Ph.D. Program in Biodiversity and Evolution
Evolution and Biodiversity: the study of human skeletons
The human skeletal remains are an important bio-cultural archive and provide us with information about the human evolution and the life style of the past populations. Their study contributes to reconstruct phylogeny and ancient human adaptive strategies as well as socio-economic and hygienic conditions, health status, type and availability of food resources, level of physical stress, funerary practices and rituals, etc.. For these studies methodological and applicative approaches are both important.
Research line A: Human evolution. Study of the transition Neanderthal/modern humans.
Research line B: Bioarchaeology. Study of palaeodemographic, paleonutritional, paleopathological and activity markers of the human skeletal remains to reconstruct peopling and life style of ancient Mediterranean.
Research line C: Forensic Osteology. Study of specific markers (sex, age, at death, health, no masticatory tooth-use) to personal identification.
Methodology: macroscopic and microscopic (stereomicroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy) analyses.
Materials: Skeletal collections preserved at the Laboratory of Bioarcheology and Forensic Ostelogy and Museum of Anthropology of University of Bologna, and at European (Institute de Paléontologie Humaine, Parigi) and Asiatic (Central State Museum of Kazakhstan, Almaty) Laboratories.
Recent Publications
Mariotti V, Bonfiglioli B, Facchini F, Condemi S, Belcastro MG (2009) Funerary practices of the Iberomaurusian population of Taforalt (Tafoughalt; Morocco, 11–12,000 BP): new hypotheses based on a grave by grave skeletal inventory and evidence of deliberate human modification of the remains. Journal of Human Evolution, 56 340–354.
Belcastro MG, Rastelli E, Mariotti V. (2008) Variation of the degree of
sacral vertebral body fusion in adulthood in two European modern skeletal
collections. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 135: 149-160.
Belcastro MG, Rastelli E, Mariotti V, Consiglio C, Facchini F, Bonfiglioli
B. (2007) Continuity or discontinuity of the life-style in central Italy
during the Roman imperial age-Early Middles Age transition: Diet, Health
and behaviour. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 132: 381-394.
Belcastro MG, Mariotti V, Facchini F, Bonfiglioli B (2006) Musculoskeletal
stress and adult age markers in the Krapina Hominid collection: the study
of femora 213 Fe.1 and 214 Fe.2. Periodicum Biologorum, 108: 235-388
Mariotti V, Facchini F, Belcastro MG (2007) The Study of Entheses: Proposal
of a Standardised Scoring Method for Twenty-Three Entheses of the Postcranial
Skeleton. Collegium Antropologicum, 31: 91-313.
Research Group
Prof. Maria Giovanna Belcastro
Dr.Valentina Mariotti (PhD)
Dr. Benedetta Bonfilglioli (Post Doc)
Dr. Marco Milella (PhD student)
Dr. Stefania Zampetti (PhD student)
Antonio Todero (Museum techinician)
Location
Department of Biologia Evoluzionistica Sperimentale
V. Selmi, 3 - 40126 Bologna
