Preliminary Anthropological Analysis of Skeletal Remains Found in a Circular Object (Middle Bronze Age) from Nymburk (Czech Republic)
Vol.1,No.2(2010)
Skeletal material was obtained during the rescue archaeological excavation (the city ring road), which took place in 2009 in Nymburk. At the site were found 10 graves: 8 graves were dated back to the Middle Bronze Age and 2 to the Hallstatt period (Bylany culture). This analysis focuses only on the funerals in a circular object, which was dated to the Middle Bronze Age. In the circular object were found seven graves (one with two individuals in one grave) a total of seven human individuals in six graves (one grave contained only animal bone). The material was unearthed by author. Preservation of human bones varied, but generally increased with the depth of deposit. During the processing of the material were used standard morphometric and morphoscopic methods. Determination of sex showed 3 females, 2 males and 2 not identified individuals (according to DNA analysis more males). Age at death of 7 individuals covered the range from 12 to 50 years (12–14, 14–16, 16–18, 17–20, 30–40, 35–40, 30–50 years). Stature was estimated in one adult male (a very high stature) and one adolescent female (very high stature). In 2 adults stature is not determinable and the remaining three individuals were immature. From the anatomical varieties there was an interesting finding of sacralised first coccygeal vertebra of an adult male (object 359). On the left clavicle of the same individual was found the costoclavicular fossa, which is related to excessive load of costoclavicular ligament. No significant pathological changes were recorded. There were just fine and medium dental calculus on the labial surface of upper and lower incisors (in 5 individuals) and Schmorl’s nodes on the bottom of the terminal area of Th 4–Th 7 (spondylosis deformans) on the skeleton of the adult male (object 359). There were no human bones in the grave in object 379, only a fragment of os coxae of larger animal.
Middle Bronze Age; grave; burial; determination of sex; estimation of age and stature
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