Bioarchaeological Assessment of Skeletal Remains from A Salvage Excavation in Antalya Province

Abstract

The Antalya province, with its many important archaeological sites, reveals cricital archaeological data for the human history of Anatolia. These data are not limited to archaeological results, but the skeletons found during excavations also reveal direct data about human life and death. However, the archaeological data of Antalya are not limited to known archaeological sites, but are also updated with the increasing number of rescue excavations in many parts of the city. In this study, the human skeletal remains of 96 individuals were examined. The skeletal remains were unearthed from 48 graves, which were used in both the Roman and Byzantine periods, during the rescue excavations carried out by the Antalya Museum Directorate in the Başköy neighbourhood of the Kepez district in 2022. The anthropological examination of the skeletons revealed 70 adults and 26 sub-adult individuals, and the most common age range at death was 35-50 years. The estimated sex, age at death and stature, and oral and dental health, pathological lesions, and skeletal variations were assessed. Among our findings, we show cases of avascular necrosis, ossification of the chondrosternal cartilage, cortical desmoid and double-rooted mandibular canine, conditions that are not well documented in ancient Anatolian records.

Keywords

• Başköy
• avascular necrosis
• chondrosternal ossification
• spina bifida
• cortical desmoid

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