ИСТИНА

THE MEDIEVAL CHAPEL OF SAINT ANDÉOL OF VERLORGUES (ISLE SUR LA SORGUE, VAUCLUSE, FRANCE): A PROBABLE CASE OF A RARE CONGENITAL ANOMALYThe excavation of Saint-Andéol chapel of Verlorgues is is managed by a partnership between the History department of the University of Avignon and the Cultural Heritage department of the town of Isle sur Sorgues. Excavations of the interior of the structure revealed a primary church under a 9th Century apse, represented by the fragment of an altar dated from the 7th-8th Centuries, to which are associated several stone coffin burials. Two soundings were done perpendicularly to the chapel. The southern one is located in the heart of the cimeterium claustra that is mentioned in texts from the 13th and 14th Centuries. Extremely incomplete burials of various types were found there: burial vaults (the oldest structures recovered), some of which showed signs of re-use, flagstone burial vaults, a probable recess, several in-ground burials, and nailed coffins. A total of 64 burials containing around 60 individuals have been recovered and are currently under anthropological study. The northern part of the site raisesquestions about the possibility of a lateral chapel dating from the beginning of the 14th Century, which would have been built on a section of the Roman cemetery. Four other in-ground burials located around the chapel were found associated with this more recent part of the structure. They contained adult individuals whose high social status raises further questions. Amongst this small group, whose size will increase as the excavations continue, one individual, subject SP 3035 (male, adult) presents bone anomalies on the right radius, humerus and, more importantly, ulna. The incomplete and slendered distal extremity of the ulna and its general arched shape mimic a hemimelia-type congenital anomaly of the right forearm, which corresponds to partial unilateralulnar agenesis. Considering the very low prevalence of this type of anomaly, this diagnosis will be discussed.Berezina, N.1, Dobrovolskaya, M.2, Kalmykov, A.3, Belinskiy, A.4, Reinhold, S.5, Gresky, J.61Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, Moscow State University, 123001 Moscow, Russia2Institute of Archaeology, RAS3SUE «Nasledie» Stavropol, Russia4OOO “Nasledie”, 355006 Stavropol, Russia5Eurasia Department, German Archaeological Institute, 14195 Berlin, Germany 6Scientific Department, German Archaeological Institute, 14195 Berlin, GermanyGRAVE OFFERINGS OR ACTUAL TOOLS: EVIDENCE OF PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY WITH ANTHROPOLOGICAL METHODSTo find a grave with artifactsused for metal working is a rare success for both, archaeologists and anthropologists. Such a find include a lot of information about the technological level and details of production, but also about the individuals involved in production.This poster presents the results of the skeletal analysis of an adult male individual from the Bronze Age site of Nevinomysskiy-3. It is located in the central North Caucasus piedmont plain, at the confluence of the largest rivers of the region -Kuban and Zelenchuk. It dates to the turn ofthe 3rd to 2nd millennium BC and was identified as the burial related to one of postcatacomb cultural formations.The skeleton was buried with special grave goods: smelting crucible assembly including a casting spoon and parts of a sprue which are connected with metallurgy.But do these artifacts represent only grave gifts? Or were they actual and functional instruments of craftsmen? To address such questions, we involved several anthropological and bioarchaeological analysis. The skeleton was examined macroscopically, using standard anthropological and paleopathological methods, as well as microfocus radiography. A special chemical trace element analysis for metals was also undertaken. We found several healed ante-mortem fractures and one extensive myositis ossificans of the right femur of the individual. Several pronounced ebtheseal changes on the bones showed specific occupational stress during lifetime. All the paleopathological analyses, together with an increased concentration of metals (Cu Cr, Co, Ni, Pb, As) in the bones proved that this man was indeed involved in professional metallurgy.