MSFS Day 9: Facial Reconstruction

Notes from the Field School: July 31st, 2016

Deb leads students in a facial reconstruction.

Because yesterday was such a long day, we allowed the students to sleep in a bit before today's scheduled events. The late morning was filled with a lecture from Deb about the different approaches and methods used for facial reconstruction, both of forensic and anthropological interest. She gave students some of the clay used in reconstruction so that they could get a (literal) feel for the materials used in traditional facial reconstruction.

Yummy lunch!

She went on to describe the different methods and held a discussion with the students about the intersection between science and art that exists when doing facial reconstructions. Karl and Dario chimed in from time to time to share their experiences in this area. Deb also showed the students a skull that they would be working on as a group in the afternoon using the clay she had passed around earlier.

Lunch was a delicious pasta in a tangy white sauce with meat and mushrooms. This was accompanied by bread, salami, croquettes that were made of eggplant, and cheese-stuffed, pan-fried meatballs with caramelized onions. As is no surprise to frequent readers, this meal was delicious!

Students were excited about the meatballs.

After lunch, the students began doing the facial reconstruction of the skull with Deb's assistance. Below is the before pictures of the skull that they would be using. The skull came with a story about the life of the individual from which it was modeled. This individual was a male born in Holland in 1921 who died at the age of 83. He was supposedly of royal descent with Dutch, French, and Belgian parentage.

First, they applied the tissue markers to the skull using a non-destructive glue that dissolves in acetone. They carefully cut each of the markers to the appropriate depth, numbered them, and glued them to the skull.

Students cut and apply tissue markers for the facial reconstruction.

Two views of the skull with tissue markers applied.

Sam, Emily, and Erin display their work after applying the tissue markers.

Mari cuts pieces from a
block of clay.

Breane measures the skull for creating the lips.

Students measured cranial features in order to sculpt the lips and the areas around the eyes. Clay was added to the skull and sculpted to fit the tissue depth markers. Over the course of several hours, the student labored to shape the face into something recognizable. Blue marbles were set into cotton pad placed in the orbits of the skull for eyes and clay was shaped around them to hold them into the proper place.


  

Ruth and Erik prepare the eye sockets to
insert the marbles serving as eyes.

Setting the eyes appropriately for the facial reconstruction.

Ruth puts final touches
on the clay around the eyes.

Eyes set into the skull.

Deb helps Ruth and Erik begin to add the clay up to the tissue markers.

Erik and Ruth show their progress on the facial reconstruction.

The eyes, chin, lips, and brow ridges where slowly built and a bit of texturing was added. There is still a bit more to do before our face is finished.

Breane displays her additions to the facial reconstruction.

Caleb works on the brow ridges and adds details to the eyes.

A hearty dinner after a hard day's work.

Tomorrow, students will add a nose, more texturing, and the final touches. The final product is sure to be spectacular and the students already feel a sense of collective accomplishment as each of their contributions has been coming together for will be an exciting final product.

Dinner was comprised of a breaded and lightly fried chicken cutlet, salad, seasoned tomatoes, pickled mushrooms, small, baked pastry boats containing peppers and breadcrumbs, salami, two kinds of bread, and fruit. The meal was delicious, as always, and we again had excellent company with which to dine and fun conversations about the events of the day.

Written by  Dr. Johnica J. Morrow (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)

MSFS Day 8: Journey to Piraino and an Evening of Eggplants

Notes from the Field School: July 30th, 2016

Students climb aboard
the bus to Piraino.

Our 8th day began with a one-hour bus trip to Piraino, a small Sicilian village. The area was beautiful, providing breathtaking views with vibrant blues from the sea, deep greens from the plant life, and hues of peach, red, yellow, and tan among the buildings. Despite all of the walking, there was very little complaining from the students as they became entranced by the sites on the way to our destinations.

One of our first  in-city views of Piraino. Note the tower we would later climb.

Front view of the mother church.

Marcello speaks to students about the
history of the mother church and
of one of its most famous martyrs.

Our first stop was at the town's mother church. Here, we meet Marcello Mollica, who is a cultural anthropologist with the University of Pisa. Marcello gave us an exciting lecture about the history of the church and one of its archpriests, Giovanni Maria Scolarici, who was killed along with his son during a raid by pirates in 1544. He became a martyr and his remains were kept in a box in the church because they were considered sacred. He is now considered a saint by the orthodox church. The bones were moved several times and were eventually lost to time. Currently, we do not know where these remains are, though Marcello thinks they may be sealed behind a wall in the church.

Karl introduces the student to Padre Carlo.

After his lecture, we stepped outside to eat our picnic lunch of ham or salami sandwiches that our favorite cook, Carmelina, packed for us to enjoy. After eating, we decided to walk over to a local bar for coffee, granita, and an excellent view of the city. While there, we met Padre Carlo, the religious leader for the city. Padre Carlo was excited to meet us and insisted that we take many group photos while in Piraino. We all walked back to the church together and Padre Carlo played the church's newly-refurbished organ for us. He continued playing on the piano in the church as we took turns going down into the small crypt beneath the church.

MSFS Class of 2016 with Padre Carlo in Piraino.

Padre Carlo plays for us on the newly-refurbished organ in the mother church.

Ruth, Erik, and Jordan
join Marcello in the crypt.

Emily, Mallory, Sam, and Mari
descend into the crypt.

The crypt was accessible through a staircase in the floor of the church near the main altar. When the door to the crypt was opened, anyone standing nearby could feel the rush of cool air escaping into the church. Students carefully entered the crypt in groups of 4-6 and Marcello explained how bodies were prepared in a small room near the entrance and about how the architecture of the crypt kept mummies from decomposing.

Students were seeing, for the first time, mummies that were not behind glass or in boxes. Many of them found it hard to describe the feelings that they had about being in such close contact with the mummies. (*Note* Students were not permitted to touch the mummies, but they still felt a connection to these mummies that they had not experienced in Santa Lucia.)

After leaving the crypt, we took a journey up to a tower built during the Middle Ages. We climbed the spiral staircase up to a small room with artwork and some of the textiles from the period. From there, you could either go down an internal staircase or up a different internal staircase. We ascended the staircase into another room with artwork and a tiny, metal spiral staircase leading up to the roof. Once on the roof, we were able to see an amazing view of the village and far beyond.

Mari and Johnica posing at the entrance to the tower.

Internal room of tower with artwork displayed.

View from the roof of the tower overlooking the city and the sea.

Next, Padre Carlo took us to his home, which was in a beautiful church. He talked to us about the stone from which his pulpit was carved, shared with us a story about love and freedom, and then showed us a room in the church that was covered in recently restored murals with religious iconography. Afterward, he met us at another small church for a quick look at Byzantine artwork that had been restored recently.

After a long day of walking and seeing amazing art, architecture, scenery, and, of course, mummies, we headed down to the beach for some refreshing swimming in the clear waters of the Mediterranean Sea. We swam to our hearts' content and then did a little shopping and had more granitas and gelatos before heading back to the van for the ride home.

We arrived at the convent in time for a delicious dinner of pasta with red sauce and eggplant. The dish was served alongside a local cheese that we've come to enjoy on a regular basis. We were also treated to small pears and freshly-picked figs.

The Eggplant Festival in Santa Lucia del Mela.

Candies and roasted nuts on sell at the festival.

Down the street from the convent, the community was holding an eggplant festival, so after dinner, many of us went to experience the local Santa Lucia del Mela culture. Walking up to the plaza, we saw bright lights and tables full of candy and nuts for sale. The smell of cinnamon and roasted nuts filled the air as we walked past a traditional nut-roasting set up. Music enveloped us as a live band performed for the enthusiastic crowd. There was a wide open space for dancing and we watched the locals twirling about as we made our way toward the food.

Yummy eggplant plate from the festival.

Though none of us were hungry, we all wanted to try the various forms of eggplant made available for only 2.50 euros. We decided to split a plate just to taste everything that was being offered. We got our ticket for a plate and walked up to the serving line. I asked to take a picture of the food, and one of the volunteers insisted that I take a free plate so that we had more to share! People in this city are very kind and generous! The eggplant plate consisted of a slice of breaded and fried eggplant, a small eggplant croquette, a slice of bread, eggplant cooked in a balsamic vinegar, and an eggplant sauteed with caramelized onions for a sweet flavor.

Erik and Karl enjoying various forms of eggplant.

Later in the evening, several of us joined in the dancing that was taking place in front of the main stage. Though we didn't know the words or the steps, we watched the locals and did our best to replicate or at least have fun in the attempt. We were excited when the macarena started, thinking that we already knew the motions. Shortly into the song, we realized that we were quite mistaken. The Italian version of the macarena includes more steps and hand movements than does the American version of the song. Dancing was still a blast, and left us thirsty, so we ended the evening at our favorite nearby establishment, the Poker Bar, so that we could drink some water while having fun conversations and listening to the music slowly fade away as the festivities died down.

Elisa and Mari dance at the eggplant festival.

All in all, it was a wonderfully busy day punctuated by lessons in the history and modern status of Sicilian culture. The students learned a lot about mummies and their religious significance, but were also confronted with the complications of studying mummies in the context of Sicilian culture. In addition, they were able to experience the modern culture by getting to swim in the cool, clear waters of the Mediterranean Sea, see the importance of eggplant in the native cuisine, and dance to the music of the nation. When asked about their favorite part of this day, most students stated that they could not choose because the whole day had been amazing. That's the kind of thing that we instructors like to hear!

Written by  Dr. Johnica J. Morrow (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)

MSFS Day 7: Old Plants and Mitey Microfossils

Notes from the Field School: July 29th, 2016

Karl shares his work in archaeobotany
related to mummies with the students.

Students met this morning to learn about botanical remains that can be found in archaeological contexts and what those remains can tell researchers about the lives of people in the past. We began the morning with a look at some of the palynological (pollen) cases in which Karl has been involved. Karl talked to the students about the recovery of evidence of medicinal plants and dietary remains from corpses. He also mentioned how plants can help us to identify seasonality of death, the use of oils or other botanical products in the preparation of bodies, and in some cases post-mortem anthropogenic movements of the remains. He gave a special presentation on the recovery of pollen from embalming jars containing mummified tissues and preparatory materials belonging to the Medici family of Florence.

Lunch of salad, bread, and a bean soup with pasta.

Afterward, I (Johnica) gave a presentation with an overview of forensic/archaeobotany with a focus on palynological studies. The students learned the general methods for pollen collection and processing, how environmental and dietary reconstructions are done using both pollen and macrobotanicals (i.e. seeds, fruit skin fragments, etc.), and about a few cases that have been relevant to our discussions.

We had an excellent lunch of salad, bread, salami, cheese, and nectarines served with an entree of a bean and pasta soup. The soup was delicious, with earthy notes, and hearty, leaving many of us feeling quite satisfied and in need of a midday nap!

Jordan scans for pollen.

After lunch, I spoke with the students about mite studies and how they relate to archaeological contexts. This new field of archaeoarachnology....specifically archaeoacarology...is exciting and wholly unexplored save for a few, isolated papers on the subject. In the future, I hope to work with Ellisa more closely and to consult with modern mite experts to unlock the secrets of these tiny macrofossils and their role in the taphonomy of human bodies around the world.

Sam and Erin get photos of pollen.

The students then learned how to prepare slides of pollen and mite preparations for light microscopy. Each student prepared a slide or two of representative pollen grains and/or mites from our Lithuanian mummies. Each slide was examined microscopically and the students took turns looking at one another's slides. They then described what they saw both verbally and in writing by taking note of the shapes, surface features, and other aspects of each of the microstructures.

The students were then given some free time to catch up on their journals or explore Santa Lucia del Mela before dinner. We instructors took this time to discuss the changes to our original syllabus and talk about the final week of the course. We held our meeting at the Poker Bar, a local establishment that is just around the corner from the convent. This bar is a class favorite, serving coffee, juice, gelato, and my new favorite thing, granita! At today's instructor's meeting, I got crazy and ordered a strawberry chocolate granita with whipped cream. It was delightful and especially refreshing after a string of long days!

Strawberry chocolate
granita with whipped cream

Myself, Deb, Karl, Dario, and Dario's friend from Palermo
after our instructor's meeting at the Poker Bar.

Students and instructor enjoy a bit of free time before dinner. Left to Right: Sam, Mallory, Karl, Breane, and Jordan behind.

Our dinner today consisted of yummy pork chops, fries, bread, and cheese. We were also treated to "rustici", which included "mozzarella in carrozza" (mozzarella in a carriage). These were delicious little pouches of bread filled with either ham, mushrooms, and cheese, or with cheese, greens, and tomatoes or other things. These came from Dario's family for us to enjoy and they disappeared quickly! As usual, we all walked away happy from another delicious meal!

One type of rustici from tonight's dinner.

 Thus ended our first week of the MSFS! Tomorrow, we will spend our Saturday traveling to Piraino to look at more mummies on the island. Be sure to check back and read about our weekend adventures!

Written by  Dr. Johnica J. Morrow (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)

MSFS Day 6: Paleoepidemiology of Parasitism in the Past

Notes from the Field School: July 28th, 2016

Karl speaks to students about his work in South America.

Students gathered this morning to further discuss sex and age determination in mummies as well as to expand on the discussion of archaeoparasitology. Karl regaled students with stories of his experiences working in South America early in his career. He introduced students to the Chinchorro mummies of the Atacama Desert. They learned about the unique mortuary practices of this ancient culture and discussed later South American cultures, like the Chiribaya. The conversation even turned to the parasites recovered from the dog mummies recovered from Chiribaya sites.

Students check out a local grocery store.

The class was dismissed early before lunch and many of the students decided to walk to a small nearby grocery store. The store sells fresh fruits and vegetables, dry pastas, tasty snacks and candies, and a wide range of other local products. Everyone gathered shortly thereafter for a delicious lunch of salad, fresh mozzarella, ham, bread, eggs, and nectarines. Following lunch, Karl used his new skills in speaking Italian to talk with the cook about how much we've all liked the food and what kinds of things we would like to try over the next week.

Whipworm egg recovered from Piraino 1.

The class reconvened in the afternoon for more discussions of parasites and the importance of quantification in archaeoparasitology. Karl gave the students additional examples of parasite studies from South America, colonial era USA, and Europe. He covered the methods used by professionals for quantifying parasitological data and led a discussion of parasitological trends in public health of past populations.

Karl then turned to his work in Europe. He discussed his work with the Piraino 1 mummy, which was discovered to have a heavy whipworm infection. The students were excited to learn about a mummy that they will be meeting in a few days. I supplemented Karl's lectures with my work in European sites. First, I talked with the students about the work in Lithuania, where we encountered a taphonomic issue that only occurs when working with parasites from mummies. Then, I presented our lab's work on coprolites found in context with skeletons in Nivelles, Belgium. Karl ended the day with a presentation about a case of megacolon from a Texas mummy that was infected with Chagas' disease.

Dinner was amazing, as always! Tonight, we were treated to a delicious risotto with mushrooms and prosciutto served alongside mozzarella bread, nectarines, and stuffed eggplant. Salami and cheese were also passed around the table. We had the tiramisu-flavored almond candies for dessert.  Everything was delicious and we all walked away leaving behind cleaned plates.

Mozzarella cheese bread, stuffed eggplant, and risotto with prosciutto and mushrooms. Mmmmmm!

Written by  Dr. Johnica J. Morrow (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)

MSFS Day 5: Of Parasites and Powerpoints

Notes from the Field School: July 27th, 2016

Students inspect more mummies at Santa Lucia.

Today was devoted primarily to teaching the students all about infectious diseases, specifically those caused by agents that can be detected from archaeological contexts. However, before we began our day of infectious diseases, we returned to the crypt for a second look at yesterday's mummies and for a first look at the last of the mummies we'd yet to observe. Closer inspections of yesterday's coffins revealed evidence of arthropod activities among some of the individuals. Students reviewed their observations of the mummies themselves by describing their individual group's findings to the class.

Students describe their observations to one another and
discuss the significance of their discoveries.

Afterward, the mummies were placed back onto their shelves and the last three mummies were subjected to visual inspections. This last group of mummies included a child mummy and two members of the clergy as identified by the tattered remains of a priest's collar and a religious official's vestments. Careful examinations revealed signs of aging, potential infections, and, once again, arthropod activity.

Once the students had described their new discoveries to the class, discussed the significance of these discoveries, and placed the mummies back onto their shelves, everyone returned to the classroom, leaving the mummies to await further observations by students in next summer's MSFS. Karl then led a discussion of major themes and theories in the field of parasitology that relate to the study of parasites from archaeological remains. The students interacted with the parasitologists in the room (Karl, Elisa, and myself) by generating thoughtful and relevant questions. It was an excellent discussion that set the tone for an afternoon that would be devoted to discussions of infectious organisms.

The class discusses the prevailing theories in parasitology and how they apply to archaeological materials.

Lunch was a delicious spaghetti in a chili oil with fresh parmesan cheese  served alongside bread, ham, and cheese. The meal concluded with a slice of chocolate gelato cake with a wafer crust. It was wonderful, as has become normal for our culinary experiences of Sicily.

The afternoon session began with a basic overview of ectoparasites delivered by me (Johnica). I spoke about the types of ectoparasites found in association with humans and about the methods used for recovering these kinds of organisms from archaeological samples. The identification and imaging methods for these organisms were also discussed. I ended with a discussion of louse quantification techniques. To demonstrate these techniques, I had students form groups and pretend to count the number of lice on one another using proper methods. The number of "lice" found on each student was determined by the number represented on an electronic die that was "rolled" for each step of the analysis. Students then entered their "data" and we calculated the average number of lice per 2 square centimeters and generated a graph of our data.

Johnica talks to students about ectoparasites in archaeological materials.

Students check one another for "lice" to learn about louse quantification techniques.
Left: Erik looks for lice on Ruth. Right: Caleb counts Erin's paper faux lice.

Next, Elisa gave the students a presentation regarding her proposed dissertation work. She explained previous work on the recovery of bacterial aDNA from ancient bones of both humans and of an extinct ground sloth. She then discussed how she plans to collect ectoparasites to test for pathogenic bacteria and protozoans that could have affected human populations of the past. Students had excellent questions for Elisa that stimulated a nice discussion before the next presentation.

Elisa tells students about her dissertation work in Brazil.

The day concluded with a presentation given by Mari regarding her work with ancient viruses. She began by talking about her home country, Finland, to orient us to her study region of the world. She then talked about how she became interested in the relatively new area of archaeovirology. She described her methods for extracting evidence of viruses from historic bones belonging to World War II soldiers and historic Lithuanians and shared with us the results of her analyses. Her presentation also generated a lively discussion on the role of viruses in the daily lives of people of the past.

Mari tells students about her dissertation work in Finland.

Another yummy dinner with traditional Sicilian cuisine!

As is tradition, dinner was delicious. Tonight we were served a traditional bruschetta alongside sausages wrapped in bread. We were also given a local salami that has been traditionally eaten in the Piraino area, a place we will be visiting in a few days to see more mummies! We ended with fruit and espresso before adjourning to the classroom for an evening of Italian lessons.

Katia arrived for our third day of language lessons after dinner. Today, we covered ways to discuss foods and how to talk about things to do. We discussed how to interact in a variety of social situations and shared our experiences of Santa Lucia with Katia using almost exclusively Italian words. We are all learning very quickly and are enjoying our time with our excellent teacher!

Written by  Dr. Johnica J. Morrow (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)