadas ao nosso sucesso enquanto espécie, uma das mais bem-sucedidas do planeta. Se assim não fosse, o Homo sapiens nunca teria saído de África, espalhando-se pelos quatro cantos do mundo, pois o seu kit cultural pouco sentido faria em outras paragens tão distintas como a selva amazónica ou o ártico. Podemos criticar, discordar, repudiar e mesmo punir as manifestações culturais do " outro " mas, e agora num sentido intencionalmente biológico, não há dúvida que a diversidade cultural nos trouxe mais benefícios do que desvantagens e isso é demonstrável de forma muito simples: a nossa espécie ainda não se extinguiu. Creio ser seguro afirmar que ninguém mais que o/a antropólogo/a social e cultural, criticamente ciente dos seus próprios preconceitos, mas alegadamente capaz de se abstrair deles, está equipado para resgatar e trazer à luz as motivações profundas que estão subjacentes ao quadro sócio-cultural de determinada comunidade. Ninguém como ele/ela domina melhor os conceitos de " relativismo cultural " , " diferença " e o " outro ". Esses ensinamentos acompanham-me até hoje e fá-lo-ão previsivelmente sempre, independentemente de qual venha a ser a minha ocupação no futuro. Aliás, a antropologia biológica utiliza uma abordagem biocultural para a qual, no meu caso pessoal, muito contribui a minha formação de base. Esclarecido este ponto, foco-me então no verdadeiro motivo deste editorial, que pretende ser um ponto de situação após o último concurso de bolsas de doutoramento da Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT). Eu sei, é um grande salto, mas peço-vos alguma paciência, há-de fazer sentido. Uma vez mais, foi geral o desapontamento entre a comunidade de antropólogos biológicos ao depararem-se com a razia que o painel de avaliação fez aos candidatos provenientes desta área científica. Todos sabemos que a actividade científica não vive os seus melhores dias em Portugal, e que insuficiências ao nível do financiamento público têm afectado de forma transversal todas as áreas do saber. Porém, não posso deixar de estranhar que, no mesmo painel de avaliação, as taxas de sucesso de atribuição de bolsa aos candidatos tenham sido tão díspares. Houve 31 candidatos, 23 deles da área da antropologia social e cultural e oito da área da antropologia biológica. Cerca de 43,5% dos alunos provenientes da antropologia social e cultural (10 em 23) obtiveram bolsa enquanto isso
Cadernos do GEEvH :: Notes in Human Evolution, 2017
Algumas metodologias convencionais para a estimativa da idade à morte são frequentemente pouco ap... more Algumas metodologias convencionais para a estimativa da idade à morte são frequentemente pouco aplicáveis a restos esqueléticos sujeitos a alterações térmico induzidas e urge por isso encontrar alternativas viáveis. A dentina e o cimento dentários apresentam boa resistência às altas temperaturas, tendo assim, em teoria, potencial para servirem de base a novas metodologias mais ajustadas a este tipo de restos humanos. O objetivo deste trabalho consistiu em averiguar a existência de uma correlação estatisticamente significativa entre a espessura relativa de cimento em função da espessura da dentina na zona da raiz e a idade cronológica em dentes submetidos a tratamento térmico a 400oC e a 900oC numa mufla elétrica. Para tal, uma amostra de 20 dentes pertencentes a 9 mulheres e 11 homens portugueses de idade conhecida (33-88 anos), doados através de consultórios dentários após consentimento informado, foram observados microscopicamente de forma a medir as espessuras da dentina e cimento. Não se observaram associações estatisticamente significativas entre a proporção dos tecidos avaliados e a idade conhecida. Este resultado pode advir de dois cenários possíveis: i) nenhuma correlação entre as duas variáveis era pré-existente à queima; ou ii) as alterações térmico-induzidas terão afetado negativamente essa eventual correlação pré-existente. Ainda assim, foi possível observar uma maior espessura relativa de cimento no sexo masculino em comparação com a do sexo feminino. Embora sem utilidade para a estimativa da idade à morte, este trabalho suscita a possibilidade de investigação futura sobre o potencial dos tecidos dentários para a diagnose do sexo em dentes queimados. No entanto, a espessura relativa parece estar dependente da idade e isso pode ser um obstáculo para o desenvolvimento de uma metodologia baseada nesse critério visto que esse parâmetro é muitas vezes desconhecido.
A escavação arqueológica de emergência realizada em 2008, no Largo da Igreja de Sarilhos Grandes ... more A escavação arqueológica de emergência realizada em 2008, no Largo da Igreja de Sarilhos Grandes (Montijo), no âmbito de uma empreitada do Grupo Águas de Portugal (SIMARSUL), permitiu identificar, no adro da Igreja de São Jorge, vinte e três enterramentos e seis ossários.
No decurso da escavação arqueológica a equipa de antropologia realizou a recolha de amostras de sedimento com o objetivo de submetê-los a uma análise paleoparasitológica, paleopatológica e de paleodieta. Essas análises permitiram identificar nos enterramentos nº8, 9, 13 e 22 parasitas que ainda não haviam sido encontrados em material arqueológico na Europa, bem como vestígios alimentares como amido de batata e arroz. Em curso encontra-se a pesquisa das paleodietas por análises de isótopos e do cálculo dentário.
As análises isotópicas de δ13C e δ15N desenvolvidas em quatro indivíduos sugerem uma dieta principalmente de origem terrestre, com uma contribuição variável de proteínas animais procedentes de organismos marinhos (entre 30% e 43% do carbono presente no colagénio).
As datações por AMS de alguns dos indivíduos corroboram a hipótese da população de Sarilhos Grandes ter estado em contato ou mesmo ter participado diretamente nas primeiras expedições ao continente americano. Sarilhos Grandes foi nos alvores da Modernidade e em época Moderna uma povoação vocacionada para o mar. São reconhecidas referências para a participação de montijences nas primeiras expedições na América do Sul. Os resultados da datação e da paleodieta indiciam que o consumo de batata foi introduzido em Portugal em data mais antiga do que estava documentado até agora. A análise em curso do tártaro dentário fornecerá novos dados que contribuirão para um melhor entendimento desta hipótese.
Taphonomy of Human Remains: Forensic Analysis of the Dead and the Depositional Environment, Feb 2017
Warping has been used to determine the pre-burning condition of human skeletal remains. In the li... more Warping has been used to determine the pre-burning condition of human skeletal remains. In the literature, this modification has been associated more often with the burning of fleshed and green bones, but it also arises during the burning of dry bones. The objective of this paper was to assess if bone collagen content has a significant effect on the occurrence of warping in a sample of experimentally burned human bones. The presence of collagen was analyzed in two different samples through a vibrational spectroscopy technology—FTIR. One of them was composed of 40 archeological bones from the seventeenth to twentieth centuries ad. The other one was composed of bones from 14 skeletons belonging to the 21st century identified skeletal collection. The results confirmed that the amide I band assigned to the collagen was much more intense in bones presenting heat-induced warping. Nonetheless, although significant (p = 0.040), the collagen content was not as useful as other variables to the regression model we proposed for explaining warping. Factors such as the maximum temperature (p < 0.001) and burning time (p = 0.001) contributed more significantly. Results demonstrated that the mere preservation of collagen is not enough to explain warping. Burning dynamics seem to have an important role as well although we failed to clearly document its specificities. Other factors such as the asymmetric distribution of collagen and other components within bone, the gravity force, the shape of the bone, and the position in which it is burned may also play an important role on heat-induced changes and require further analysis.
RESUMO Os bioantropólogos são frequentemente solicitados para analisar vestígios humanos queimado... more RESUMO Os bioantropólogos são frequentemente solicitados para analisar vestígios humanos queimados, recuperados tanto de contextos arqueológicos como forenses. Os dentes estão entre as peças esqueléticas que melhor resistem à fragmentação e podem, por isso, ser vitais para a compreensão do contexto e das condições da queima. O objetivo deste trabalho é documentar as alterações térmico-induzidas em dentes humanos experimentalmente expostos a diferentes temperaturas (400°C, 700°C e 900°C), nomeadamente as que se referem à cor, às fraturas e à massa. Entre os dentes cedidos por pacientes de clínicas dentárias após extração médica, foram selecionadas três subamostras de dentes permanentes: 10 incisivos centrais superiores, 10
The period of European maritime expansion that started in the fifteenth century had a great impac... more The period of European maritime expansion that started in the fifteenth century had a great impact on trading, on human migrations and consequently in the dispersion of infectious diseases. Portugal was at the core of this expansion; however, studies about parasitic infections, especially helminths, are lacking. This study aims to help reduce this gap presenting the results of microscopic analysis of soil sediments collected from the São Jorge churchyard of Sarilhos Grandes (Montijo). Consecrated in the fourteenth century AD, it remained as a burial ground until the nineteenth century. Soil samples collected from the pelvic girdle of five adult individuals and samples taken as control were analysed under the microscope after current conventional methodological procedures were undertaken. Eggs from Ascaris lumbricoides were identified. Also eggs of trichostrongyle type species were identified in two individuals and may represent the first report in archaeological European samples. Food remains include potato and rice starches, muscle fibres, bivalves, pollen grains and fungi spores. The stratigraphy interpretation together with potato findings put the oldest skeletons to a chronology around the sixteenth century AD. These results are consistent with historical sources that documented the prominence of Tagus river nearby villages in maritime expansion.
The study of bioarchaeological evidence associated with burials is essential for achieving a glob... more The study of bioarchaeological evidence associated with burials is essential for achieving a global perspective on cremation as a funerary practice, its chronological and geographical distribution, as well as its inner socio-cultural and technological diversity. However, for that purpose, similar and consistent analyses must be adopted by bioarchaeologists to enable intra- and inter-sites comparisons. The 1995–2015 literature encompassing 84 geographically representative articles concerning bioarchaeological studies of burned human skeletal remains is reviewed herein. The objective was to assess methodological variability. Information concerning colour, fragmentation, skeleton completeness, ‘skeletal region’ representation, non-human funerary assemblage, pre-burning condition of the remains, minimum number of individuals, biological profile, trauma and pathologies was considered. The results demonstrate that certain methods were used by almost all researchers. That was the case for colour description (91 %), skeleton completeness (91 %), minimum number of individuals (96 %), age-at-death (100 %) and sex of the individuals (95 %). Researchers are much more divided about the implementation of the remaining methods. Methodological choices also vary. The asymmetries in the selection of the analyses that are undertaken can lead to different interpretations and conclusions of the contexts under study. This may prevent consistent comparisons within the same site and between different sites. We emphasize the need for bioarchaeologists to discuss and standardize analytical procedures for studying cremated remains.
Objectives
Complete and accurate human skeletal inventory is seldom possible in archaeological an... more Objectives
Complete and accurate human skeletal inventory is seldom possible in archaeological and forensic cases involving severe fragmentation. In such cases, skeletal mass comparisons with published references may be used as an alternative to assess skeletal completeness but they are too general for a case-by-case routine analysis. The objective is to solve this issue by creating linear regression equations to estimate the total mass of a skeleton based on the mass of individual bones.
Materials and Methods
Total adult skeletal mass and individual mass of the clavicle, humerus, femur, patella, carpal, metacarpal, tarsal, and metatarsal bones were recorded in a sample of 60 skeletons from the 21st century identified skeletal collection (University of Coimbra). The sample included 32 females and 28 males with ages ranging from 31 to 96 years (mean = 76.4; sd = 14.8). Skeletal mass linear regression equations were calculated based on this sample.
Results
The mass of individual bones was successfully used to predict the approximate total mass of the adult skeleton. The femur, humerus, and second metacarpal were the best predictors of total skeletal mass with root mean squared errors ranging from 292.9 to 346.1 g.
Discussion
Linear regression was relatively successful at estimating adult skeletal mass. The non-normal distribution of the sample in terms of mass may have reduced the predictive power of the equations. These results have clear impact for bioanthropology, especially forensic anthropology, since this method may provide better estimates of the completeness of the skeleton or the minimum number of individuals.
The objective of this paper was to contribute to the discussion regarding the socio-political org... more The objective of this paper was to contribute to the discussion regarding the socio-political organization of south-western Iberian Middle Neolithic populations. To that end, the preservation and distribution of human remains and the dispersion of grave goods within two rooms of the Bom Santo Cave (Rooms A and B) were investigated and combined with genetic and isotopic data previously published. Grave goods distribution and skeletal analyses highlighted an important diversity in terms of funerary practices thus corroborating data from ancient DNA and Sr/O isotopic analyses that suggested a great genetic and geographic diversity. Grave goods presented an uneven spatial distribution and were made of raw materials from different sources and using different pottery manufacturing styles albeit typologically homogeneous. The preservation and distribution of human remains suggested that Room A was mainly used for secondary depositions while Room B was used for both primary and secondary depositions. No link between the two rooms was found since remains from the same individuals were apparently exclusive of one room or another. The results suggest that this society presented substantial inner genetic, social and geographical heterogeneity. Most probably, this was due to the presence of distinct but coeval groups in the cave that shared a larger-scale social identity (as in “segmentary societies”) or, less likely, to the presence of one single, but internally heterogeneous society (as in fully sedentary societies) that assimilated foreigners.
We have critically investigated the ATR-IR spectroscopy data behavior of burned human teeth as op... more We have critically investigated the ATR-IR spectroscopy data behavior of burned human teeth as opposed to the generally observed behavior in human bones that were subjected to heat treatment, whether deliberate or accidental. It is shown that the deterioration of the crystallinity index (CI) behavior sometimes observed in bones subjected to high temperature appears to be of higher frequency in the case of bioapatite from teeth. This occurs because the formation of the í µí»½-tricalcium phosphate (í µí»½-TCP) phase, otherwise known as whitlockite, clearly ascertained by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns collected on the same powdered specimens investigated by ATR-IR. These results point to the need of combining more than one physicochemical technique even if apparently well suitable, in order to verify whether the assumed conditions assessed by spectroscopy are fully maintained in the specimens after temperature and/or mechanical processing.
In the year of 2015, the Group of Studies in Human evolution (GEEvH) completed ten years of exist... more In the year of 2015, the Group of Studies in Human evolution (GEEvH) completed ten years of existence. Since its foundation, GEEvH's has played an important role in the difficult task of communicating science in Portugal in the field of human evolution. In this paper, an overview of the main activities developed by GEEvH in the last decade as well as upcoming goals, will be provided. This approach will be framed by a short theoretical introduction to Charles Darwin's
Paleoparasitology study the evidence of endo and ectoparasites, whose identification helps to int... more Paleoparasitology study the evidence of endo and ectoparasites, whose identification helps to interpret issues related to health and disease in past populations. In Portugal, this type of analysis on human osteological remains started to be performed recently. The aim of this paper is to present the first results. One hundred and twenty samples of sediment taken from 4 areas of burial were analyzed. The methodology consists of rehydration of the samples with an aqueous solution of trisodium phosphate 0.5% for 72 hours, or with a solution of 10% hydrochloric acid for 30 minutes. The rehydrated samples were homogenized and concentrated at 2000rpm for 1 minute. Twenty microscope slides of each sample were analyzed by optical microscopy, by mixing a drop of sediment with a drop of glycerol. For quantification of eggs per gram of sediment, Lycopodium sp. spore tablets were added to the samples. Results revealed that from a study of 30 individuals from Islamic Santarém (8th-12th centuries AD), 6 (20%) were positive for Trichuris trichiura (n = 2) and for Ascaris lumbricoides (n = 4); 5 subjects from Sarilhos Grandes churchyard (14th-20th cent. AD) lived with A. lumbricoides (n = 2), Trichostrongylus sp. (n = 2) and Oxyuridae (n = 1); from the 11 burials associated with the S. Francisco church in Vila Franca de Xira (18th cent. AD) 63% had T. trichiura (n = 7) and A. lumbricoides; 2 of the 3 individuals exhumed from S. Julião Church in Lisboa (19th AD) registered T. trichiura. The species found are related to human settlement and poor hygiene conditions common to the time in Europe. However, when compared to studies published in other countries, the concentrations obtained are lower, maybe indicating different cultural habits or knowledge about medical treatments. This work will continue with the research about cultural practices, food and medical knowledge of these populations. The trends verified will be explored by studying samples from other chronologies and regions of Portugal.
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Papers by David Gonçalves
Estremadura) led to the conclusion that this fourth millennium BC population was very heterogeneous at several levels. Two
in particular were subsistence habits and mobility: although consumption of terrestrial foods was the norm, aquatic food sources
totalling > 20% of overall diets were detected in 60% of the population, and, surprisingly, 79% of the individuals were classed as
non-local, having lived most of their life in geologically older regions. These figures were however obtained on a sample of 15
individuals. Further isotopic analyses have enlarged the original sample to 35 individuals (i.e., half of the exhumed population)
and were also employed in the study of the coeval cave-cemeteries of Barrão and Mureta. This has permitted a sounder depiction
of past behaviours, with a structural difference being observed at both levels between BomSanto and the latter sites: at the former
cave, 70% of the population consumed > 20% of aquatic foods and 34% were non-local (23% from outside Estremadura),
whereas the latter were all local and showed no signals of aquatic diets. Comparisonwith other fourth millenniumBC populations
in central-southern Portugal suggests a model where the exploitation of locally available aquatic/marine food sources was not
mandatory but optional and that human mobility represented an important socio-economic behavioural feature of these
(presumably) segmentary societies. How both aspects related to the then-emerging megalithic phenomenon is a question that
should be investigated in future research.
No decurso da escavação arqueológica a equipa de antropologia realizou a recolha de amostras de sedimento com o objetivo de submetê-los a uma análise paleoparasitológica, paleopatológica e de paleodieta. Essas análises permitiram identificar nos enterramentos nº8, 9, 13 e 22 parasitas que ainda não haviam sido encontrados em material arqueológico na Europa, bem como vestígios alimentares como amido de batata e arroz. Em curso encontra-se a pesquisa das paleodietas por análises de isótopos e do cálculo dentário.
As análises isotópicas de δ13C e δ15N desenvolvidas em quatro indivíduos sugerem uma dieta principalmente de origem terrestre, com uma contribuição variável de proteínas animais procedentes de organismos marinhos (entre 30% e 43% do carbono presente no colagénio).
As datações por AMS de alguns dos indivíduos corroboram a hipótese da população de Sarilhos Grandes ter estado em contato ou mesmo ter participado diretamente nas primeiras expedições ao continente americano. Sarilhos Grandes foi nos alvores da Modernidade e em época Moderna uma povoação vocacionada para o mar. São reconhecidas referências para a participação de montijences nas primeiras expedições na América do Sul. Os resultados da datação e da paleodieta indiciam que o consumo de batata foi introduzido em Portugal em data mais antiga do que estava documentado até agora. A análise em curso do tártaro dentário fornecerá novos dados que contribuirão para um melhor entendimento desta hipótese.
Complete and accurate human skeletal inventory is seldom possible in archaeological and forensic cases involving severe fragmentation. In such cases, skeletal mass comparisons with published references may be used as an alternative to assess skeletal completeness but they are too general for a case-by-case routine analysis. The objective is to solve this issue by creating linear regression equations to estimate the total mass of a skeleton based on the mass of individual bones.
Materials and Methods
Total adult skeletal mass and individual mass of the clavicle, humerus, femur, patella, carpal, metacarpal, tarsal, and metatarsal bones were recorded in a sample of 60 skeletons from the 21st century identified skeletal collection (University of Coimbra). The sample included 32 females and 28 males with ages ranging from 31 to 96 years (mean = 76.4; sd = 14.8). Skeletal mass linear regression equations were calculated based on this sample.
Results
The mass of individual bones was successfully used to predict the approximate total mass of the adult skeleton. The femur, humerus, and second metacarpal were the best predictors of total skeletal mass with root mean squared errors ranging from 292.9 to 346.1 g.
Discussion
Linear regression was relatively successful at estimating adult skeletal mass. The non-normal distribution of the sample in terms of mass may have reduced the predictive power of the equations. These results have clear impact for bioanthropology, especially forensic anthropology, since this method may provide better estimates of the completeness of the skeleton or the minimum number of individuals.
Estremadura) led to the conclusion that this fourth millennium BC population was very heterogeneous at several levels. Two
in particular were subsistence habits and mobility: although consumption of terrestrial foods was the norm, aquatic food sources
totalling > 20% of overall diets were detected in 60% of the population, and, surprisingly, 79% of the individuals were classed as
non-local, having lived most of their life in geologically older regions. These figures were however obtained on a sample of 15
individuals. Further isotopic analyses have enlarged the original sample to 35 individuals (i.e., half of the exhumed population)
and were also employed in the study of the coeval cave-cemeteries of Barrão and Mureta. This has permitted a sounder depiction
of past behaviours, with a structural difference being observed at both levels between BomSanto and the latter sites: at the former
cave, 70% of the population consumed > 20% of aquatic foods and 34% were non-local (23% from outside Estremadura),
whereas the latter were all local and showed no signals of aquatic diets. Comparisonwith other fourth millenniumBC populations
in central-southern Portugal suggests a model where the exploitation of locally available aquatic/marine food sources was not
mandatory but optional and that human mobility represented an important socio-economic behavioural feature of these
(presumably) segmentary societies. How both aspects related to the then-emerging megalithic phenomenon is a question that
should be investigated in future research.
No decurso da escavação arqueológica a equipa de antropologia realizou a recolha de amostras de sedimento com o objetivo de submetê-los a uma análise paleoparasitológica, paleopatológica e de paleodieta. Essas análises permitiram identificar nos enterramentos nº8, 9, 13 e 22 parasitas que ainda não haviam sido encontrados em material arqueológico na Europa, bem como vestígios alimentares como amido de batata e arroz. Em curso encontra-se a pesquisa das paleodietas por análises de isótopos e do cálculo dentário.
As análises isotópicas de δ13C e δ15N desenvolvidas em quatro indivíduos sugerem uma dieta principalmente de origem terrestre, com uma contribuição variável de proteínas animais procedentes de organismos marinhos (entre 30% e 43% do carbono presente no colagénio).
As datações por AMS de alguns dos indivíduos corroboram a hipótese da população de Sarilhos Grandes ter estado em contato ou mesmo ter participado diretamente nas primeiras expedições ao continente americano. Sarilhos Grandes foi nos alvores da Modernidade e em época Moderna uma povoação vocacionada para o mar. São reconhecidas referências para a participação de montijences nas primeiras expedições na América do Sul. Os resultados da datação e da paleodieta indiciam que o consumo de batata foi introduzido em Portugal em data mais antiga do que estava documentado até agora. A análise em curso do tártaro dentário fornecerá novos dados que contribuirão para um melhor entendimento desta hipótese.
Complete and accurate human skeletal inventory is seldom possible in archaeological and forensic cases involving severe fragmentation. In such cases, skeletal mass comparisons with published references may be used as an alternative to assess skeletal completeness but they are too general for a case-by-case routine analysis. The objective is to solve this issue by creating linear regression equations to estimate the total mass of a skeleton based on the mass of individual bones.
Materials and Methods
Total adult skeletal mass and individual mass of the clavicle, humerus, femur, patella, carpal, metacarpal, tarsal, and metatarsal bones were recorded in a sample of 60 skeletons from the 21st century identified skeletal collection (University of Coimbra). The sample included 32 females and 28 males with ages ranging from 31 to 96 years (mean = 76.4; sd = 14.8). Skeletal mass linear regression equations were calculated based on this sample.
Results
The mass of individual bones was successfully used to predict the approximate total mass of the adult skeleton. The femur, humerus, and second metacarpal were the best predictors of total skeletal mass with root mean squared errors ranging from 292.9 to 346.1 g.
Discussion
Linear regression was relatively successful at estimating adult skeletal mass. The non-normal distribution of the sample in terms of mass may have reduced the predictive power of the equations. These results have clear impact for bioanthropology, especially forensic anthropology, since this method may provide better estimates of the completeness of the skeleton or the minimum number of individuals.
Por outro lado, a análise arqueotanatológica das duas salas escavadas até ao momento revelou práticas funerárias distintas: na Sala A apenas foram identificadas deposições secundárias, e na Sala B detetaram-se tanto deposições primárias como secundárias. Não se encontraram evidências sugestivas da eventual utilização das duas salas na chaîne opératoire de uma única prática funerária. As oferendas fúnebres encontram-se quase exclusivamente na Sala A, excetuando os utensílios em pedra polida, que se distribuem homogeneamente por ambas as salas. Aparentemente, este padrão espacial reflete a coexistência de distintas práticas funerárias, em que a Sala A se integra num processo que implicou a exumação, transporte (o “encadeamento”, sensu Chapman 2000?) e redeposição de restos humanos entre sectores da gruta ou, mais expressivamente, entre necrópoles do território acima definido (Gonçalves et al. 2016). Nesta última hipótese podem estar envolvidas outras grutas estremenhas e megálitos da região de Mora / Pavia, numa dinâmica de práticas funerárias mais alargada (na sua expressão geográfica) e complexa (nos seus rituais) do que normalmente equacionado, e nas quais a possibilidade de segmentação deliberada de esqueletos humanos deve ser investigada.