BEATS: BEAmline for synchrotron X-ray microTomography at SESAME.

The ID10 beamline of the SESAME (Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East) synchrotron light source in Jordan was inaugurated in June 2023 and is now open to scientific users. The beamline, which was designed and installed within the European Horizon 2020 project BEAmline for Tomography at SESAME (BEATS), provides full-field X-ray radiography and microtomography imaging with monochromatic or polychromatic X-rays up to photon energies of 100 keV. The photon source generated by a 2.9 T wavelength shifter with variable gap, and a double-multilayer monochromator system allow versatile application for experiments requiring either an X-ray beam with high intensity and flux, and/or a partially spatial coherent beam for phase-contrast applications. Sample manipulation and X-ray detection systems are designed to allow scanning samples with different size, weight and material, providing image voxel sizes from 13 µm down to 0.33 µm. A state-of-the-art computing infrastructure for data collection, three-dimensional (3D) image reconstruction and data analysis allows the visualization and exploration of results online within a few seconds from the completion of a scan. Insights from 3D X-ray imaging are key to the investigation of specimens from archaeology and cultural heritage, biology and health sciences, materials science and engineering, earth, environmental sciences and more. Microtomography scans and preliminary results obtained at the beamline demonstrate that the new beamline ID10-BEATS expands significantly the range of scientific applications that can be targeted at SESAME.

Majewski/Microcephalic Osteodysplastic Primordial Dwarfism Type II (MOPDII) with generalised microdontia in the 4th millennium BCE Eastern Mediterranean.

OBJECTIVE: This research evaluates the occurrence of generalised microdontia and proportionate osteodysplasia in human remains from a Chalcolithic cemetery with early evidence of metalworking in Cyprus (Souskiou-Laona; 3500-2800 BCE). MATERIALS: Skeletal and dental remains from Tomb 236 Individual A, in comparison with other human remains from Souskiou-Laona (MNI: 203). METHODS: Macroscopic, microscopic, and metric observation of osteodysplasia and microdontia. RESULTS: Smaller than usual permanent teeth and adult long bones were discovered, with epiphyseal fusion complete. The cranium, and the zygomatic bones were smaller than other adult remains. CONCLUSIONS: Differential diagnosis includes pituitary dwarfism and Majewski/Microcephalic Osteodysplastic Primordial Dwarfism Type II (MOPDII), which are two types of proportionate dwarfism with presentation of microdontia. This individual appears to display skeletal changes consistent with Majewski/Microcephalic Osteodysplastic Primordial Dwarfism Type II. SIGNIFICANCE: This is the first case of MOPDII in the archaeological record worldwide, and it is the oldest case of proportionate dwarfism known to date. The presence of an adult probable female with primordial dwarfism at Chalcolithic cemetery of Souskiou-Laona indicates that mutations of the pericentrin (PCNT) gene were present in this early period. LIMITATIONS: The remains of the individual were incomplete and poorly preserved. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: Histology may lead to more detailed information on the individual's age and life story (osteobiography).

First permanent molars with accentuated line patterns: Assessment of childhood health in an urban complex of the fifth millennium before the present.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives are 1) to calculate the position of highly accentuated lines in dental enamel of a group of individuals from Shahr-i-Sokhta, a thriving urban centre in Bronze Age South West Asia; 2) to identify peak frequencies of physiologically stressful periods during early childhood of these individuals; and 3) to relate these peak frequencies to developmental milestones at population level. DESIGN: We analysed highly accentuated lines in the enamel of nine (n = 9) permanent mandibular first molars of nine individuals from the 5th millennium before the present urban and long-distance-trading complex, Shahr-i Sokhta (Iran). Age at death ranged between 4.5 years and 18-20 years. Permanent mandibular first molar enamel begins to mineralise before birth, and is normally completed sometime between 2.1-3.3 years, giving us insight to early childhood physiological stress, the ages at which it occurs, and any peaks in the frequencies in highly accentuated line formation, through histological sections investigated using transmitted light microscopy. RESULTS: Highly accentuated line peak frequencies occur in the sample at c. four, nine, eleven, and twelve months. After 1 year of age, no more peaks occur. CONCLUSION: The peak frequencies coincide with the timing timing of the type of developmental milestones which may have exposed the individuals to an increased pathogen load, injury, or sub-optimal diet. We note similarity in peak timings in the few published, disparate populations, suggest a potential link with attainment of developmental milestones connected with morbidity, and propose reporting standardised statistics to enable exploration of differences between populations in terms of postnatal health-related stress.

External auditory exostoses and early Neolithic aquatic resource procurement in Cyprus: Results from Cypro-PPNB Kissonerga-Mylouthkia in regional context.

OBJECTIVE: This research is designed to evaluate the occurrence of external auditory exostoses (EAEs) in skeletal remains from the oldest known water wells in the world (Kissonerga-Mylouthkia, Cyprus, 8,200-7,200 BCE). MATERIALS: Six individuals (MNI = 6), five fragmentary temporalia, two preserved auditory canals. METHODS: Macroscopic and microscopic (up to x30) observation, with illumination; presence, type, side, severity, occlusion, number, and position of bony growths recorded. RESULTS: Bony growths within two auditory canals were discovered. Differential diagnosis includes osteomata and external auditory exostoses, with the latter consistent with the bony growths (Grade 1 EAEs, two adult males, one with single, another with two EAEs). CONCLUSIONS: The emergence of the Neolithic in Southwest Asia is thought to involve increases in dietary breadth among foraging societies (Broad-Spectrum Revolution). EAEs likely indicate maritime activity in this context, given the lack of freshwater bodies, and zooarchaeological evidence points to dietary and other uses of maritime organisms. SIGNIFICANCE: This EAE evidence is the oldest known in maritime contexts in Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, and first in Cyprus. It contributes towards understanding the initial colonization events by Neolithic farming communities in the 9th millennium BC, and the emergence of broad-spectrum economies at the dawn of the Neolithic in Southwest Asia, crucial for re-considerations of paradigms on the transition to the Neolithic way of life in the Near East. LIMITATIONS: Only a few skeletal remains from these prehistoric contexts were available for observation. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: Further intensive review of Cypriot skeletal collections for EAEs is advised.