Giuffra
Dados Biográficos
| ID | 77818 |
|---|---|
| NOME | Giuffra |
| SOBRENOME | Giuffra |
| ASSINATURA | GIUFFRA |
| AFILIAÇÕES | University of Pisa |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9108-039X |
| VERIFICADO | Sim |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 43 |
| TOTAL DE CITAÇÕES | 51 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 43 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMEIRO ANO DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2006 |
| ANO MAIS RECENTE DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2026 |
| ÍNDICE H | 5 |
Intraskeletal Variation in Cortical Bone Quantity in a Medieval Italian Sample
Bioarcheologists interpret skeletal health by examining variability within and between individuals. Studies of bone loss have generated contradictory and conflicting results regarding the onset and severity of age‐related bone loss on a global and temporal scale, perhaps due to mismatched methodologies. Intraskeletal comparisons of bone tissue prove challenging precisely because of heterogeneous baselines in quantity and remodeling of cortical bo…
Invasive Preservation Practices and Bioarchaeological Study in Two Blessed Nuns from Fourteenth-Century Central Italy
This study examines two rare cases of artificial mummification of Augustinian cloistered nuns, Blessed Illuminata (†1320) and Blessed Chiarella (†1345), who were venerated in Montefalco, Umbria (central Italy). Despite their differing roles, one as a lay sister and the other as an abbess, their bodies have long been venerated and exhibited together in the Church of Saint Agostino. Following their canonical recognition in 2021, a bioarcheological …
Markers of tuberculous infection in 17th-century Lucca (central Italy)
Vertebral haemangiomas in palaeopathology
This research aims to provide a framework for identifying vestiges of vertebral haemangioma (VH), a benign tumour originating from the cells that form blood or lymphatic vessels, in archaeological human skeletal remains. The macroscopic alteration was observed in the fourth thoracic vertebral body of a female aged 2535 years at death from the necropolis of Pontecagnano (Salerno, Italy), dated to 725650 BCE; the adult individual was associated wit…
Spine Hyperkyphosis with Extensive Ankylosis in Seventeenth-Century Lucca (Italy) Disability in a Time of Crisis
Archaeological excavations in the city of Lucca (Tuscany, central Italy) brought to light a cemetery of 91 burials for people of low social status dating to the first half of the seventeenth century that originated during a catastrophic epidemic event. There were two epidemics in this period, plague in 1630–1631 and petechial typhus in 1648–1650. A double tomb (T.29) contained the skeletal remains of a female aged 16–20 years and a non-adult aged…
Ossicular chain changes revealed middle ear inflammation in medieval rural central Italy (Tuscany 10th-12th century)
Are endocranial granular impressions pathognomonic of tuberculous meningitis or a marker of tuberculous infection? An investigation on a medieval osteoarcheological assemblage from Italy
Persistence of Roman economic structures reflected in the dietary habits of late antique Tuscany (central Italy, 3rd–7th centuries CE)
Histology of pulmonary tuberculosis in a 19th-century mummy from Comiso (Sicily, Italy)
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate potential evidence of tuberculosis in mummified remains. MATERIALS: The natural mummy of an anonymous friar from the mortuary chapel of the church of Santa Maria della Grazia in Comiso (Sicily) METHODS: The mummy was studied through macroscopic examination; tissue sampling was conducted through breaches in the dorsal surface of the thorax. Radiological, histological and immunohistochemical analys…
Increased C4 cultivation and consumption as an impetus for population growth at Badia Pozzeveri, Italy (11th–13th centuries CE)
The diet of the people buried at Badia Pozzeveri was mainly a mix of C 3 and C 4 terrestrial resources. • 15 of the analysed individuals experienced dietary changes over their lives. • Late Medieval diets in northwest Tuscany were characterized by increased millet consumption. • The gradual shift to millet consumption was likely due to population growth. The focus of this study is to target the paucity of bioarchaeological information related to …
A case of secondary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy from medieval Tuscany (central Italy, 10th-12th centuries CE)
OBJECTIVES: This study aims to provide a detailed evaluation of a case of secondary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (HOA) and to explore insights into the presence and consequences of disease in medieval rural Italy. MATERIALS: The skeleton of a male (US 4405) with an estimated age at death of 51-69 years excavated from the medieval rural site of Pieve di Pava (Siena, Italy). METHODS: Macroscopic and radiological (x-ray, CT) analyses were performed…
Solitary osteochondromas in paleo-oncology
OBJECTIVE: This study presents a new case of solitary osteochondroma (SOC) identified on the proximal tibia of a 4th-century BCE individual from Pontecagnano (Salerno, Italy) with an aim to contribute to differential diagnosis of bone tumors in archeological contexts. MATERIALS: Paleopathological assessment of a male individual with an estimated age-at death of 45.9-62.9 years brought to light during the archaeological excavations in the funerary…
Entomological analysis for archeological reconstruction and conservation strategies design
Insects found in archeological contexts provide useful information for reconstructing past events. In the context of funerary archeology, insects may help in reconstructing funerary practices or rituals, and in the understanding of the taphonomic processes. Furthermore, studying these insects is fundamental for developing effective conservation strategies for cultural heritage. This article focuses on the entomological investigation of four mummi…
Examining pathogen DNA recovery across the remains of a 14th century Italian friar (Blessed Sante) infected with Brucella melitensis
Dental developmental defects due to mercurial treatment in a child from sixteenth-century Alghero (Sardinia, Italy)
A child aged 3.5 to 4.5 years, exhumed from the cemetery of Alghero that is referable to the plague outbreak of 1582-83, showed remarkable dental anomalies in the permanent dentition. In particular, the central incisors exhibited large hypoplastic pits, and the first molars were characterized by a honeycomb appearance with large areas of missing enamel. Microtomographic analysis revealed very low values of enamel volume, while the dentin volumes …
Renaissance mercurial therapy in the mummies of Saint Domenico Maggiore in Naples
This study was designed to evaluate the use of mercury therapy in the Italian noble classes of the Renaissance through the toxicological analysis of hair content. Mercury has stability and a long half-life in hair, representing a great resource not only for forensic toxicological analysis but also for archaeological research on mercurial exposure in past populations. The hair of fourteen mummified individuals of the Aragon and vice-royal court of…
Puberty in pre-Roman times
ObjectivesPuberty is a crucial part of life, representing the biological transition from childhood to adulthood. With the aim of expanding current knowledge of pubertal development and the life course in past populations, this study provides the first investigation of puberty in pre-Roman Italy.Materials and methodsNine skeletal and dental puberty indicators were assessed in a sample of 84 Etruscan and Samnite individuals (8.0-23.9 years) from Po…
A possible case of juvenile idiopathic arthritis from Renaissance Lucca (Tuscany, central Italy)
Maxillary sinusitis as a respiratory health indicator
Maternal-fetal death in medieval Pieve di Pava (central Italy, 10th-12th century AD)
Despite the assumed elevated rates of young female mortality in ancient times, likely associated with pregnancy and childbirth risks, evidence of maternal-fetal deaths is surprisingly scarce in the osteoarchaeological record. Archaeological excavations conducted in the medieval rural cemetery of Pieve di Pava (Tuscany, central Italy) brought to light the burials of four young females deceased with fetuses. This research aims to reconstruct the os…
Identification of Italian Renaissance noble women through a bioarchaeological study of skeletal remains
century Paolo Guinigi ruled Lucca for nearly 30 years (1400-1429), providing a long period of wealth and peace to the city. In those years of power Paolo Guinigi married four women from different countries. This study is aimed at identifying the three skeletons of Paolo's wives found in the Guinigi Chapel. The three skeletons were identified using a multidisciplinary approach, by integrating historical, archaeological, anthropological, and isotop…
Cone-Beam Computed Tomography vs. Multi-Slice Computed Tomography in paleoimaging
Paleopathology and anthropology are fields of research which have benefited from the use of diagnostic imaging since its introduction in the clinical setting. The deriving discipline, that is, paleoimaging, has effectively employed several diagnostic techniques. However, while Multi-Slice Computed Tomography (MSCT) has found its role in paleoimaging, Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT), despite its several advantages with regard to MSCT, is stil…
A 13th-century cystic echinococcosis from the cemetery of the monastery of Badia Pozzeveri (Lucca, Italy)
Stable isotopic reconstruction of dietary changes across Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages in Tuscany
Enamel hypoplasia and health conditions through social status in the Roman Imperial Age (First to third centuries, Rome, Italy)
Dental enamel hypoplasia, a deficit in enamel matrix formation, occurs in childhood and in utero as a result of survived nutritional deficiencies/diseases. Examination of hypoplastic lesions in ancient skeletal remains provides an excellent index of developmental stress levels in the past. In this research, linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) was detected to investigate the relation between social status, health, and nutritional conditions of the Roma…
Rickets in a High Social Class of Renaissance Italy
Exploration of the Medici Chapels in the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence revealed the burials of nine juvenile members of the Medici family (16th-17th centuries). The estimated children's skeletal ages ranged from newborns to 5-year-olds, showing a series of bone abnormalities, in particular diffuse periosteal new bone and bowing of long bones. The comparable pathological lesions, including porosity evident on the skull, orbital roofs, costoc…
Assessing heavy metal exposure in Renaissance Europe using synchrotron microbeam techniques
Enamel hypoplasia and health conditions through social status in the Roman Imperial Age (First to third centuries, Rome, Italy)
Dental enamel hypoplasia, a deficit in enamel matrix formation, occurs in childhood and in utero as a result of survived nutritional deficiencies/diseases. Examination of hypoplastic lesions in ancient skeletal remains provides an excellent index of developmental stress levels in the past. In this research, linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) was detected to investigate the relation between social status, health, and nutritional conditions of the Roma…
Embalming methods and plants in Renaissance Italy
Weapon-related Cranial Lesions from Medieval and Renaissance Turin, Italy
Archaeological excavations carried out in the square around the Cathedral of S. Giovanni in Turin brought to light burials referable to the medieval and Renaissance periods. The anthropological examination of the skeletal remains allowed to identify two skeletons from the medieval period (10th-11th centuries) and four skeletons from the Renaissance age (15th century) showing weapon-related cranial injuries. These peri mortem lesions are indicator…
Stable isotopic reconstruction of dietary changes across Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages in Tuscany
Puberty in pre-Roman times
ObjectivesPuberty is a crucial part of life, representing the biological transition from childhood to adulthood. With the aim of expanding current knowledge of pubertal development and the life course in past populations, this study provides the first investigation of puberty in pre-Roman Italy.Materials and methodsNine skeletal and dental puberty indicators were assessed in a sample of 84 Etruscan and Samnite individuals (8.0-23.9 years) from Po…
An investigation of Etruscan cremations by Computed Tomography (CT)
The cremation urn is a tiny archaeological site of its own, with finds, features, stratification and structure. The old prescription was to take the pot apart, or slice it, and micro-excavate with inevitable damage and loss. Here is a new methodology - the application of a CT scan as used in medicine. The authors evaluate the results on 35 Etruscan cremations, finding that CT not only provides an excellent guide for micro-excavation, but allows t…
Renaissance mercurial therapy in the mummies of Saint Domenico Maggiore in Naples
This study was designed to evaluate the use of mercury therapy in the Italian noble classes of the Renaissance through the toxicological analysis of hair content. Mercury has stability and a long half-life in hair, representing a great resource not only for forensic toxicological analysis but also for archaeological research on mercurial exposure in past populations. The hair of fourteen mummified individuals of the Aragon and vice-royal court of…
A medieval case of digitalis poisoning
Increased C4 cultivation and consumption as an impetus for population growth at Badia Pozzeveri, Italy (11th–13th centuries CE)
The diet of the people buried at Badia Pozzeveri was mainly a mix of C 3 and C 4 terrestrial resources. • 15 of the analysed individuals experienced dietary changes over their lives. • Late Medieval diets in northwest Tuscany were characterized by increased millet consumption. • The gradual shift to millet consumption was likely due to population growth. The focus of this study is to target the paucity of bioarchaeological information related to …
Entomological analysis for archeological reconstruction and conservation strategies design
Insects found in archeological contexts provide useful information for reconstructing past events. In the context of funerary archeology, insects may help in reconstructing funerary practices or rituals, and in the understanding of the taphonomic processes. Furthermore, studying these insects is fundamental for developing effective conservation strategies for cultural heritage. This article focuses on the entomological investigation of four mummi…
Dental developmental defects due to mercurial treatment in a child from sixteenth-century Alghero (Sardinia, Italy)
A child aged 3.5 to 4.5 years, exhumed from the cemetery of Alghero that is referable to the plague outbreak of 1582-83, showed remarkable dental anomalies in the permanent dentition. In particular, the central incisors exhibited large hypoplastic pits, and the first molars were characterized by a honeycomb appearance with large areas of missing enamel. Microtomographic analysis revealed very low values of enamel volume, while the dentin volumes …
Maternal-fetal death in medieval Pieve di Pava (central Italy, 10th-12th century AD)
Despite the assumed elevated rates of young female mortality in ancient times, likely associated with pregnancy and childbirth risks, evidence of maternal-fetal deaths is surprisingly scarce in the osteoarchaeological record. Archaeological excavations conducted in the medieval rural cemetery of Pieve di Pava (Tuscany, central Italy) brought to light the burials of four young females deceased with fetuses. This research aims to reconstruct the os…
A New Case of Ancient Restoration on an Egyptian Mummy
A new example of restoration performed by the ancient Egyptian embalmers on a mummified body is reported. An imaging study of the mummy labelled 2343 in the Archaeological Museum of Naples has revealed the substitution of an artificial wooden ‘prosthesis’ for missing feet. The mummy probably dates to the Ptolemaic-early Roman Period, when other examples of prosthetics occur
Secondary burial and mummification practices in the Kingdom of the two Sicilies
The ancient concepts of death as duration and the practices of secondary burial, first analysed by Robert Hertz, still survive in many areas of southern Italy. According to these beliefs death was perceived not as a sudden event, but as a long-lasting process, during which the deceased person had to go through a transitory phase, passing from one state of existence to another. Recent archival research about the terresante, the funerary hypogea re…
An investigation of Etruscan cremations by Computed Tomography (CT)
The cremation urn is a tiny archaeological site of its own, with finds, features, stratification and structure. The old prescription was to take the pot apart, or slice it, and micro-excavate with inevitable damage and loss. Here is a new methodology - the application of a CT scan as used in medicine. The authors evaluate the results on 35 Etruscan cremations, finding that CT not only provides an excellent guide for micro-excavation, but allows t…
Embalming methods and plants in Renaissance Italy
Eleonora of Toledo (1522–1562)
A probable case of non-syndromic brachycephaly from 16th century Sardinia (Italy)
A medieval case of digitalis poisoning
Assessing heavy metal exposure in Renaissance Europe using synchrotron microbeam techniques
A possible case of Garre’s sclerosing osteomyelitis from Medieval Tuscany (11th–12th centuries)
Pulverized human skull in pharmacological preparations
Sclerosing Bone Dysplasia from 16 th Century Sardinia (Italy)
The skeletal remains of a male aged 45–55 years displaying several bone anomalies were unearthed from the Alghero (Sardinia) plague cemetery ‘lo Quarter’, a burial site dating back to the 1582–1583 AD outbreak. The skeleton, whose stature is about 165 cm, presents a bilateral hyperostosis with increased diameter of the diaphyses of all the long bones of the upper and lower limbs; the metaphyses appear to be involved, while the epiphyses are spare…
Weapon-related Cranial Lesions from Medieval and Renaissance Turin, Italy
Archaeological excavations carried out in the square around the Cathedral of S. Giovanni in Turin brought to light burials referable to the medieval and Renaissance periods. The anthropological examination of the skeletal remains allowed to identify two skeletons from the medieval period (10th-11th centuries) and four skeletons from the Renaissance age (15th century) showing weapon-related cranial injuries. These peri mortem lesions are indicator…
Rickets in a High Social Class of Renaissance Italy
Exploration of the Medici Chapels in the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence revealed the burials of nine juvenile members of the Medici family (16th-17th centuries). The estimated children's skeletal ages ranged from newborns to 5-year-olds, showing a series of bone abnormalities, in particular diffuse periosteal new bone and bowing of long bones. The comparable pathological lesions, including porosity evident on the skull, orbital roofs, costoc…
Neurotoxins during the Renaissance. Bioarcheology of Ferrante II of Aragon (1469–1496) and Isabella of Aragon (1470–1524)
We show that statistical modeling of analytical results is useful in providing insights into metabolism and disease in bioarcheology. Our results also imply that during the Renaissance in Europe widespread pollution of the biosphere with heavy metals such as mercury and lead affected the Italian nobility at that time. The activity of biologic clocks which control metabolism and autonomic nervous system (ANS) function can be gleaned from the analy…
Autoptic practices in 16th–18th century Florence
Trepanation in Italy
This paper reviews and discusses cases of skull trepanation in ancient Italy on the basis of information provided by the literature. A total of 54 individuals from 43 different Italian archaeological sites were found to have evidence of trepanation. The analysis of evidences of trepanation in Italy has demonstrated that no differences can generally be perceived between the trepanned individual and the social context of the burial, leading to excl…
A case of erosive polyarthropathy from Medieval northern Italy (12th–13th centuries)
Multiple osteomata from medieval Tuscany, Italy (ca. 10th–12th AD)
Identification of Italian Renaissance noble women through a bioarchaeological study of skeletal remains
century Paolo Guinigi ruled Lucca for nearly 30 years (1400-1429), providing a long period of wealth and peace to the city. In those years of power Paolo Guinigi married four women from different countries. This study is aimed at identifying the three skeletons of Paolo's wives found in the Guinigi Chapel. The three skeletons were identified using a multidisciplinary approach, by integrating historical, archaeological, anthropological, and isotop…
Cone-Beam Computed Tomography vs. Multi-Slice Computed Tomography in paleoimaging
Paleopathology and anthropology are fields of research which have benefited from the use of diagnostic imaging since its introduction in the clinical setting. The deriving discipline, that is, paleoimaging, has effectively employed several diagnostic techniques. However, while Multi-Slice Computed Tomography (MSCT) has found its role in paleoimaging, Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT), despite its several advantages with regard to MSCT, is stil…
A 13th-century cystic echinococcosis from the cemetery of the monastery of Badia Pozzeveri (Lucca, Italy)
Stable isotopic reconstruction of dietary changes across Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages in Tuscany
Enamel hypoplasia and health conditions through social status in the Roman Imperial Age (First to third centuries, Rome, Italy)
Dental enamel hypoplasia, a deficit in enamel matrix formation, occurs in childhood and in utero as a result of survived nutritional deficiencies/diseases. Examination of hypoplastic lesions in ancient skeletal remains provides an excellent index of developmental stress levels in the past. In this research, linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) was detected to investigate the relation between social status, health, and nutritional conditions of the Roma…
A possible case of juvenile idiopathic arthritis from Renaissance Lucca (Tuscany, central Italy)
Maxillary sinusitis as a respiratory health indicator
Medicine (27 obras) · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies (24 obras) · History (24 obras) · Archaeology (19 obras) · Paleopathology and ancient diseases (19 obras) · Ancient history (17 obras) · Geography (15 obras) · Pathology (11 obras) · Anatomy (10 obras) · Biology (10 obras)