7th World Congress on Mummy Studies University of San Diego San ...

ABSTRACTS.–.Symposia
detecting.formation.of.adipocere.in.the.remains..Furthermore,.we.
were.able.to.identify.areas.with.high.concentrations.of.polysaccharides,.
possibly. derived. from. the. partial. degradation. of. glycogen,.
and. a. high. content. of. as. yet. unidentified. carboxylate-containing.
molecules,.perhaps.also.derived.from.processes.of.ester.hydrolysis..
Overall,.the.use.of.FTIR.spectromicroscopy.provided.us.with.an.
overview.of.major.compositional.changes,.or.lack.of.them,.within.
the.sample,.allowing.us.to.assess.the.state.of.preservation.of.the.
Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi.tissues.
225 The identification of a Latent Tuberculosis Infection in the
Ancient Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi Individual, TREENA SWAN-
STON* 1 , HARRy DENEER 2 , and ERNIE WALKER 1 .( 1 Department.
of.Archaeology. and.Anthropology,. University. of. Saskatchewan,.
55. Campus. Drive,. Saskatoon,. SK,. Canada,. S7N. 5B1;.
2 Department.of.Pathology.and.Laboratory.Medicine,.University.of.
Saskatchewan,.103.Hospital.Drive,.Saskatoon,.SK,.Canada,.S7N.
0W8;.treena.swanston@usask.ca).
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). is. the. pathogen. responsible.for.the.disease.tuberculosis.in.humans..According.to.the.<strong>World</strong>.
Health.Organization,.one.in.three.individuals.worldwide.has.a.latent.
MTB.infection,.and.5.to.10%.of.infected.individuals.will.develop.
the.disease..The.analysis.of.ancient.microbial.DNA.associated.with.
past.human.infections.is.useful.in.defining.the.spatial.and.temporal.associations.between.humans.and.their.pathogens..In.1999,.an.
ancient.individual.was.recovered.from.a.glacier.in.northern.British.
Columbia,.Canada..Radiocarbon.dates.of.the.Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi
site.indicated.a.timeframe.of.AD.1670.to.1850,.which.is.either.precontact.or.early.European.contact.for.that.area..Based.on.current.M.
tuberculosis.infection.rates.and.the.potential.for.determining.if.the.
site.was.precontact.based.on.identifying.M. tuberculosis.polymorphisms.associated.with.specific.populations,.the.ancient.individual’s.tissues.were.tested.for.the.presence.of.M.
tuberculosis.DNA.
Even.though.a.pathological.and.histological.examination.was.negative,.M.
tuberculosis.complex.DNA.was.identified.in.the.lung.tissue.
with.primers.specific.for.the.IS6100.insertion.sequence..Additional.
evidence.of.MTB.DNA.was.determined.through.the.amplification.
of.regions.within.the.Rv3479,.gyrB.and.katG.genes.
Hair in Archaeology
Thursday, 4:30 p.m. in KIPJ Theatre
226 Assessment of the State of Preservation of Archaeological Keratin
Fibers – A Study of Different Analytical Approaches, GABRI-
ELE WORTMANN*, ALAA JABUR, and FRANz-JOSEF
WORTMANN (Textile. and. Paper,. School. of. Materials,. University.of.Manchester,.Manchester,.UK;.gabi.wortmann@manchester.
ac.uk).
Keratinous.materials,.such.as.human.and.animal.hair.or.woollen.
textiles,. are. very. stable. and. resistant. to. environmental. influences..Consequently.it.is.often.found.together.with.historical.and.
archaeological. human. or. animal. remains.. Environmental. conditions.
during. preservation. induce. specific. chemical. and. physical.
changes. to. the. keratin. material.. Humidity,. temperature,. pH. and.
specific.chemical.influences.during.the.preservation.process.change.
fibre.proteins.in.different.ways.
The.degree.of.structural.stability.of.the.fibres.gives.an.indication.about.storage.conditions.and.can.be.used.as.a.guideline.in.view.
for.the.conservation.of.the.keratin.fibres..
112
The.state.of.preservation.of.the.intermediate.filaments.(IF).as.
well.as.the.degree.of.cystine.modification.in.the.intermediate.filament.associated.proteins.(IFAPs).gives.evidence.of.the.mechanical.
properties.and.stability.of.the.keratin.fibres..
Non-destructive.and.destructive.analytical.techniques.can.be.
used.for.damage.assessment.of.keratin.material.and.both.approaches.
elucidate.specific.facets.of.the.changes.of.the.molecular.and.morphological.structure.of.the.fibres..The.comparison.of.several.analytical.tools.gives.an.example.for.the.information.value.
of.these.
different.analytical.approaches..
227 The Richest Ornament: Hair Analyses of Women from the Kellis
2 Cemetery, Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt,. LANA J. WILLIAMS*,
TOSHA L. DUPRAS, and SANDRA M. WHEELER (Department.of.Anthropology,.University.of.Central.Florida,.Orlando,.FL.
32816;.ljwillia@mail.ucf.edu).
From.an.archaeological.perspective,.hair.serves.not.only.as.an.
ornament.of.appearance.but.also.provides.insight.into.social.and.
economic.standing,.health.status,.and.seasonal.cycles.of.customs.
and.practices..To.date,.the.remains.of.76.women.between.the.ages.
of.16.and.70.years.of.age.at.death,.all.retaining.well-preserved.hair,.
have.been.recovered.from.the.Kellis.2.Cemetery,.Dakhleh.Oasis,.
Egypt..These.women.are.thought.to.be.associated.with.the.nearby.
Roman. administrative. center. of. Kellis. (c.. 50–450. AD).. Macroscopic.study.on.this.portion.of.the.cemetery.population.has.yielded.
results. concerning. hairstyles. and. hair. preparation. prior. burial..
Microscopic.study.has.provided.insight.into.practices.of.hair.care.
and.general.living.conditions.within.the.community..Isotopic.analyses.have.provided.an.even.greater.wealth.of.information.concerning.health.status,.pregnancy,.seasonal.diet,.and.the.aging.process.
among.these.women.
228 Life in an Extreme Environment: An Isotopic Investigation into
Seasonal Resource Use in the Lower Ica Valley, Peru, LAUREN
CADWALLADER. (Department. of. Archaeology,. University. of.
Cambridge,.Downing.Street,.Cambridge,.CB2.3DZ,.UK;.lc340@
cam.ac.uk)..
The.lower.Ica.Valley,.though.today.largely.an.unpopulated.and.
arid.desert,.is.rich.in.archaeological.remains.of.settlement.and.irrigated.
field. systems. spanning. approximately. 2000. years. from. the.
Early.Horizon.(500.B.C.).to.the.Spanish.Conquest..This.research.
aims.to.understand.how.subsistence.strategies,.influenced.by.both.
biological.and.social.factors,.evolved.during.this.period.using.isotopic.
analysis. of. human. tissues.. Previous. archaeobotanical. work.
suggests. that. a. gradual. transformation. took. place. as. natural. and.
anthropogenic. changes. took. their. toll. on. the. environment..Additionally,.
repeated. cultural. transitions. provided. social. impetus. for.
economic.based.changes.
Isotopic.dietary.information.obtained.from.mummified.human.
remains.has.been.used.to.investigate.three.main.transitions:.a).the.
Late.Ocucaje.to.Early.Nasca.cultural.transition.(c..200.B.C..-.200.
A.D.);.b).the.Late.Nasca.to.Wari.transition.(c..800.-.1000.A.D.).
during.which.there.was.a.gradual.collapse.of.the.desert.ecosystem;.
and.c).the.transition.from.the.Wari.to.the.regionally.developed.Ica-
Chincha.period.(1000.-.1400.A.D.)..
Results.from.the.isotopic.analysis.of.bone.collagen.show.the.
diet.of.each.period.to.be.subtly.different,.with.a.range.of.resources.
potentially. being. exploited.. Several. explanations. can. be. put. forward.
indicating. that. the. subsistence. strategies. cannot. be. simply.
defined.as.‘hunter-gatherer’.or.‘agriculturalist’..Isotopic.analysis.of.