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Secondary sex estimation using morphological traits from the cranium and mandible: application to two Merovingian populations from Belgium
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It is generally accepted that the coxal bone is the most reliable bone for estimating the sex of adult subjects. When the coxal bone is not usable, researchers generally turn to methods based on the skull (cranium and mandible). However, these methods are less reliable, because they are largely based on an estimate of the robusticity, which can be influenced by characteristics independent of the sex of the subject. In the context of primary sex estimation, skull-based methods should therefore be avoided. However, by using morphological traits of the cranium and the mandible as part of a secondary sex estimation, we were able to estimate the sex of a relatively large number of individuals with a minimum reliability of 95%. Our study thus illustrates the value of using morphological characteristics of the skull for a secondary sex estimation conducted with a reliable statistical method.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2024
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Viroinval/Treignes : campagnes de fouilles 2022 et 2023 à la grotte Genvier
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RBINS Staff Publications 2024
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Au nord, deuil dans les corons. Analyse anthropologique des victimes non identifiées de la catastrophe du Bois du Cazier (1956, Belgique).
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Le 8 août 1956, la catastrophe minière la plus meurtrière de Belgique se produisit au charbonnage du Bois du Cazier à Marcinelle : 262 mineurs de nationalités diverses (belge, italienne, allemande, algérienne, grecque, …) périrent à la suite d’une erreur humaine. Tous furent identifiés à l’exception de 17 d’entre eux. En octobre 2021, à la demande d’un descendant des victimes non identifiées, la Cellule d’Identification des Victimes de Catastrophes de la Police Fédérale a lancé une grande opération afin d’exhumer les restes des inconnus et de procéder à leur identification. Les analyses ont été réalisées par une équipe composée d’experts en pathologie médico-légale, en odontologie, en anthropologie, en archéologie et en ADN. Nous présentons ici les résultats de l’analyse anthropologique. Après l’inventaire des restes, le profil biologique de chaque individu a été reconstitué. La DSP a été utilisée pour déterminer le sexe et sept méthodes différentes ont été appliquées pour estimer l’âge au décès, y compris la cémentochronologie. La stature a été estimée à l’aide des équations de Raxter et d’Oliver, tandis que l’origine bio-géographique a été évaluée avec AncesTrees. La confrontation des registres ante-mortem (stature, âge, pathologies et particularités physiques) avec les données post-mortem nous a permis de proposer une identification pour huit individus. Quatre d’entre elles ont été confirmées par l’ADN. Au-delà de l’identification permettant de mener à bien ce devoir de mémoire envers les familles des victimes, cette mission nous a donné l’opportunité d’enregistrer des données précieuses pour d’autres domaines de recherche comme les traumatismes péri-mortem et les marqueurs d’activité résultant des pénibles conditions de travail des mineurs de fond.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2024
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Base du crâne, labyrinthe osseux et dimorphisme sexuel : investigation morphométrique au sein d’un échantillon d’Europe de l’Ouest
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L’estimation du sexe biologique d’un individu constitue une étape primordiale de l’analyse anthropologique, que ce soit en contexte archéologique ou forensique. Elle doit se fonder sur des méthodes de diagnose sexuelle reproductibles, fiables et validées. Néanmoins, cette tâche peut s’apparenter à un véritable défi lorsque la préservation des éléments diagnostiques osseux n’est pas optimale, et ce d’autant plus s’il s’agit de restes immatures ou brûlés. Face à de tels restes fragmentés, une voie prometteuse consisterait à mettre en place une méthode de diagnose sexuelle s’appuyant sur un élément osseux à la fois fortement dimorphique et à la survie taphonomique avérée. Alliant ostéométrie et outils digitaux au travers d’une approche strictement morphométrique, cette recherche propose d’évaluer le dimorphisme de la base du crâne (i.e., os occipital et temporaux) et celui du labyrinthe osseux de l’oreille interne sur un assemblage osseux comprenant 611 crânes et 121 labyrinthes appartenant à des sujets européens – immatures et adultes – d’âge et de sexe connus. Les résultats obtenus dans cette étude démontrent d’une part que le dimorphisme sexuel de l’os temporal est plus marqué que celui de l’os occipital, et ce dès la phase pubertaire, et d’autre part qu’il n’est pas possible d’établir une méthode de diagnose sexuelle indépendante de l’âge sur le labyrinthe osseux du fait des différences d’expression de son dimorphisme sexuel observées entre les immatures et les adultes. En outre, ce travail a permis d’établir plusieurs modèles prédictifs de diagnose sexuelle à partir de la base du crâne adulte (avec de 77 à 87 % de classification correcte), du labyrinthe osseux adulte (de 76 à 83 %) et du labyrinthe immature (de 76 à 84 %). Leurs qualités intrinsèques (i.e., reproductibilité, fiabilité, facilité d’utilisation et faible coût) en font des outils de diagnose sexuelle adaptés à l’examen de restes osseux fragmentaires.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2024
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Het Woestijnegoed en het kasteel van Woestijne
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RBINS Staff Publications 2020
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New mtDNA and Isotopic Evidence on Late Pleistocene Cave Bears in the Balkans: the Case-study of Magura Cave, NW Bulgaria
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Recent genetic studies have shed light on the phylogeography of cave bears; however, their paleoecology and their diet are still debated, and data from south-eastern Europe are still scarce. Magura Cave, in northwest Bulgaria, has delivered rich faunal assemblages from the Late Pleistocene. The chronology of the excavated area spans from ca. 35 kya to more than 50 kya; the oldest stratigraphic layers being associated with final Middle Palaeolithic tools. The fauna comprises herbivores and carnivores, and potentially different taxa of cave bears, the dental remains of which also showed different tooth morphotypes, suggesting the co-existence of different dietary adaptations. We investigated the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) lineages of the cave bears from Magura Cave as well as the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope composition of the faunal assemblage. Our data revealed that, regardless of the tooth morphotypes, only maternal lineages of Ursus ingressus were present in Magura Cave. Interestingly, one specimen with Ursus arctos mtDNA was also found, showing a clear carnivore diet. In contrast, the U. ingressus specimens had a predominantly herbivorous diet. The tooth morphotypes were associated with significantly different δ13C values, suggesting different dietary adaptations.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2020
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Using ancient DNA to identify Bos primigenius in ancient cattle remains from Belgium
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Aurochs (Bos primigenius) are the wild ancestors of the domesticated taurine cattle (Bos taurus). During the Holocene, populations of aurochs gradually declined until their extinction at the turn of the 17th century. DNA data suggest that domestic cattle in Europe descended from Near East aurochs that were domesticated and brought to Europe by the first farmers during the Neolithic period. Hybridization occurred more recently in Europe between domestic cattle and local wild aurochs. Most aurochs can be distinguished from domestic cattle osteometrically, but large-sized domestic cattle may be misidentified as aurochs. Based on mitochondrial DNA, most European aurochs differ from domestic cattle (haplogroup “P” versus “T”). With the aim to provide new data on the former distribution of aurochs in Europe, we used mitochondrial DNA to identify large bovid bones attributed to aurochs and dating from Epipaleolithic to medieval times. DNA was extracted from the bones of 11 specimens from Belgium in an ancient DNA lab. Shotgun DNA sequencing provided raw reads comprising 0.02-10% of endogenous DNA. For three samples, reads covered 74-98% of the bovid mitochondrial genome and enabled the identification of one aurochs from the Bronze Age (haplogroup “P”) and two cows from Roman and medieval times (haplogroup “T”). Among the other samples (covering 2-18% of the mitogenome), three Roman specimens could be assigned to the haplogroup “T” based on a few diagnostic positions. This study provides the first mitogenomic data for a Belgian aurochs and contributes to the identification of exceptionally large Roman bovid remains.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2023
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An interdisciplinary study around the reliquary of the late cardinal Jacques de Vitry
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The reliquary of Jacques de Vitry, a prominent clergyman and theologian in the early 13th century, has experienced several transfers over the last centuries, which seriously question the attribution of the remains to the late Cardinal. Uncertainty about the year of his birth poses an additional question regarding his age at death in 1240. The reliquary, located in the Saint Marie d’Oigines church, Belgium, was reopened in 2015 for an interdisciplinary study around his relics as well as the Treasure of Oignies, a remarkable cultural heritage notably built from Jacques de Vitry’s donation. Anthropological, isotopic and genetic analyses were performed independently on the remains found in the reliquary. Results of the analyses provided evidence that the likelihood that these remains are those of Jacques de Vitry is very high: the remains belong to the same human male individual and the historical tradition about his age is confirmed. In addition, a separate relic (left tibia) was analysed and found to match with the remains of the reliquary (right tibia). The unique Jacques de Vitry’s mitre, made of parchment, was sampled non-destructively and the extracted parchment collagen was analysed by a proteomic method in order to determine the animal species. The results showed that, surprisingly, not all parts of the mitre were made from the same species. All together, these findings are expected to fertilize knowledge carried by historical tradition around the relics of Jacques de Vitry and his related cultural heritage.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2019
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Macroevolutionary analysis of the tempo of diversification in snappers and fusiliers (Percomorpha: Lutjanidae)
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Belgian Journal of Zoology
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Bibliographic References
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Uncertainty assessment applied to marine subsurface datasets
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A recently released voxel model quantifying aggregate resources of the Belgian part of the North Sea includes lithological properties of all Quaternary sediments and modelling-related uncertainty. As the underlying borehole data come from various sources and cover a long time-span, data-related uncertainties should be accounted for as well. Applying a tiered data-uncertainty assessment to a composite lithology dataset with uniform, standardized lithological descriptions and rigorously completed metadata fields, uncertainties were qualified and quantified for positioning, sampling and vintage. The uncertainty on horizontal positioning combines navigational errors, on-board and off-deck offsets and underwater drift. Sampling-gear uncertainty evaluates the suitability of each instrument in terms of its efficiency of sediment yield per lithological class. Vintage uncertainty provides a likelihood of temporal change since the moment of sampling, using the mobility of fine-scale bedforms as an indicator. For each uncertainty component, quality flags from 1 (very uncertain) to 5 (very certain) were defined and converted into corresponding uncertainty percentages meeting the input requirements of the voxel model. Obviously, an uncertainty-based data selection procedure, aimed at improving the confidence of data products, reduces data density. Whether or not this density reduction is detrimental to the spatial coverage of data products, will depend on their intended use. At the very least, demonstrable reductions in spatial coverage will help to highlight the need for future data acquisition and to optimize survey plans. By opening up our subsurface model with associated data uncertainties in a public decision support application, policy makers and other end users are better able to visualize overall confidence and identify areas with insufficient coverage meeting their needs. Having to work with a borehole dataset that is increasingly limited with depth below the seabed, engineering geologists and geospatial analysts in particular will profit from a better visualization of datarelated uncertainty.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2020
