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Editorial
The new Journal of Bioarchaeology, a fundamental tool for the dissemination of research
Marta Licata
 
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
 
Peasants, nobles and religious. Mortuary archaeology in the church of SS. Eusebio and Antonio of Azzio, Varese (Northwest Italy)
Omar Larentis, Marco Calderoni
• To resume 10 years of research in the SS. Eusebio and Antonio church of Azzio, Varese
• To improve our knowledge on funerary use and body treatment in a religious and layman catholic burial place
• To enrich the available literature on putridarium in northern Italy
• To provide new anthropological, paleopathological and taphonomic data of heterogenous social class groups
 
Interpreting diachronic changes and infra-contextual comparisons. The bioarchaeological archive of San Biagio in Cittiglio (Varese, Northern Italy)
Chiara Tesi
• A well-preserved funerary sample represents a bioarchaeological archive of the territory, valid for the study of the biological features of the ancient population
• The investigated cemetery has provided essential insights into the life of the ancient population that once inhabited the area
• The social and political changes between historical periods can also be reflected by the biological characteristics extracted from the anthropological record
• The diachronic aspect of the cemetery allowed the comparison between two chronological subgroups divided according to the local and regional history of the site
• The diachronic perspective has revealed the existence of dissimilarities in health status and dietary practices between the High Middle Ages and the Late and Post-Medieval Ages
 
CASE REPORT: PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
 
Endocranial mice nesting in the body of the Blessed Antonio da Fano (dead 1435)
Mirko Traversari, Beatrice Demarchi, Annalisa Biselli, Francesco Tei, Elisabetta Cilli, Gianni D’Altri, Luca Ventura
• To study of a taphonomic aspect still little described in the literature
• To investigate Rodent-induced weathering processes on mummies
• To use of CT scan analysis to determine the presence of rodent nests in mummified remains
• To create recognition protocol of a rodent nest inside a mummy
 
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: PALEOPATHOLOGY
 
Some paleopathological cases from a Medieval Necropolis of northern Italy
Roberta Fusco
• The cemetery investigated provided essential information on the pathologies of the ancient population that inhabited the area
• To present some paleopathological cases from the osteological sample of a medieval cemetery in northern Italy
• To enrich the paleopathological literature on the conditions of Legg Calvè Perthes, Biparietal thinning, and Osteomas in the Middle Ages
• To expand our knowledge of the onset of some paleopathological conditions
• To create a bioarchaeological archive that will further expand our knowledge of the medieval population of north-western Lombardy. Restoration activities for the enhancement of the anatomical collections of the Pavia University Museum System
 
SHORT REPORT: MUSEUM
 
Restoration activities for the enhancement of the anatomical collections of the Pavia University Museum System
Salvatore Restivo, Ester Maria Bernardi, Lidia Falomo Bernarduzzi, Gabriella Cusella, Maria Carla Garbarino, Dalila Giacobbe, Oreste Sacchi, Silvia Sanza, Ugo Ziliani
• To define guidelines for the restoration of dry and liquid anatomical specimens
• To highlight the importance of a correct conservative restoration not to invalidate subsequent paleopathological studies
• To raise awareness of the current usefulness of anatomical collections
• To highlight the importance of the specimens present in the Pavia collections
• To improve knowledge in the field of conservation of anatomical collections
 
REVIEW ARTICLE: ARCHAEOENTOMOLOGY
 
When Entomological studies meet Archaeology: archaeoentomology an old, new discipline for investigation of the Past
Stefano Vanin
• To increase the knowledge about insects often associated with humans: goods, living spaces and also the body - in life and after the death.
• To increase the knowledge about the biology, distribution, habitat preference and seasonality of insects collected from archaeological contexts can provide useful information for the understanding and reconstruction of the Past.
• To improve Funerary Archaeoentomology focus on the insects and other arthropods associated with human and animal decomposition from funerary contexts. It may provide information about the funerary practices, season of the death or body movement.
• To recognize that lice, fleas and other ectoparasites from archaeological contexts may provide information about sanitary practices, hygiene and diseases’ spread.