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ORIGINAL ARTICLE: PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Voices from the cloister. Bioarchaeology of a modern Nunnery
Roberta Fusco
• To provide new anthropological, paleopathological, and historical data about female convents of the XVIII century.
• To improve the literature on putridaria in Northern Italy.
• Deepen our knowledge of funerary use and body care in monasteries of the modern era.
 
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
The identification of the body of Carlo Girolamo I Della Porta (1635-1704)
Omar Larentis
• Presentation of an interdisciplinary study analyzing a burial hypogeum from the Modern Age.
• Discussion on the significance of assessing taphonomic factors in the archaeological setting.
• Step-by-step discussion of the phases leading to the personal identification of an individual in an archaeological context.
 
CASE REPORT: PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Bioarchaeological study of the skeletal remains attributed to Saint Ceccardo from Luni, patron of Carrara (Tuscany)
Simona Minozzi, Giovanni Gatti, Stefano Ricci, Valentina Giuffra, Agata Lunardini
• Saint Ceccardo was a robust man aged to 30-45 years with a short stature
• He suffered from some stresses in childhood and a few pathological conditions before death
• Isotope analysis evidenced a good nutritional profile with high protein intake
• The radiocarbon dating agrees that he was bishop of Luni during the 9th century
 
REVIEW: PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Human remains: European legislative perspective on the limit between forensic and archaeological jurisdiction with special regard to war graves
Arianna Vanni
• In Europe there is an heterogeneous legislation regarding the handling of human remains.
• To highlight different time boundaries between forensic-archaeological pertinence of mass graves.
• Key points of this review are: chronological boundaries, pertinence of the recovery and reburial.
• To raise awareness on the topic of mass graves and related disparities between European states.
 
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: PALEOPATHOLOGY
Paleopathology and functional anatomy evaluation of the ex voto of Veii preserved in Modena: historical context and possible interpretations
Mirko Traversari, Gianandrea Pasquinelli, Adriana Latorre, Elisabetta Cilli, Laura Michetti, Carla Tulini, Cristiana Zanasi, Luca Ventura
• To deepen an Etruscan devotional practice;
• To discover the anatomical knowledge of the Etruscan people;
• To re-evaluate the morphofunctional aspects of Etruscan votive offerings;
• To analyze the paleopathological aspects at the time of the Etruscans.
 
CASE REPORT: MUSEUM
The Lady of Pavia: microbiological essays and qualitative GC/MS characterization of embalming materials
Marco Nicola, Luca Maraviglia, Riccardo Ariotti, Francesco Chiara, Sabina Malgora
• Molecular characterization techniques were applied to an Egyptian mummy of the University of Pavia.
• Compositional data about embalming materials and other compounds present were collected
• An assessment of the microbial activity on the materials has been performed
• Analytical data were used to help conservation, preservation practice and archaeological study
 
SHORT REPORT: MUSEUM
The Valcuvia Bioarchaeological Archive: an example of human remains conservation, valorization and fruition
Claudia Bressan, Caterina Pangrazzi
• The creation of the Valcuvia bioarchaeological archive in Caravate (VA).
• To describe the importance of an ethical evaluation of skeletal remains in research.
• To highlight the necessity of a cataloguing process for human remains.
 
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: ARCHAEOENTOMOLOGY
From the field to the microscope: funerary archaeoentomology workflow
Stefano Vanin, Giorgia Giordani, Giuseppina Carta
• Funerary Archaeoentomology is the discipline dealing with insects and other arthropods from funerary contexts
• No protocols and guidelines are now available due to the young history of the discipline and because of the big variety of contexts
• A workflow composed by seven steps is proposed to maximize the information insects can provide
• The seven steps are: documentation, collection on site, insect-sediment separation, specimens cleaning, mounting, labelling and identification
 
CASE REPORT: ARCHAEOBOTANY
Archaebotanical analysis of a roman funerary context of Mutina: via Ferrari
Federica Riso
• The research has allowed to identify important ritual aspects within the funerary context of via Ferrari.
• Recurring and standardised behaviours have been noticed.
• 836 seeds/fruits and 19 taxa have been identified, belonging to Cereals, Pulses and Fruit plants.
• Most of the remains are charred and they are evidence of offerings during the cremation process.
• Wood was gathered based on its availability, thus ash is the most frequent taxon.