Bioarchaeology of the Near East, 13:60–77 (2019)
Short fieldwork report

Human remains from Tell es-Sin, Syria, 2006-2007
Laura M. Martínez*1 , Ferran Estebaranz-Sánchez2 , Rima Khawam3 ,Josep Anfruns4 , Mohammad Alrousan5 , Paulo Pereira6 ,Alejandro Pérez-Pérez1 , Juan-Luis Montero-Fenollós7

1 Sect. Zoology & Anthropology, Dept. Evolutive Biology,

Ecology and Environmental Sciences,
Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona,
Av. Diagonal 645, 08028, Barcelona, Spainemail: lmartinez@ub.edu (corresponding author)
2 Unit of Biological Anthropology, Department of Animal Biology,
Vegetal Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biosciences,
University Autonomous of Barcelona,
Edifici C, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
3 Archéorient MSH, Maison de l’Orient et de la Méditerranée,
Rue Raulin 7, F-69365, Lyon, France
4 Grup de Recerques Arqueològiques al Mediterrani i Pròxim Orient,
University Autonomous of Barcelona,
Edifici MRA, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
5 Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology,
Yarmouk University, 21163 Irbid, Jordan
6 Environmental Management Centre, Mykolas Romeris University,
Ateitis g. 30, LT-0830 Vilnius, Lithuania
7 Department of Humanities, University of La Coruña,
15401 Esteiro, Ferrol, Spain

Tell es-Sin or “Hill of Teeth” is an Early Byzantine archaeological site (5–7 centuryCE) located on the left bank of the Euphrates River (35◦ 19′ 10.8′′ N, 40◦ 14′ 58.9′′ E),
ca. 10km southeast of the modern Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor (Figure 1) (Montero
Fenollós et al. 2006). ough it is clear the original settlement area would have been
larger as soil erosion has partially destroyed the tell, the remaining portion of the site
occupies approximately 25 hectares and consists of three parts: the main hill or acropolis, the lower city and the necropolis (Figure 2). Being a typical settlement moundlocated in the southwestern part of the site and the most visible of the three areas,
Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB), Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine archaeologicalremains have been documented at the main hill (Montero Fenollós et al. 2006; alShbib 2009:172-175; Zobler 2014). Beyond the main hill, the lower town spreads inan irregular pentagonal shape, similar to Tell el-Kasra (Abdullah 2011) and is delimited by a mud brick wall along the north, northeast and east. On both the southern
and western sides, the wall that once surrounded the city has completely disappeared
due to extreme soil erosion; beyond the walls of the lower town, a defensive moat was
dug into the rock.

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Figure 1. Map of the Middle Euphrates region with the location of the Early Byzantine siteof Tell es-Sin, in proximity to the modern city of Deir ez-Zor.

e necropolis is located outside of the city walls, expanding to the north andnortheast. Two diﬀerent occupation phases may be distinguished according to pottery, glass beads and metallic trousseaus found within the graves. e ﬁrst phase,characterized by pit graves, is dated to the 4–5 centuries CE, whereas the second
phase, characterized by hypogea with arcosolia extends from the 6 up to the mid-7
century CE.

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Figure 2. Irregular triangular network of Tell es-Sin, where the three main areas of theancient city are clearly observable: the main hill or acropolis (upper right), the lower city
(between the acropolis and the wall) and the necropolis (lower central), in proximity to amodern Muslim cemetery. Model by J.M. Gaspar.

Until relatively recently, the name of this Byzantine town or kastron was unknown.
e size of the site, as well as its fortiﬁed nature and urban structure, suggest it wasan ancient polis. Accordingly, Tell es-Sin must be interpreted as other surrounding
Byzantine settlements, such as Tell el-Kasra (Abdullah 2011) and Circesium (20km
northeast of Tell es-Sin, current town of Buseira), within the historical context of theeastern limes Diocletianus (Bowersock 1976; Eger 2008) between the 5 century CE
and the arrival of Islam in ca. 637 CE (Eger 2008; Walmsley 2007). Mesopotamia
was a strategic defensive region against incursions and invasions from both Persia
and Arabia (Shahîd 2006:489). As such, Tell es-Sin could have been aﬀected by the
territorial and military reorganization led by Eastern Roman emperor Justinian, who
promoted the heavy fortiﬁcation of the limes towns during the mid-6 century CE(Casey 1996; Loosley & Bryant 2014).
Research by the Syro-Spanish Archaeological Mission highlighted the importanceof the necropolis of Tell es-Sin, from which a total of 170 tombs have been documented (Pérez-Pérez et al. 2008). Of the 25 hectares remaining of Tell es-Sin, thenecropolis is proposed to have occupied nearly 7 hectares, with an estimated 1,000

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tombs potentially present. As at other Near Eastern Roman and Byzantine sites (seeMatheson et al. 2009), the necropolis of Tell es-Sin has been subjected to numerous
looting events over centuries.
e aim of this report is to provide data on sex, age-at-death, stature and morphological variables for the individuals excavated to date from Tell es-Sin. e human remains presented herein were recovered from ten Byzantine hypogea (Table 1).
All analysed human remains were collected during the 2006/2007 excavation season(Pérez-Pérez et al. 2008). In addition, ﬁve boxes with human remains from previous
excavations, curated at the Deir ez-Zor Archaeological Museum, were also studied.
Individuals were classiﬁed according to the tomb and niche they were recovered from(e.g., individual T.138A1 is the ﬁrst identiﬁed individual from niche A in Tomb 138).
When more than one individual per niche was identiﬁed, remains were matched following age-at-death estimation, preservation status and morphology. In addition tothis, an infant from an external niche located on the right wall of the access stairs to
the hypogeal chamber was also identiﬁed and catalogued as T.163NN1 where NN
indicates North Niche. Finally, T.168 could not be studied due to the onset of the
Syrian Civil War and therefore only a preliminary estimation of the minimum numberof individuals (MNI) is reported.
Table 1. Hypogea at Tell es-Sin.
Hypogeum
T.42
T.138
T.144
T.164
T.153
T.158
T.163
T.168
T.169
T.170

Remarks
Previously illegally explored tombs that were completely(T.42 and T.164) or partially (T.138 and T.144; only humanremains inside each niche were collected) re-excavated in
2006/2007 by the Syro-Spanish Archaeological Mission.
Excavated in 2003 by a Syrian team from theMuseum of Deir ez-Zor.
Putatively intact and unaltered tombs excavated for the ﬁrst
time in 2006/2007 by the Syro-Spanish Mission in order torecover non-altered human remains, as well as intact grave
goods to better understand the funerary rituals of that time.

Traditional biometric methods were applied (Martin & Saller 1959; Brothwell
1981; Porter 1999; Bass 2005) (Table 2). Maximum mesiodistal and buccolingualcrown diameters of all well-preserved teeth were recorded according to Hillson (2005).
e recovered teeth, mostly isolated from dental sockets, came from niches wheremore than one adult burial was present. erefore, it has often been impossible tounequivocally assign the dental remains to a certain individual. Metall GPM® sliding
and spreading calipers, as well as a standard millimetric osteometric table, were used
for metric data measurement.

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Table 3. Deﬁnitions of skeletal dimensions recorded for metric analysis.
Bone
Osteological measurements
Neurocranium minimum frontal breadth, skull length (glabella-opistocraneon),bieuriac width (eurion-eurion)
Splanchnoheight and width of the nasal aperture (alare-alare); height of the
cranium
face (nasion-alveolare), bizygomatic width, breadth and perpendicularheight of the orbit
Humerusmaximum length, head diameter, anterioposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) diameters at the midshaft, as well as the perimeter of the shaft
at the subdeltoid levelUlnamaximum and physiological lengths (between the deepest point on thelongitudinal ridge running across the ﬂoor of the semilunar notch andthe deepest point of the distal surface of the head, excluding the styloid
process), the least circumference of the shaft
Radiusmaximum length
Pelvismaximum length and breadthFemurmaximum diameter of the head, maximum length, both AP and ML
subtrochanteric diameters, at the shaft immediately below the lesser
trochanter
Tibia
maximum length
Fibulamaximum length

Sex was assessed on the basis of standard osteological features of the cranium,
postcranial skeleton and pelvis. e pelvis represents the best region for sex determination, especially the pubic bone (Bass 2005). Visual inspection of the ventral arc,
subpubic concavity and medial aspect of the ischiopubic ramus allows sex determination with an accuracy of 95% (Phenice 1969; Lovell 1989; Bass 2005). However,given the high fragmentation of the skeletal remains, in most cases sex could not
be assessed by the pubic bone. Consequently, sex assessment was based mainly on
greater sciatic notch morphology (Bass 2005; Walker 2005). Secondary dimorphic
landmarks of the skull were also used: shape and development of the superciliaryarch, nuchal crest, external occipital protuberance, as well as morphology and sizeof the mastoid process (Bass 2005:81-82). Although a model speciﬁcally adapted
to the populations of the Near East was not available, the general criterion that the“male is more robust, rugged and muscle marked than the female” was followed (Bass
2005:81). Both humeral and femoral head diameters were also assessed to estimate sexof isolated and fragmented elements (Stewart 1979; France 1985; Spradley & Jantz
2011). Finally, univariate sex estimators (maximum lengths) were used only to estimate sex of isolated upper long bones for which no other osteological measurements

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were available, being utilized only for one humerus where the distal region of the head
was eroded, two radii, and one ulna) (Spradley & Jantz 2011). In terms of metricalanalyses of the humerus, humeral head diameter is the most reliable measurement forsex estimation (percentage of correct classiﬁcation around 90%; Mall et al. 2001),
while humerus maximum length oﬀers a percentage of correct classiﬁcation around
80% (Mall et al. 2001; Spradley & Jantz 2011, Tomczyk et al. 2017), although somestudies have reported a lower percentage (cf. Bašić et al. 2013). Both radial and ulnar
maximum lengths appear to be the best single criteria for sex discrimination for theseelements (Mall et al. 2001; Spradley & Jantz 2011; Tomczyk et al. 2017). Stature
was estimated either from the diameter of the head of the femur (Giroux & Wescott2008) or using the formulae of Trotter and Gleser (1952, 1958) (Table 3).
Table 3. Stature formulae for white males and females,from Trotter and Gleser (1952, 1958).
Skeletal element
HumerusRadiusUlna

Formula for males
2.89 * humerus + 78.10 ± 4.57
3.79 * radius + 79.42 ± 4.66
3.76 * radius + 75.55 ± 4.72

Formula for females
3.36 * Humerus + 57.97 ± 4.45
4.74 * Radius + 54.93 ± 4.24
4.27 * Ulna + 57.76 ± 4.30

Age-at-death estimation of subadults was based on both deciduous and permanent tooth development (Ubelaker 1978; Brothwell 1981; Oliveira et al. 2006), and,
whenever possible, on diaphyseal long bone length (Brothwell 1981). Although AlQahtani’s scoring system is more reliable (AlQahtani et al. 2010, 2014), at the timeof the ﬁeld study (2006/2007) it was not yet published. In juvenile individuals andyoung adults, age-at-death was assessed through the analysis of the sequence of epiphyseal fusion and permanent tooth development (Brothwell 1981; Cardoso 2008;
Shapland & Lewis 2013). Given the high fragmentation of the skeletal samples, in
adult individuals both dental occlusal wear pattern (Brothwell 1981) and pubic symphysis morphology were used for age-at-death estimation (Brooks & Suchey 1990).
As Brothwell’s association of occlusal wear with age-at-death was developed for Neolithic to Medieval British skulls, interpretation of results derived from the use ofthis method were undertaken with caution and the appreciation that variation between the test and subject groups may skew the resultant estimates. is situation
also occurs with the other methods for age-at-death estimation (dental eruption andepiphyseal fusion pattern), which are not tested on Near East populations, so theiruse may produce some additional error. Age-at-death categories were deﬁned as: fetal(before birth), infant (up to 3 years old), child (3-12 years), adolescent (12-20 years),
young adult (20-35 years), middle adult (35-50 years) and old adults (above 50 years)(White & Folkens 2000:341-342; Porčić & Stefanović 2009).

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Porotic hyperostosis and cribra orbitalia were macroscopically identiﬁed as circumscribed areas of pitting and porosity on the external surface of the cranial vault
and orbital roof, respectively (Walker et al. 2009). Degenerative joint disease was assessed based on the presence of osteophytes and eburnation (i.e. polished ivory-likeappearance) at the articular surfaces. As the development of osteophytes is also partly
associated with the aging process, the modiﬁcation of joint surfaces is the best indicator of osteoarthritis. Eburnation is seen a clear indicator of severe osteoarthritis, while
porosity or surface pitting is associated with early and moderate stages of osteoarthritis development. Such pitting and porosity may also be associated with secondaryeﬀects due to hypervascularization to supply undernourished cartilage (Weiss & Jurmain 2007).
e analyzed human remains from Tell es-Sin were highly fragmented, preventing
a fully reliable characterization of the sample. e analyzed sample presented herein
represent a small fraction of the total burials at Tell es-Sin. A MNI of 71 (including
T.168) was determined, of which at least 18 males and at least 15 females were present(Table 4). e number of individuals buried inside each niche ranges from 1 to 5, witha median of 3 bodies per niche. Excluding T.168, which could not be fully analyzed
due to the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, at least 59 individuals were identiﬁed.
e number of skeletons from this reﬁned MNI with assessed sex is fairly low (atleast 17 males and at least 13 females). e subadult (fetal + infant + adolescent)proportion of the sample was 23.7% (14 out of 59); ﬁve of these individuals wereaged around 3 years old or younger (Tables 4 and 5). Several niche burials werepreviously located at the stair entrances of the hypogea, either at the left/southernside wall (T.18, T.145, T.146, T.148, T.150, T.153, T.154, T.156, T.157, T.159 andT.160), at right/northern side wall (T.16, T.49, T.161 and T.163) or at both (T.14 andT.17) (Montero Fenollós & Masó Ferrer 2008). However, the only skeletal remains
identiﬁed from these niches were those of an infant (1.5–2 years old), from T.163.
Due to the high fragmentation and mixing of the osteological remains, few individuals could be adequately matched. However, univariate section points enabled
sex estimation of fragmented and isolated bones: 5 humeri (four using vertical head
diameter and one using maximum length), 2 ulnae using maximum length (Spradley& Jantz 2011), 1 radius using maxium length (Spradley & Jantz 2011) and 11 femora
using head diameter (Stewart 1979; Spradley & Jantz 2011) (Tables 6 and 7). e
sex assessment using the diameter of the humeral head was consistent irrespective of
the method of estimation (Stewart 1979, France 1985, Spradley & Jantz, 2011). Sex
assessment using the diameters of the femoral head were consistent between the methods of Stewart (1979) and Spradley and Jantz (2011), with two exceptions in niche
153B, where two values of the head diameter (44.8cm and 44.2cm, respectively) wereclassiﬁed as sex indeterminate using the Stewart (1979) equation and female using

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Table 4. Individuals identiﬁed at Tell es-Sin, corresponding to each hypogeum and niche. If
the individual was adult, whenever possible, a more precise possible age-at-death category isgiven. Niche A corresponds to North, Niche B to West and Niche C to South.
Hypogeum
42
42
42
42
42
42
42
42
42
138
138
138
138
138
138
144
153
153
153
153
153
158
158
158
158
163
163
163
163
163
163
163
163
163
164
164
164
164

Niche
A
A
A
A
A
B
B
C
C
A
A
A
B
B
C
A
B
B
B
B
B
A
B
B
B
A?
A?
B
B
B
C
C
C
NN
A
B
B
C

Individual
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
1
2
1
2
3
1
2
1
1
1
2
3
4
5
1
1
2
3
1
2
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
1
1
2
1

Age-at-death
Adult?
Adult?
Adult?
Adult?
Child (<12 years)
Adult?
Adult?
Adult?
Child (~2 years)
Adult (>45 years)
Adult (~30 years)
Adult
Adult (~45-65 years)
Adult
Adult
Adult?
Adult
Adult
Adult
Child (2 years)
Adult
Adult (~25-45 years)
Adult
Adult
Adult
Adult
Adult
Adult?
Adult
Adult?
Adult
Adult
Adult
Child (1.5-2 years)
Adult?
Adult
Child (1 year)
Adult?

Sex
FemaleFemaleMale
Male
Unknown
Male?
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Male
Male
Unknown
FemaleMale
FemaleUnknown
Male?
Male?
Female?
Unknown
FemaleMale
FemaleFemale?
Female?
Male
Unknown
FemaleFemaleUnknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Male
Unknown
Unknown

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Table 4. (continued)
Hypogeum
168

Niche
A,B,C

Individual
MNI: 12Age-at-death
MNI: 2 children

169
169
169
169
169
169
169
169
169
170
170
170
170
170
170
170
170
170
170
170
170

A
A
B
B
B
B
C
C
C
A
A
A
B
B
B
B
C
C
C
C
C

1
2
1
2
3
4
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
4
1
2
3
4
5

Adult?
Adult?
Child (~6 years)
Child (~12 years)
Adult (>25 years)
Subadult (~17 years)
Perinatal (~6 months)
Adult
Adult
Child (~6 years)
Child (~12 years)
Adult (>25 years)
Child (~3-4 years)
Child (~3-4 years)
Adult?
Adult?
Child (~6 years)
Adult (35-39 years)
Adult (22-24 years)
Adult
Adult

Sex
Unknown
MNI: 2 females
MNI: 1 maleUnknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unkwown
Unknown
FemaleMale?
Unknown
Unknown
Male?
Unknown
Unknown
Male?
Male?
Unknown
FemaleMale
Male
Unknown

Spradley and Jantz’s (2011) equation. ese values lay very close to the univariate
sectioning point (45.0). ese inconsistencies between methods highlight the needto develop a method adapted for the Near Eastern populations.
Table 5. Age-at-death distribution at Tell es-Sin, excluding T.168.
Age range
0-3 years
3-12 years
12-20 years
20-35 years
35-50 years>50 years
Adult indeterminate
Total

N
5
7
2
5
2
1
37
59

Percentage
8.5%
11.9%
3.4%
8.5%
3.4%
1.7%
62.7%
100.0%

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Cranial and post-cranial remains could not always be properly associated due tofragmentation and mixture of bone remains as a consequence to looting. us, unfortunately, most well-preserved long bones could not be unequivocally attributed
to a speciﬁc individual (Table 6 and 7). Reliability of stature estimations from the
maximum length of the long bones of the upper extremity is lower than in the lower
limb (Bass 2005). e average stature estimated using the long bones of the upper
Table 6. Sex and stature estimation for well-preserved long bones from Tell es-Sin. Due tothe poor state of preservation of the human remains and the mixture of bone remains from
diﬀerent individuals as a consequence of looting, most analyzed long bones could not be
attributed to a speciﬁc individual. In these cases, it has been indicated the possible
individuals to which it could belong. erefore, 153B1/2? suggests that it could be either
153B1 or 153B2 individual.
Individual
153B1/2?
153B1/2?
163B1/2?
170A3
170C2
153B1/2?
153B1/2?
153B1/2?

Bone
Left humerus
Left humerus
Right humerus
Left humerus
Right humerus
Right ulna
Right radius
Right radius

Sex
FemaleFemaleFemaleMale
Female
Male
Male
Male

Stature estimation (cm)165.49±4.45148.35±4.45
163.45±4.45176.67±4.72
173.41±4.66
173.41±4.66

Table 7. Sex and stature estimation from the diameter of the head of the femur. Due to thepoor state of preservation of the human remains and the mixture of bone remains from
diﬀerent individualsas a consequence of looting, most analyzed long bones could not be
attributed to a speciﬁc individual. In these cases, it has been indicated the possible
individuals to which it could belong. erefore, 153B3/5? suggests that it could be either
153B3 or 153B5 individual. Stature estimation after Giroux and Wescott (2008).
Individual
138A1
153B3/5?
153B3/5?
153B3/5?
153B3/5?
169C2
169C3
170B3/4?
170B3/4?
170C3/4/5?
170C3/4/5?

Side
Right
Right
Left
Left
Right
Right
Right
Right
Right
Left
Left

Head diameter (mm)
51.0
44.8
44.2
43.1
41.7
42.0
47.0
45.0
48.3
46.8
46.5

Stewart 1979
Male
Indeterminate
Indeterminate
Female?
FemaleFemaleMale?
Indeterminate
Male
Male?
Male?

Sex
Spradley & Jantz 2011
Male
FemaleFemaleFemaleFemaleFemale
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male

Stature estimation (cm)
179.0
167.0
166.1
164.5
162.3
162.8
175.7
174.0
176.8
175.5
175.3

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extremity was 174.5cm for males (n=4) and 159.1cm for females (n=4) (Trotter &Gleser 1952, 1958) (Table 6). Average stature estimates from the diameter of thehead of the femur was slightly higher: 176.1cm for males (n=6) and 164.5cm forfemales (n=5) (Giroux & Wescott 2008) (Table 7). Nevertheless, estimated statures
were similar to those of other contemporary Byzantine populations, such as those at
Tell Mahrad and Wadi Faynan, as well to other Roman and Byzantine populations(Sheridan 2002; Zias 1992).
Cranial index could only be calculated for four individuals, for which a dolichocephalic skull shape, similar to those reported for other Near Eastern Byzantine samples, predominated (Table 8; Hershkovitz 1988; Hershkovitz et al. 1993; Henke &Wahl 1990). Anterioposterior and mediolateral diameters at humeral midshaft could
be measured only in two humeri. Only four incomplete unsexed femora could bemeasured below trochanter (average AP/ML index: 1.30±0.16). Finally, measurements of buccolingual (BL) and mesiodistal (MD) diameters, for all teeth where suchmeasurements were possible, are presented in Table 9.
Table 8. Selected cranial measurements (in mm) for Tell es-Sin population.
MCL – maximum cranial length, MCB – maximum cranial length, CI – cranial index,
MFB – minimum frontal breadth, FH – face height, HNA – height of the nasal aperture,
OBL – orbital breadth (left), OHL – orbital height (left), MRB – maximum ramus breadth,
MSH – mandibular symphysis height.
Sex
MCL MCB CI
MFB FH HNA OBL OHL MRB MSH
138A1
Male 184.0 137.0 74.46
67.4
138A2
Male 192.0
138A3
34.8
138B1 Female 181.0 133.0 73.48
66.6
138C1 Female 183.0 143.0 78.14
153B1
Male 186.0
32.7
153B2
Male 186.0 138.0 74.19 105.0 70.3
35.4 41.5
158B1
31.2
158B2
182.0
58.4
27.6
169C
41.0 26.0
Average184.8 46.6 75.07 105.0 68.1 58.4 35.4 41.5 36.2 28.3SD
3.7 20.1 2.09
1.9
4.3
2.7

Only three individuals (T.138A3, T.153B2 and T.153B4) from a total of 12 withpreserved almost complete orbital roofs had cribra orbitalia (Figure 3). In addition
to this, only one individual (out of 12 cranial remains where its presence or absence
could be determined) revealed hyperostosis porotica (right parietal of T.138B2). Regarding cribra orbitalia, its prevalence is relatively low within the sample analyzed.
Both cribra orbitalia and porotic hyperostosis have long been associated with various
etiologies, such as iron deﬁciency anemia, rickets, infection and/or other inﬂamma-

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tory conditions such as scurvy (Bourbou 2003a,b), although recently megaloblastic
anemia has been proposed as the main factor by Walker and colleagues (2009). e
prevalence of degenerative joint disease was low as well. Individual T.170B had osteophytes in the lumbar vertebrae and an eburnated articular surface of the head of
the right femur, which is usually a zone of mechanical stress. A sacral fragment of
T.138B2 was found to have fused with the left ilium and there were slightly developed margins at the upper region of the vertebral sacral bodies. Although no X-ray
image is available, such fusion could be the result of a fracture or ankylosing spondylytis with subsequent bone fusion. ough it has been possible to gain several insights,
the comparatively small sample of skeletal remains from Tell es-Sin prevents an analysis of the prevalence of osteoarthritis. In other contemporaneous Early Byzantinebone assemblages, osteoarthritis represents the most common pathology, particularlyin the cervical and lumbar vertebrae (Bourbou 2003a; El-Najjar & Obiedat 2011;
Hershkovitz et al. 1993, 1995; Nagar et al. 1999).
Concerning oral pathology, an isolated lower right M3 putatively from niche
138A3 had a carious lesion on the occlusal surface (cavitation). us, only one moTable 9a. Dental measurements of the population of Tell es-Sin by tooth type and side
(lower dentition). MD – mesiodistal, BL – buccolingual, L – left, R – right.
158B?
138A?
158B3
163.4
163C?

MD
BL
MD
BL
MD
BL
MD
BL
MD
BL

RI2
5.5
5.3

RC
6.2
6.4

RP1
6.0
6.8
6.2
6.5

RP2
6.5
7.3
6.6
7.5

LP2
6.5
7.3

RM1
10.5
10.1

LM1
9.8

RM2

LM2
10.3
8.8

RM3

10.5
9.9
11.1
10.1
10.7
10.0

9.7
8.3

10.4
9.4
11.0
10.2

Table 9b. Dental measurements of the population of Tell es-Sin by tooth type and side
(upper dentition). MD – mesiodistal, BL – buccolingual, L – left, R – right.
RI1
153B?
158B?
138A?
158B3
163C?

MD
BL
MD
BL
MD
BL
MD
BL
MD
BL

8.1
6.6

LI2

RC

LC

RP1

LP1

RP2

LP2

RM1

LM1
10.5
10.4

RM2

LM2

5.9
5.3

6.1
6.4
6.7
7.5

6.4
7.5

6.4
8.0

6.5
8.6

6.0
8.4

6.1
8.6

9.4
10.1
11.6
10.1

9.9
10.7

9.0
10.5

8.2
10.6

10.3
10.1

9.3
9.8

LM3

7.8
9.5

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Figure 3. Detail of cribra orbitalia in an orbital fragment of individual T.138A3.

lar per 35 well preserved teeth at Tell es-Sin has been identiﬁed as being aﬀected bycaries (2.8%). is percentage of dental caries in the analyzed sample from Tell esSin is lower than in other Late Roman period or Byzantine sites. For example, inthe Late Roman period from the Middle Euphrates valley south to the city of Deirez-Zor, 8.5% of the teeth (70/817) were reported as having carious lesions (Tomczyk et al. 2013). Several studies on Near Eastern Byzantine samples have reported
caries rates ranging from 11% to 20% (Al-Shorman 2003; Albashaireh & Al-Shorman
2010; Erdal & Duyar 1999; Hershkovitz et al. 1995), with an even higher prevalence(39.5%) reported for the Late Roman/Early Byzantine Jordanian site of Yasile (elNajjar & Obeidat 2011). Such diﬀerences may be due to the small dental sample sizeof Tell es-Sin.
Finally, it is quite diﬃcult to compare the tooth size of the population of Tell
es-Sin with that of other Early Byzantine Near Eastern populations. One of themain reasons is the relative scarcity of dental data for Byzantine populations from the
Near East (Ullinger 2002), with most studies focussing on dental non-metric traits(Ullinger 2002; Ullinger et al. 2005). In any case, the mesiodistal and buccolingual
values of the Tell-Sin sample are slightly lower than those of Neolithic populationsin the same region (Pinhasi et al. 2015). ese diﬀerences are expected, given thegradual reduction in human tooth size in the region after the Neolithic period (Braceet al. 1987; Sołtysiak 2007).

Short fieldwork reports73

e osteological remains from Tell es-Sin represent a heterogeneous and biased
assemblage of human bones, corresponding to tombs that were previously looted.
e bones are very mixed and in each niche there is a variable number of individuals,
including subadults and adults. e degree of fragmentation of the human remains
prevents a detailed analysis. Accordingly, severe limitations on sample size, preservation and representativeness of skeletal elements hamper the development of a moredetailed biocultural model. e future discovery and excavation of non-looted gravesis crucial to deepen current knowledge of this sample/population. In this sense, it isadvisable to focus on the eastern side of the Euphrates River area as local environmental conditions may have allowed for better preservation of human remains in thisregion.
No sex or age-at-death biases have been observed. e lack of infants in comparison with other sites could be the consequence of their burial in niches at the entrance
to the tomb. In other Byzantine populations, the most prominent pathology is osteoarthritis. At Tell es-Sin it has only been noted in one individual, despite the highnumber of adults present in the sample. As far as the metabolic deﬁciencies are concerned, their prevalence is fairly low as well.
Acknowledgments: e archaeological campaigns at Tell es-Sin (2005-2007) werepossible thanks to the ﬁnancial support granted by various institutions: the Dirección
General de Bellas Artes y Bienes Culturales, the City Council of Ferrol, the Vicerrectorado del Campus de Ferrol de la Universidade da Coruña, the Instituto de Lenguas
y Culturas del Mediterráneo y Oriente Próximo (CSIC), the Sociedade de Cultura
Valle-Inclán and the Osmane Aidi Fundation of Damascus. e anthropological research was possible thanks to a Spanish Government FPU grant to FES, contributionsof the Spanish Archaeological Mission in Tell Halula (Syria), and, especially, to Directors Dr. Miquel Molist i Montana and Josep Anfruns. Finally, we would like tothank the former General Director of Antiquities and Museums of Syria, Dr. Bassam Jamous and Dr. Michel al-Maqdissi, former Director of the Excavations Service
and Archaeological Studies of the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museumsof Damascus, who gave us all the facilities for the creation and implementation, in
2005, of the Syro-Spanish Archaeological Mission in Deir ez-Zor.

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