Papers by Francisca Alves Cardoso
Applied Sciences
Syphilis is one of the most exciting diseases explored in paleopathology and, therefore, tracing ... more Syphilis is one of the most exciting diseases explored in paleopathology and, therefore, tracing back its origin and development has provided a prolific debate. The combination of paleopathological data with historical sources, iconography, and archaeological contexts were the primary sources used to reconstruct its historical path. However, there are some limitations to paleopathological diagnosis due to the nature of bone reaction to stimuli. In addition, historical sources are subjected to a bias of social and cultural nature and the knowledge of those who wrote them. Hence, ancient DNA analysis offers the possibility of acquiring proof of cause by identifying pathogens in an organism. We undertook a metagenomic study of a skeleton exhumed from the Royal Hospital of All Saints (Portugal), renowned for treating syphilis from the 16th century onwards. The skeleton had previously been diagnosed with syphilis according to paleopathological analysis. However, the metagenomics analysis...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
88th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, 2019
Poster Due to the recent accessibility to surface scanning technology a surge in the production o... more Poster Due to the recent accessibility to surface scanning technology a surge in the production of three dimensional (3D) digital replicas of human skeletal remains has occurred. Some of those 3D models are easily accessible online. Consequently, ethical concerns about the unrestricted online dissemination and access of digital replicas of skeletal remains have been grown. These concerns are largely unexplored in Portuguese society, thus an online survey was conducted among Portugal residents aiming to understand their perception on how these models are created, used and shared. The survey is composed by 20 non-mandatory questions, and sill ongoing with data here presented being only preliminary. To date 144 individuals, aged between 18 and 69 years old, have participated, most of which were females (56.9%). Half of the participants have visualized a 3D model of skeletal remains; nonetheless, only 12.9% of them have created a 3D model. Largely, the results suggest that Portugal resi...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Forensic Sciences
Documented skeletal collections are the backbone of forensic anthropology due to their associated... more Documented skeletal collections are the backbone of forensic anthropology due to their associated biohistories. This paper describes the identified skeletal collections and their relevance in forensic anthropological research, education and training in the US. The establishment of documented skeletal collections in the US can be distinguished into two modus operandi, depending on the stance towards the dead, legislation, and medical and forensic practices. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, anatomists amassed skeletons from cadaver dissections, shaped by European influences. Those skeletons compose the anatomical collections—such as the Robert J. Terry Anatomical Collection—predominantly representing impoverished and unclaimed individuals. Ethical concerns for the curation and research of African American skeletons without family consent are growing in the US. In contrast, since the 1980s, modern documented skeletal collections originated from body donations to human taphonomy fa...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Poster Due to the recent accessibility to surface scanning technology a surge in the production o... more Poster Due to the recent accessibility to surface scanning technology a surge in the production of three dimensional (3D) digital replicas of human skeletal remains has occurred. Some of those 3D models are easily accessible online. Consequently, ethical concerns about the unrestricted online dissemination and access of digital replicas of skeletal remains have been grown. These concerns are largely unexplored in Portuguese society, thus an online survey was conducted among Portugal residents aiming to understand their perception on how these models are created, used and shared. The survey is composed by 20 non-mandatory questions, and sill ongoing with data here presented being only preliminary. To date 144 individuals, aged between 18 and 69 years old, have participated, most of which were females (56.9%). Half of the participants have visualized a 3D model of skeletal remains; nonetheless, only 12.9% of them have created a 3D model. Largely, the results suggest that Portugal residents agree with the dissemination of 3D digital replicas of human bones, with 87.3% of the participants being willing to allow for their skeleton and that of family members to be digitized after death. Though, the majority considered that the 3D model should be of restricted access and always associated to a description/context. It is noteworthy the low number of participants, which may be indicative of a lack of interest on the subject. But it may also suggest a low self-assessment on their credibility to express an opinion on the topic.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
The roman NW Olisipo necropolis discovered in Praça da Figueira (Lisbon) was located along a majo... more The roman NW Olisipo necropolis discovered in Praça da Figueira (Lisbon) was located along a major roman road and used between mid-1st to mid 4th centuries AD. To date, 64 inhumations and 23 cremations were identified. Amongst the cremation burials, two large cupae (mid-2nd to 3rd centuries AD) unequivocally stand out. Differently from other similar cupiform monuments discovered in roman Iberia, these two primary (busta) graves were intentionally conceived to be buried, possibly with a ground level marker. The burial examination was performed with a multidisciplinary approach. First, the typology, structure and location of these monuments were evaluated, updating the existing typological classification of roman cupae. Second, the cremated bones were examined to reconstruct the biological profile (sex and age-at-death parameters), and the cremation and burial practices adopted. Two possible females were identified, based on the ulnar distal width, humerus head and glenoid fossa measurements. The fusion of several skeletal elements and the presence of permanent tooth roots demonstrated that the remains belonged to two adults. Rib trauma, disruptive caries and SES (Serpens Endocrania Symmetrica) were identified. This case study contributes to the anthropological record as comparable data for future cremation analyses, especially those connected to roman cupae throughout the Mediterranean basin.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
The funerary contexts in which the presence of Canis lupus familiaris are identified are diverse,... more The funerary contexts in which the presence of Canis lupus familiaris are identified are diverse, comprehending individual burials (with or without artifacts), inclusion in human graves, or disposal of corpses, thus suggesting a diverse range of meanings, measurable in function of the nature of the archaeological context. This study reports to the contextual and, especially, zooarchaeological analysis, of four canids (Canis lupus familiaris) identified in the Necrópole Noroeste de Olisipo. The osteological analysis aimed the anatomical identification, estimation of age at death, sexual diagnosis and the identification of eventual taphonomical and pathological bone changes. The methodology employed allowed to determine the presence of three adult male individuals and one non-adult.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
In 1999-2001, an archaeological excavation took place at Praça da Figueira (Lisbon), in response ... more In 1999-2001, an archaeological excavation took place at Praça da Figueira (Lisbon), in response to a municipal plan for the rehabilitation and revitalization of public space. The knowledge about the physiognomy of the area in Late Middle Ages was poorly understood, although several coeval documents ensured it corresponded in most of the area excavated to the vegetable gardens area of the Dominican Convent, founded in the 1242, and on which it would rise, from 1492, the Royal Hospital of All Saints. It is in this context that a medieval enclosed area was recognized, which in the 15th century, was used for funerary practice. Eight shallow graves were identified, in a framework that suggests a regular spatial management
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
The archaeological intervention of Rua das Portas de Santo Antão, in Lisbon, revealed an extensiv... more The archaeological intervention of Rua das Portas de Santo Antão, in Lisbon, revealed an extensive diachrony, with archaeological findings dating chronologically between the Late Bronze Age and the Contemporary Period. The findings associated with the use of the space as a funerary site, during the Roman Imperial Period deserve special attention. The area, taking advantage of an old and small natural platform located in the foothills of the Encosta de Sant´Ana, was certainly close to Olisipo’s “Via Norte”, the main axis of the city’s land communications, integrating for this reason the so-called “Necropolis NO”. This paper presents the funerary context, articulating the contextual, artefactual and bioanthropological data, aiming at a comprehensive interpretation of this burial ground
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
International journal of paleopathology, Mar 1, 2018
Differential diagnosis is a fundamental step in every palaeopathological study. It is a challengi... more Differential diagnosis is a fundamental step in every palaeopathological study. It is a challenging exercise since many intrinsic and extrinsic factors may negatively impact the accurate interpretation of bone changes in human skeletal remains. Among these, the completeness and preservation of skeletal elements plays a significant role. This study aims to explore the limits of differential diagnosis in the analysis of disarticulated, fragmented bones. The sample consists of twelve adult bone fragments with noticeable changes. The remains were identified in a dis-articulated skeletal assemblage from the former necropolis of Juncal (Porto de Mós, Portugal), which probably closed in the late 19th century/early 20th century. They were analysed visually and with X-radiography, and the changes carefully described prior to differential diagnosis. Six bones presented signs of healed bone trauma and one showed features compatible with leg amputation. Periosteal reactions were observed in sev...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
International Journal of Paleopathology, 2016
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Annals of human biology, Jan 27, 2015
The inference of the state of wealth, or poverty, from human skeletal remains is a difficult task... more The inference of the state of wealth, or poverty, from human skeletal remains is a difficult task as the limited number of skeletal changes is mediated by numerous other physiological, biomechanical and pathological events. In recent years, identified skeletal collections have become valuable resources in enabling aetiologies of these changes to be understood while controlling for some known causative factors, e.g. age, sex and occupation. This has favoured more rigorous data analysis and interpretation. This study compares the presence of osteological makers of occupation - specifically degenerative joint changes (DJC) - between socio-economically framed occupational groups whilst controlling for age-at-death. A total of 603 individuals were distributed into 7 occupational groups used as a proxy for their socio-economic status. The results demonstrated that age was a contributing factor for DJC. Differences between occupational groups were only found for the hips, right shoulder an...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Anthropologischer Anzeiger, 2015
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
ABSTRACT
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Uploads
Papers by Francisca Alves Cardoso
Due to the recent accessibility to surface scanning technology a surge in the production of three dimensional (3D) digital replicas of human skeletal remains has occurred. Some of those 3D models are easily accessible online. Consequently, ethical concerns about the unrestricted online dissemination and access of digital replicas of skeletal remains have been grown. These concerns are largely unexplored in Portuguese society, thus an online survey was conducted among Portugal residents aiming to understand their perception on how these models are created, used and shared. The survey is composed by 20 non-mandatory questions, and sill ongoing with data here presented being only preliminary. To date 144 individuals, aged between 18 and 69 years old, have participated, most of which were females (56.9%). Half of the participants have visualized a 3D model of skeletal remains; nonetheless, only 12.9% of them have created a 3D model. Largely, the results suggest that Portugal residents agree with the dissemination of 3D digital replicas of human bones, with 87.3% of the participants being willing to allow for their skeleton and that of family members to be digitized after death. Though, the majority considered that the 3D model should be of restricted access and always associated to a description/context. It is noteworthy the low number of participants, which may be indicative of a lack of interest on the subject. But it may also suggest a low self-assessment on their credibility to express an opinion on the topic.
Archaeothanatological analyses indicated mutually exclusive funerary practices: secondary depositions at Room A and primary and secondary depositions at Room B. Polished stone tools are evenly distributed in both rooms, while ornaments, pottery, flint blades and sheep/goat phalanges are almost restricted to Room A.
Such distribution patterns reflects the coexistence of distinct funerary practices in which Room A is part of a much complex behaviour that included primary depositions, exhumation, transportation and re-deposition of human bone remains between different sectors of the cave and/or cemeteries (caves, dolmens) of the above-described territory. Thus, a more dynamic (in its rituals) and wider (in its geography) set of funerary practices than usually perceived—in which the intentional segmentation of human skeletons is attested—seems to have taken place at the onset of megalithism in central-southern Portugal.
The widely use of three dimensional (3D) scanners in bioanthropology has increase the production of 3D digital replicas of human bones, which are starting to be freely distributed online and easily accessible to anyone. Ethical considerations on the use of these 3D models has not reached Portuguese society at large, making it impossible to access its societal impact, and the real perception of people on how these models are created. To explore this, Portuguese residents were asked to take part on an online survey. The ratio of male to female participants, as classified by selves, was 0.5:1, in a total of 105 partakers. The age of the participants ranged between 18 and 69 years, and the majority had a higher education degree. Only 53.3% of the inquired have seen a 3D model of a human bone, and 48.6% considered the replicas to be the same as real bone. Also, 85.6% would be willing to allow for their skeleton, and those of family to be 3D digitalized after death, and 59.4% considered that the dissemination of the 3D models should be controlled through registration and login, as well as a description/context always should be associated with the models (75.0%). Overall, the results suggest agreement in the dissemination of 3D digital replicas of human bones. Also noteworthy was the limited number of participants, which may be interpreted as a lack of interest on the topic, or more importantly a low self-assessment on their opinion on the subject.
The aim of this interdisciplinary conference is to bring together researchers interested in disease, injury and other effects of occupations (in the broadest sense) on the human skeleton to improve the interpretation of these changes in archaeological and forensic contexts.
Why Occupational Health?
Identifying occupation, task division and activity-patterns from skeletal remains past populations and using this to assist forensic identification, has been an alluring prospect in bioarchaeology from its earliest inceptions. Some occupation identification can be made by pathognomonic changes, e.g. “phossy jaw” which was characteristic of those working with white phosphorous in the matchstick industry, however, the majority of skeletal changes cannot be ascribed to a single task or occupation, e.g. entheseal changes or cross-sectional geometry. Recent research has highlighted that the multifactorial aetiology of many skeletal changes previously used to identify activity-patterns cannot be applied simplistically.
Conference Content
This conference will build on recent advances in related fields to provide a direction for future research on using skeletal changes to identify occupations (and activity-patterns) based on what is currently known. Abstracts are invited on a diverse range of approaches including: palaeopathology, biomechanics, ethnography, modern medicine, forensic science, archaeology, socio-cultural
Deadlines
The deadline for abstracts is the end of February and for early registration, is the 3rd of April.