Social Relations, Deprivation and Violence at Schleinbach, Lower Austria. Insights from an Interdisciplinary Analysis of the Early Bronze Age Human Remains

Pany-Kucera, Doris; Spannagl-Steiner, Michaela; Waltenberger, Lukas; Parson, Walther; Strobl, Christina; Rendl, Barbara; Janker, Lukas; Kanz, Fabian; Rebay‐Salisbury, Katharina

doi:10.1553/archaeologia104s13

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Nevertheless, the occurrence of this feature needs further research.In the male group from the Simon collection, we did not observe signs of SPE or SPN. The number of analysed males here may appear low, but the results corroborate the absent evidence of SPE or SPN in 87 analysed males from prehistoric contexts(Pany-Kucera et al, 2019;Pany-Kucera et al, 2020). In general, shapes and structures of the SPEs and SPNs as well as corresponding facets observed in the Identified Spitalfields and Simon Collections conform well to what we found in our previous studies on prehistoric female skeletons, though their frequencies were higher in the latter (Pany-Kucera…”

supporting

confidence: 90%

“…The respective features were first noticed in pelvic remains of skeletons excavated at Austrian sites dating from Neolithic to Iron Age, where 87 male and 126 female individuals were analysed in this regard. In this research, we noticed a previously undescribed feature at the ventral sacral apex in a female from Unterhautzenthal and subsequently encountered similar changes in other prehistoric pelvic remains, but only in females (Pany-Kucera et al, 2020;Rebay-Salisbury et al, 2018) and named it "sacral preauricular extension" (SPE). It is an osseous expansion at the level of the terminal line, always located at the ventral apex of the sacral ala. Usually, a subtle line delimits the SPE from the auricular joint surface, which is essential for the differentiation from other changes.…”

mentioning

confidence: 85%

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Indicators of motherhood? Sacral preauricular extensions and notches in identified skeletal collections

Pany-Kucera

Spannagl-Steiner

Desideri

et al. 2021

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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The sacral preauricular extension (SPE) and sacral preauricular notch (SPN) are morphological changes at the ventral apex of the sacrum. We recently specified their shapes and appearances and suggested a scoring system based on prehistoric Austrian skeletal assemblages. We hypothesized that these specific pelvic changes relate to past pregnancies and parturitions, a hypothesis that we now tested on a subsample of individuals from the Simon Identified Skeletal collection in Geneva (n = 62) and the Christ Church, Spitalfields collection in London (n = 27) linked to historical information on deliveries. We found SPE and SPN in low frequencies and only in female individuals with at least two children in both collections, and a significant association between the emergence of SPE and first births by 25 years. SPN was found only in two females in the Simon collection, but both with a very high number of recorded parturitions including twin births. Based on these results, we are confident in our assumption that at least SPE, and possibly also SPN, result from increased compression forces at the sacroiliac joint, and especially at the ventrosuperior margin, in recurring (complicated) birth events, the interaction of enhanced pelvic joint mobility that is highest up to age 25, and postural changes related to weight gain during pregnancy. Pelvic shape, dimensions, body proportions, biomechanical issues and hormonal levels may also play a role in their emergence.

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supporting

confidence: 90%

mentioning

confidence: 85%

Indicators of motherhood? Sacral preauricular extensions and notches in identified skeletal collections

Pany-Kucera

Spannagl-Steiner

Desideri

et al. 2021

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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“…At Eulau, Germany, one of the adult women buried with a child suffered an arrow wound, described as 'unambiguously fatal' 11 . The killing of children, for instance by blunt force to the skull, has been documented at several Early Bronze Age sites in Europe, including Schleinbach in Lower Austria, Cezavy Hill in the Czech Republic, and Nord-Trøndelag in Norway [87][88][89][90] .…”

Section: The Interpretation Of Parent-child Burialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological and substitute parents in Beaker period adult–child graves

Zedda,

Meheux,

Blöcher

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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Joint inhumations of adults and children are an intriguing aspect of the shift from collective to single burial rites in third millennium BC Western Eurasia. Here, we revisit two exceptional Beaker period adult–child graves using ancient DNA: Altwies in Luxembourg and Dunstable Downs in Britain. Ancestry modelling and patterns of shared IBD segments between the individuals examined, and contemporary genomes from Central and Northwest Europe, highlight the continental connections of British Beakers. Although simultaneous burials may involve individuals with no social or biological ties, we present evidence that close blood relations played a role in shaping third millennium BC social systems and burial practices, for example a biological mother and her son buried together at Altwies. Extended family, such as a paternal aunt at Dunstable Downs, could also act as ‘substitute parents’ in the grave. Hypotheses are explored to explain such simultaneous inhumations. Whilst intercommunity violence, infectious disease and epidemics may be considered as explanations, they fail to account for both the specific, codified nature of this particular form of inhumation, and its pervasiveness, as evidenced by a representative sample of 131 adult–child graves from 88 sites across Eurasia, all dating to the third and second millennia BC.

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“…A recent analysis of the human remains in the framework of the ERC-funded project 'The value of mothers to society' identified a high occurrence of traces of interpersonal violence, including healed and perimortal fractures (Pany-Kucera et al 2020). For example, two maternally related adult males with identical impression fractures were buried in close bodily contact in one grave, and an adult man was deposited in a large pit together with three children aged 3-4, 8-9 and 12 years (Weninger 1954a, b).…”

Section: Early Bronze Age Schleinbachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Child murder in the Early Bronze Age: proteomic sex identification of a cold case from Schleinbach, Austria

Rebay‐Salisbury

Janker

Pany-Kucera

et al. 2020

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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The identification of sex-specific peptides in human tooth enamel by nanoflow liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (nanoLC-MS/MS) represents a quantum leap for the study of childhood and social relations more generally. Determining sex-related differences in prehistoric child rearing and mortality has been hampered by the insufficient accuracy in determining the biological sex of juveniles. We conducted mass spectrometric analysis to identify sex-specific peptides in the dental enamel of a child from a settlement pit of the Early Bronze Age settlement of Schleinbach, Austria (c. 1950–1850 bc). Four perimortal impression fractures on the skull of a 5–6-year-old child indicate an intentional killing, with a co-buried loom weight as possible murder weapon. Proteomic analysis, conducted for the first time on prehistoric teeth in Austria, determined the child’s sex as male. While we cannot conclusively determine whether the child was the victim of conflicts between village groups or was slain by members of his own community, we suggest that contextual evidence points to the latter. A possible trigger of violence was the follow-on effects of an uncontrolled middle ear infection revealed by an osteological analysis. The boy from Schleinbach highlights the potential for further investigation of gender-biased violence, infanticide and child murder based on the recently developed method of proteomic sex identification.

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Social Relations, Deprivation and Violence at Schleinbach, Lower Austria. Insights from an Interdisciplinary Analysis of the Early Bronze Age Human Remains

Cited by 5 publications

References 53 publications

Indicators of motherhood? Sacral preauricular extensions and notches in identified skeletal collections

Indicators of motherhood? Sacral preauricular extensions and notches in identified skeletal collections

Biological and substitute parents in Beaker period adult–child graves

Child murder in the Early Bronze Age: proteomic sex identification of a cold case from Schleinbach, Austria

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