Ein Dolmen in der Schweiz

Ende 2011 erhielt der Archäologische Dienst des Kanton Bern die telefonische Mitteilung, im Dorfkern von Oberbipp kämen bei Baggerarbeiten grosse Steinblöcke und zahlreiche Knochen zum Vorschein. Bereits beim ersten Besuch liess sich eine jungsteinzeitliche Dolmenanlage erkennen.

„Extra locos sepulturae“ – Review about finds of newborns inside Roman settlements in present-day Switzerland

Finds of remains of newborns inside Roman settlements are a widespread phenomenon in the Imperium Romanum, including presentday Switzerland. Since the publication of the last review article (Berger 1993) numerous new finds have been made. Therefore it seems important to summarize archaeological and anthropological parameters again, and to re-assess them collectively. During a literature review a total of 262 cases were collected. Similarities as well as differences in the funerary practices become evident. A combination of inhumation, single deposit/grave, and absence of grave goods is the least common denominator in the funerary treatment of individuals who died around the time of birth. However, methods of classical physical anthropology are limited. Histological and biochemical methods are promising and may allow further statements in the future, e.g. with regard to the differentiation between live and still births. In order to evaluate possible correlations between archaeological and anthropological parameters, findings from settlements and cemeteries that are documented in situ as well as a sustainable theoretical framework are required.

A Possible Case of Möller-Barlow Disease in Northwestern Switzerland (7th Century)

The excavation site Reigoldswil is located at 550 m above sea level on the Jura chain hillside in north-western Switzerland. The mountains divide the Rhine valley from an agriculturally rich region. The origin of the village lies in the early medieval time. Until now the skeletons of one cemetery have been morphologically studied. Around 216 individuals were excavated from under the foundation walls of a church and in the open field. They date to the 7/8th up to the 10th century. The striking part is the high amount of subadult (0-18 years) individuals with 58% (n=126). One of these children, an approximately 1.5 year old toddler from the 7th century, was buried in a stone cist. Its bones show morphological traces like porotic lesions of the greater wings of the sphenoidale, the squama, the mandibule and the scapula as new bone formation on both femora and tibiae. These signs could be an indicator for Möller-Barlow disease (Ortner 2003, Brickley and Ives 2008, Stark in press). As scurvy is associated with an insufficient intake of vitamin C, malnutrition must be assumed. A reason might be the geographic location or/and a harsh climat with crop failure and famine the first settler had to face. Besides the morphological diagnose amino acids of the bone collagen have been analyzed (Kramis et. al.). Further examinations, such as radiocarbon dating and stable isotope ratios (C, N, O, S) to specify nutrition, are planned.

Möller-Barlow disease in archaeology: Preliminary study of biochemical detection

Human bone is the most direct source for reconstructing health and living conditions of ancient populations. However, many diseases remain undetected in palaeopathology. Möller-Barlow disease (scurvy) is a historically well-documented metabolic disease and must have been common in clinical and sub-clinical severity. Due to long incubation periods and the subtle nature of bone changes osteological evidence is relatively rare (Brickley & Ives 2008). Möller-Barlow disease is caused by deficiency of dietary vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and evokes symptoms like fatigue, haemorrhage, inflammations, delayed wound healing and pain. Vitamin C is a cofactor for the hydroxylation of the amino acids proline and lysine which are essential for the production of intact connective tissue by cross-linking the propeptides in collagen. In a preliminary study we tested the detectability of Möller-Barlow disease by analysis of relative quantitative variability of hydroxylated amino acids in collagen (Pendery & Koon 2013). Samples (N=9) were taken from children with (n=3, cranium, femur, tibia) and without (n=4, cranium, femur, tibia) apparent bone reactions indicative of Möller-Barlow disease, as well as from adults with lethal traumata (n=2; negative controls). The skeletal remains originated from two early medieval cemeteries from Switzerland. Gas chromatographic (GC) analysis revealed minor differences between the samples. So far children with no pathologic alterations had fairly same values as negative controls while children with bone reactions paradoxically exhibited even slightly higher values of hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine. Future research demands for larger sample size and has to discuss sampling strategies. Beside possible misdiagnosis of Möller-Barlow disease it is arguable if only the newly built bone should be analysed even though this could lead to problems related to small sample quantity. It also remains to be seen to which extent varying turnover rates of different skeletal elements, especially in children, must be taken into account.

Microscale mapping of alteration conditions and potential biosignatures in basaltic-ultramafic rocks on early Earth and beyond

Subseafloor environments preserved in Archean greenstone belts provide an analogue for investigating potential subsurface habitats on Mars. The c. 3.5-3.4 Ga pillow lava metabasalts of the mid-Archean Barberton greenstone belt, South Africa, have been argued to contain the earliest evidence for microbial subseafloor life. This includes candidate trace fossils in the form of titanite microtextures, and sulfur isotopic signatures of pyrite preserved in metabasaltic glass of the c. 3.472 Ga Hooggenoeg Formation. It has been contended that similar microtextures in altered martian basalts may represent potential extraterrestrial biosignatures of microbe-fluid-rock interaction. But despite numerous studies describing these putative early traces of life, a detailed metamorphic characterization of the microtextures and their host alteration conditions in the ancient pillow lava metabasites is lacking. Here, we present a new nondestructive technique with which to study the in situ metamorphic alteration conditions associated with potential biosignatures in mafic-ultramafic rocks of the Hooggenoeg Formation. Our approach combines quantitative microscale compositional mapping by electron microprobe with inverse thermodynamic modeling to derive low-temperature chlorite crystallization conditions. We found that the titanite microtextures formed under subgreenschist to greenschist facies conditions. Two chlorite temperature groups were identified in the maps surrounding the titanite microtextures and record peak metamorphic conditions at 315 ± 40°C (XFe3+(chlorite) = 25-34%) and lower-temperature chlorite veins/microdomains at T = 210 ± 40°C (lower XFe3+(chlorite) = 40-45%). These results provide the first metamorphic constraints in textural context on the Barberton titanite microtextures and thereby improve our understanding of the local preservation conditions of these potential biosignatures. We suggest that this approach may prove to be an important tool in future studies to assess the biogenicity of these earliest candidate traces of life on Earth. Furthermore, we propose that this mapping approach could also be used to investigate altered mafic-ultramafic extraterrestrial samples containing candidate biosignatures.

Scientific drilling projects in ancient lakes: Integrating geological and biological histories

Sedimentary sequences in ancient or long-lived lakes can reach several thousands of meters in thickness and often provide an unrivalled perspective of the lake's regional climatic, environmental, and biological history. Over the last few years, deep-drilling projects in ancient lakes became increasingly multi- and interdisciplinary, as, among others, seismological, sedimentological, biogeochemical, climatic, environmental, paleontological, and evolutionary information can be obtained from sediment cores. However, these multi- and interdisciplinary projects pose several challenges. The scientists involved typically approach problems from different scientific perspectives and backgrounds, and setting up the program requires clear communication and the alignment of interests. One of the most challenging tasks, besides the actual drilling operation, is to link diverse datasets with varying resolution, data quality, and age uncertainties to answer interdisciplinary questions synthetically and coherently. These problems are especially relevant when secondary data, i.e., datasets obtained independently of the drilling operation, are incorporated in analyses. Nonetheless, the inclusion of secondary information, such as isotopic data from fossils found in outcrops or genetic data from extant species, may help to achieve synthetic answers. Recent technological and methodological advances in paleolimnology are likely to increase the possibilities of integrating secondary information. Some of the new approaches have started to revolutionize scientific drilling in ancient lakes, but at the same time, they also add a new layer of complexity to the generation and analysis of sediment-core data. The enhanced opportunities presented by new scientific approaches to study the paleolimnological history of these lakes, therefore, come at the expense of higher logistic, communication, and analytical efforts. Here we review types of data that can be obtained in ancient lake drilling projects and the analytical approaches that can be applied to empirically and statistically link diverse datasets to create an integrative perspective on geological and biological data. In doing so, we highlight strengths and potential weaknesses of new methods and analyses, and provide recommendations for future interdisciplinary deep-drilling projects.