Cranial Fractures in 2005 Early Eneolithic Multiple Burial from Alba Iulia-Lumea Nouă (Romania)

Authors
Mihai Gligor, Andrei Dorian Soficaru, and Ana Fetcu
Abstract

Early Eneolithic multiple burial discovered in 2005 at Alba Iulia-Lumea Nouă (Transylvania, Romania) revealed various traumatic injuries on both adult and non-adult crania. The aim of this paper is to present the traumatic injuries on adult skulls and establish sex differences regarding type, location and shape of the skeletal lesions. Radiocarbon data indicates a timeframe 4621-4483 BC for this particular event. The minimum number of individuals based on cranial elements was established as being approximately 50, within this, 34 being represented by adult individuals. 23 restored skull caps were macroscopically determined as belonging to female individuals the rest being represented by male specimens. Multiple traumatic injuries were observed on several skull caps, but no postcranial injuries were identified.

Keywords
Alba Iulia-Lumea Nouă, Early Eneolithic Transylvania, mass graves, blunt force trauma, minimum number of individuals, bioarchaeology of females