Reading:: 6th-7th Century Cemetery Discovered in Italy

DNA Extraction: An Anthropologic Aspect of Bone Remains From Sixth- to Seventh-Century AD Bone Remains

By Nunzio Di Nunno, MD, PhD, Sandro Sublimi Saponetti, BSc, Vito Scattarella, BSc, Patrizia Emanuel, BSc, Stefania Lonero Baldassarra, BSc, Giuliano Volpe, BSc, and Cosimo Di Nunno, MD

This article reports the pathological data obtained from five individuals discovered within a 6^th or 7^th century cemetery, in addition to the results of a DNA comparison between the test population and a modern population native to the area. The site discussed in the article is located in Canosa di Puglia, which is in southern Italy and just southeast of Rome. During excavation of the early Christian Episcopal complex of Saint Peterfamily several tombs were uncovered and the authors of this article studied five individuals from three separate tombs. DNA analysis was performed on the selected subjects from the cemetery and compared against the Apulian population in search of genotypic differences and similarities. As it turned out, many of the alleles of the cemetery population did not even exist in the modern Apulian population. These findings are supported by the historical fact that in the Middle Ages there was a large amount of gene flow from Asian and Germanic people, thus diluting their native gene pools. This article presents the pathological data from an anthropological standpoint. Just from studying skeletal indicators, an anthropologist can infer information about an individual’s health (or lack thereof), living conditions, past traumatic events, diet, daily activities as well as cause of death. I will briefly describe the five individuals discussed in the article.

Individual 28A: A 40-43 year-old male whose stature is estimated at 170 centimeters (almost 5’-7”) with a very robust frame.  A dental examination presented moderate tooth wear, severe periodontosis, two odontogenic abcesses, but no cavities. There was also apparent significant weight overload of the cervical vertebrae. Alteration to the clavicular/acromial region indicates past shoulder dislocation. Phlogosis of the os zygomaticum was present also.

28E: Male between the ages of 44 and 60 years old. He stood approximately 177 centimeters (about 5’-8”) tall. He had several lines of hypoplaysia on his tooth enamel that were formed between 1 and 6 years of age. He also exhibited weight overload in the vertebral index. Osteoarthrosis (lipping and pitting) is present along with other musculoskeletal markers that suggest a great deal of muscular activity.

29B: Female approximately 50—65 years of age and about 159 centimeters (approx. 5’-2”). Her vertebrae did not show any evidence of weight overload, unlike the previous two males, neither was there any evidence of extreme muscular activity.

29E: Male of 45 years of age at time of death. His height was about 169 centimeters (approx. 5’-6”). An examination of his teeth reported mild dental wear, two cavities, an abscess, and an unusual amount of tartar. His cervical tract showed moderate weight load and pronounced tendon impressions, which could have been caused by extreme muscular activity. This individual also showed evidence of osteoarthrosis in the forms of moderate lipping and pitting, but no eburnation.

31A: Male subject of about 54 years of age. He is estimated to be 179 centimeters tall (about 5’-9”). A dental examination yielded the following results: two cavities, an abscess, lines of hypoplaysia, moderate tooth wear and severe periodontitis. There was evidence of a moderate weight load in the cervical region and a weight overload in the thoracolumbar region.

The authors come to the conclusion that the alterations found associated with the skull, vertebrae, long bones and ribs are attributable to inflammatory foci and are likely of tubercular origin.

Source:

DNA Extraction: An Anthropologic Aspect of Bone Remains From Sixth- to Seventh-Century AD Bone Remains (2007) Nunzio Di Nunno, MD, PhD, Sandro Sublimi Saponetti, BSc, Vito Scattarella, BSc, Patrizia Emanuel, BSc, Stefania Lonero Baldassarra, BSc, Giuliano Volpe, BSc, and Cosimo Di Nunno, MD, American Journal of Forensic Medicine & Pathology 2007;28: 333–341.