Porcelain Gallbladder Found in Human Remains in Mississippi Asylum Cemetery

A rare secret was taken to the grave in an unmarked, 100-year-old burial ground.

BY HANNAH SEO

APRIL 24, 2024


The hardened organ was found in a grave of a mental asylum cemetery. 

ASYLUM HILL PROJECT, UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI MEDICAL CENTER

In This Story

WHEN THE MISSISSIPPI STATE LUNATIC Asylum closed in 1935, its cemetery was unceremoniously forgotten. The plant life became tangled overgrowth, wooden grave markers deteriorated, and the thousands of marked and unmarked graves there lay untouched for decades.

The land eventually became part of the grounds of the University of Mississippi Medical Center. When the institution rediscovered the graves during construction on campus in 2012, it started the Asylum Hill Project to research the history of the cemetery while respectfully studying, memorializing, and moving the deceased to a more suitable location on campus. As researchers began excavating the first 100 burials, they discovered an archaeological oddity among the remains of one individual: a stony-beige colored object, about the size and shape of a quail egg (about two inches long and one inch wide), sat in the soil, right in the middle of this person’s torso. It was oddly light for its shape and size.

The object inside the woman’s grave looked like an egg. 

DEPARTMENT OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI MEDICAL CENTER

Initially, no one knew what it was. “Everyone just stood around and had theories,” says Jennifer Mack, the lead bioarchaeologist at The University of Mississippi Medical Center and the Asylum Project. “Someone thought it was a calcified cyst, someone else thought it was a gallstone, and I thought, ‘that’s way too big to be a gallstone.’” Mack took the object back to her office. Later, a retired surgeon on the team visited her. “I said, ‘hey, we found something interesting,’” Mack recalls. “He came over, and as I was opening the bag, he said ‘I think that’s a calcified gallbladder.’ Because as a surgeon, he had seen them on multiple occasions before.”

The team later confirmed it to be a perfectly preserved calcified gallbladder, also known as a “porcelain gallbladder.” The team recently published their discovery in The International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. It’s the first porcelain gallbladder to be published in an academic journal as an archaeological finding.

A porcelain gallbladder is a relatively rare and irreversible condition where parts or all of your gallbladder, the organ that stores the bile made by your liver and aids with digestion, calcifies and hardens. It’s named that way not because the organ becomes ceramic, but because in living or recently deceased individuals, a calcified gallbladder takes on a whitish blue color. It’s entirely possible for a person with porcelain gallbladder to not know they have it—people with it are often asymptomatic and can live with the condition. Though, people with a porcelain gallbladder often have it removed, as it can be a risk factor for cancer.

An X-ray of a different porcelain gallbladder from 2010 shows where they normally sit within the body. HERBERT L. FRED, MD, HENDRIK A. VAN DIJK/CC BY 2.0

Researchers haven’t come to a consensus on why or how a porcelain gallbladder occurs, but it’s thought that chronic inflammation can trigger the calcification process. Interestingly, even though there are plenty of other places throughout your body and in the gastrointestinal tract where chronic inflammation can happen, “it’s not like we get ‘porcelain esophagus’ or ‘porcelain stomach,’” says Kurt Schaberg, an anatomic pathologist at the University of California, Davis. “We don’t know specifically why the gallbladder turns porcelain, but it famously does.”

Mack and her team know that the individual with the porcelain gallbladder was an adult of middle to old age, but not much else. “The classic scenario of a porcelain gallbladder would be an older woman,” says Schaberg—statistically, that would make the most sense.

Normally after death, all parts of a gastrointestinal tract would decay and rot away. Schaberg says, “It’s kind of interesting to see a part of the GI tract survive due to these calcifications.”

'Incredibly Rare' Prehistoric Finds May Have Marked Path To Afterlife

Published Apr 24, 2024

By Aristos Georgiou
Science and Health Reporter
NEWSWEEK

An archaeological survey has identified traces of hundreds of previously unknown monuments—including five "incredibly rare" prehistoric structures that may have once marked "routes for the dead" into the afterlife.

James O'Driscoll with the Department of Archaeology at the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom conducted the survey using LiDAR technology in the Baltinglass landscape of County Wicklow, Ireland, which is renowned for its prehistoric remains. The results have been published in the journal Antiquity.

LiDAR is a remote sensing method that involves the use of laser pulses fired at the ground to generate 3D models of a given landscape. This method can map the topography of the land while also revealing hidden man-made features that may not normally be visible.

"I have been working on the Baltinglass landscape for over a decade. It formed the core component of my PhD," O'Driscoll told Newsweek.

"While my PhD focused on targeted geophysical and remote sensing surveys and excavations, what was sorely missing was a large-scale topographical model of the landscape, which would not only help to knit together all of the research that had previously been undertaken, but also help to discover new archaeological sites that were either hidden under trees and scrub overgrowth, or had been mostly levelled by thousands of years of ploughing," he said.

A view of the Baltinglass landscape in County Wicklow, Ireland. An archaeological survey of the region has revealed various previously unknown monuments. JAMES O’DRISCOLL/ANTIQUITY PUBLICATIONS LTD

The detailed topographical survey O'Driscoll undertook using LiDAR almost doubled the number of known archaeological sites in the landscape, revealing previously unknown monuments such as a "massive" Bronze Age hillfort, early medieval ringforts and a large number of burial structures from various periods of prehistory.

But the "most significant" findings of the survey, according to the researcher, were a cluster of up five previously unknown "cursus" monuments. These prehistoric monuments, found on the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, are typically long and relatively narrow earthwork enclosures. While poorly understood, they tend to be defined by an enclosing bank with a ditch on the outside. While relatively well-known in Britain, they are poorly documented in Ireland.

"The discovery of the cursus monuments is particularly significant, as these are incredibly rare in Ireland," O'Driscoll said. "There are less than 20 recorded cursus monuments in Ireland, and they typically occur in isolation or pairs."

"This makes the identification of five examples in Baltinglass the largest cluster of these sites in the country—but also, the detailed topographical model of the sites and their surrounding landscape provided an opportunity to 'digitally' investigate these monuments in detail," he said.

Using his new data, the archaeologist was able to demonstrate that at least four of the five newly identified cursus monuments were aligned with important solar events. These events were linked to yearly farming cycles, as well as death and rebirth, shedding light on the purpose of these mysterious monuments.

For O'Driscoll, these examples may have symbolized the ascent of the dead into the heavens and their perceived rebirth.

"The function of these types of monuments has always been a thorny topic, as we simply don't have enough information. But given that some of the Baltinglass sites can also be linked with burial monuments, this suggested to me that they may have been ceremonial monuments used in burial practices, where the cursus marked the physical route in which the dead moved from the living into the afterlife," O'Driscoll said.

The cursus monuments of Baltinglass uncovered by the LiDAR survey. These types of monuments are "incredibly rare" in Ireland. JAMES O’DRISCOLL/ANTIQUITY PUBLICATIONS LTD

As well as casting light on their purpose, the cursus discoveries could also help to fill a chronological gap in the settlement record of the area. According to O'Driscoll, the new monuments suggest that the Baltinglass landscape remained an important region for developing farming communities in the region during the Neolithic (or New Stone Age) archaeological period, which in Ireland lasted from roughly 4000–2400 B.C., according to some definitions.

Baltinglass was previously known for its Early Neolithic monuments, as well as those dating from the Middle to Late Bronze Age (around 1400–800 B.C.). However, evidence for human activity and occupation between the Early Neolithic and Middle-Late Bronze Age was almost non-existent, leading experts to conclude that the area may have been abandoned for roughly two millennia.

The latest study may help to challenge this narrative, given that cursus monuments typically date to the Middle Neolithic, although the newly uncovered Irish examples have yet to be comprehensively dated.

"The implications for the study are significant, as it provides an explanation for the function of this monument type in Ireland, and allows us to understand the ritual and ceremonial practices of our ancestors who lived over 5,000 years ago," O'Driscoll said.

"It is the first focused investigation of this monument type in Ireland, and it provides a platform for future study—key to which will be excavation and scientific dating of these monuments, if we can find the funding!"

 Archaeologists reveal hundreds of ancient monuments using LiDAR

Image Credit : Antiquity

By:Mark Milligan

Date:

April 25, 2024

A new study published in the journal Antiquity has revealed hundreds of previously unrecorded monuments at Baltinglass in County Wicklow, Ireland.

The Baltinglass area (known as ‘Ireland’s Hillfort Capital’) has a high density of Early Neolithic and Late Bronze Age monuments, however, very little evidence has been recorded that dates from the Middle Neolithic period.

According to Dr James O’Driscoll from the University of Aberdeen, the ancient landscape around Baltinglass was incredibly important to the Early Neolithic people, however, the lack of Middle Neolithic evidence suggests that this importance was lost until the Late Bronze Age.

Using advanced LiDAR technology, archaeologists have created detailed three-dimensional models, revealing hundreds of ancient sites that that been destroyed by thousands of years of ploughing.

Image Credit : Antiquity

Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), is a method of remote sensing using light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges (variable distances) to the Earth. The differences in the laser return times and wavelengths can be used to compile a 3-D digital map of the landscape.

The most significant discovery from the survey is a cluster of five cursus monuments, the largest example found in both Britain and Ireland. The purpose of such monuments are speculative, but some theories propose that they were used in rituals connected with ancestor veneration, that they follow astronomical alignments, or that they served as buffer zones between ceremonial and occupation landscapes.

Image Credit : Antiquity

According to the study authors: “These five cursus monuments are clearly aligned with burial monuments in the landscape, as well as the rising and setting sun during major solar events such as the solstice.”

“This may have symbolised the ascent of the dead into the heavens and their perceived rebirth, with the cursus physically setting out the final route of the dead, where they left the land of the living and joined the ancestors beyond the visible horizon,” said Dr O’Driscoll.

Header Image Credit : Antiquity

Sources : Antiquity | Exploring the Baltinglass cursus complex: routes for the dead? – James O’Driscoll. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2024.39

Ancient nomads you’ve probably never heard of disappeared from Europe 1,000 years ago. Now, DNA analysis reveals how they lived


Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD). Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum

THE CONVERSATION
Published: April 24, 2024 

How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been pottery sherds, burial sites and ancient texts.

But the study of ancient DNA is changing what we know about the human past, and what we can know. In a new study, we analysed the genetics of hundreds of people who lived in the Carpathian Basin in southeastern central Europe more than 1,000 years ago, revealing detailed family trees, pictures of a complex society, and stories of change over centuries.
Who were the Avars?

The Avars were a nomadic people originating from eastern central Asia. From the 6th to the 9th century CE, they wielded power over much of eastern central Europe.

A gold earring from a 7th-century female grave at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary. Hungarian National Museum, CC BY

The Avars are renowned among archaeologists for their distinctive belt garnitures, but their broader legacy has been overshadowed by predecessors such as the Huns. Nevertheless, Avar burial sites provide invaluable insights into their customs and way of life. To date, archaeologists have excavated more than 100,000 Avar graves.

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Now, through the lens of “archaeogenetics”, we can delve even deeper into the intricate web of relationships among individuals who lived more than a millennium ago.
Kinship patterns, social practices and population dynamics

Much of what we know about Avar society comes from descriptions written by their enemies, such as the Byzantines and the Franks, so this work represents a significant leap forward in our understanding.

We combined ancient DNA data with archaeological, anthropological and historical context. As a result, we have been able to reconstruct extensive pedigrees, shedding light on kinship patterns, social practices and population dynamics of this enigmatic period.
Excavations at the cemetery of Rákóczifalva, Hungary in 2006. Hungarian National Museum, CC BY

We sampled all available human remains from four fully excavated Avar-era cemeteries, including those at Rákóczifalva and Hajdúnánás in what is now Hungary. This resulted in a meticulous analysis of 424 individuals.

Around 300 of these individuals had close relatives buried in the same cemetery. This allowed us to reconstruct multiple extensive pedigrees spanning up to nine generations and 250 years.
Communities were organised around main fathers’ lines

Our research uncovered a sophisticated social framework. Our results suggest Avar society ran on a strict system of descent through the father’s line (patrilineal descent).

Following marriage, men typically remained within their paternal community, preserving the lineage continuity. In contrast, women played a crucial role in fostering social ties by marrying outside their family’s community. This practice, called female exogamy, underscores the pivotal contribution of women in maintaining social cohesion.

Additionally, our study identified instances where closely related male individuals, such as siblings or a father and son, had offspring with the same female partner. Such couplings are called “levirate unions”.

Read more: In a Stone Age cemetery, DNA reveals a treasured 'founding father' and a legacy of prosperity for his sons

Despite these practices, we found no evidence of pairings between genetically related people. This suggests Avar societies meticulously preserved an ancestral memory.

These findings align with historical and anthropological evidence from societies of the Eurasian steppe.

Our study also revealed a transition in the main line of descent within Rákóczifalva, when one pedigree took over from another. This occurred together with archaeological and dietary shifts likely linked to political changes in the region.

The transition, though significant, cannot be detected from higher-level genetic studies. Our results show an apparent genetic continuity can mask the replacement of entire communities. This insight may have far-reaching implications for future archaeological and genetic research.
Future direction of research

Our study, carried out with researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany and at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary, is part of a larger project called HistoGenes funded by the European Research Council.

This project shows we can use ancient DNA to examine entire communities, rather than just individuals. We think there is a lot more we can learn.
An expert at work harvesting ancient DNA from a human bone. Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

Now we aim to deepen our understanding of ancestral Avar society by expanding our research over a wider geographical area within the Avar realm. This broader scope will allow us to investigate the origins of the women who married into the communities we have studied. We hope it will also illuminate the connections between communities in greater detail.

Additionally, we plan to study evidence of pathogens and disease among the individuals in this research, to understand more about their health and lives.

Read more: Ancient DNA reveals children with Down syndrome in past societies. What can their burials tell us about their lives?

Another avenue of research is improving the dating of Avar sites. We are currently analysing multiple radiocarbon dates from individual burials to reveal a more precise timeline of Avar society. This detailed chronology will help us pinpoint significant cultural changes and interactions with neighbouring societies.

The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions to this work of Zsófia Rácz, Tivadar Vida, Johannes Krause and Zuzana Hofmanová.

Authors   

Magdalena M.E. Bunbury
Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University

Guido Alberto Gnecchi-Ruscone
Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

Disclosure statement

Magdalena M.E. Bunbury receives funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC) (project number CE170100015). She currently carries out a cadetship at the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre, a non-profit organisation in Cairns. Previously, she received funding from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) (project number D0850554) and the Erasmus scheme of the European Union.

Guido Alberto Gnecchi-Ruscone receives funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 856453.

 

The story of the first Alor people adapting to climate change 43,000 years ago

by Shimona Kealy, Hendri A. F. Kaharudin and Sue O'Connor, The Conversation

Marine shell and coral fishing (at left) and ornamentation (at right) technologies from 

Makpan. (A) rotating fishhook; (B) jabbing fishhook; (C) small jabbing fishhook; 

(D) possible shell lure; (E) large jabbing fishhook; (F) perforated coral sinker; 

(G) finger-coral tool; (H) selection of single-holed disc beads and two-holed oval beads

 made on Nautilus pompilius.

As humans, our greatest evolutionary advantage has always been our ability to adapt and innovate. When people first reached the expanded coastline of Southeast Asia around 65,000 years ago, and faced the sea crossings necessary to continue east into the islands of the Wallacean archipelago (the migration of Homo sapiens out of Africa to Australia), these abilities were put to use like never before.

Our study reports new evidence that humans reached and settled on the island of Alor, East Nusa Tenggara, around 43,000 years ago.

Alor is a smaller island lying between the larger islands of Flores and Timor, on the southern migratory pathway between mainland Southeast Asia and Australia.

Traces of settlements from that time demonstrate that once people began to move into the islands, they did so very quickly, and rapidly adjusted to their new island homes, especially in terms of acquiring food.

Life traces in Makpan Cave

Our collaborative research project, involving Australian and Indonesian archaeologists, excavated Makpan cave on Alor's south-west coast in mid-2016.

We identified the presence of human occupants in Makpan cave by discovering various tools made from stone, shell, and coral, as well as the remains of marine shell and sea urchins, for which humans are the only likely transport agents from coast to cave.

We used radiocarbon dating of preserved charcoal and marine shell to determine the period of human occupation at Makpan. The presence of both these materials in the cave is a direct result of human activity, so their dates can be directly connected to when people were living at Makpan.

The Makpan dates push back the record for human occupation on Alor island, doubling the initial occupation date of 21,000 years previously recovered from Tron Bon Lei, excavated in 2014.

This new find shows that Alor was occupied at the same time as Flores to the west, and Timor to the east—confirming Alor's position as a 'stepping-stone' between these two larger islands.

The deepest levels of the Makpan deposit recovered evidence for human occupation (such as stone tools and food waste) but in very low numbers. This suggests that when people first arrived at Makpan, they did so in low numbers.

During the 43,000 years of human occupation, Makpan witnessed a series of significant rises and falls in sea levels. This was caused by extreme climate changes during the last ice age. These environmental changes led the inhabitants of Makpan cave to undergo several phases of adaptation to environmental changes.

1. Early habitation phase

During the period from 43,000 to 14,000 years ago, when sea levels were lower, the inhabitants of Makpan relied more on coastal resources as they were more easily accessible.

During the Late Pleistocene (ice age), the lower sea level meant Alor Island was still connected to Pantar Island to the west. This created a mega-island that was nearly twice its size.

This condition eliminated the Pantar Strait between Pantar and Alor. The Pantar Strait is a passage for strong ocean currents connecting the Flores and Savu seas. Instead, the strait was replaced by a large sheltered bay.

Falling sea levels as the last ice age reached its maximum extent, also increased the distance from the site of Makpan to the coast.

This increased distance likely encouraged people to broaden their diet away from an intensely marine focus, to include a variety of land-based fruits and vegetables and perhaps make more use of giant rats, which were the only terrestrial fauna of any size available on the island at this time. This scenario is supported by isotopic analysis of human teeth from Makpan.

2. Pleistocene-Holocene transition phase

As the ice age began to wane around 14,000 years ago (the transition period from the Pleistocene to the early Holocene), bringing Makpan back within less than 1km of the coast, we see evidence for increased use of marine resources and foraging in the sheltered bay region, rocky coastline, reefs and deeper waters off Alor's south coast.

This increased access to a variety of marine protein sources is represented by the veritable smorgasbord of seafoods forming the dense midden deposits between around 12,000–11,000 years ago.

It is no surprise that the site sees significant evidence for fishing at this time, not just the bones of a wide variety of fish and shark species, but also in the form of shell fishhooks in different shapes and sizes. It also has the other items needed for fishing such as sinkers, and files made of coral used to make the hooks. The hooks were made from highly nacreous (i.e., shiny) shell species—which may have assisted in attracting the fish.

Although we do not find perishable organic materials, the diversity of fish hook types found in Makpan implies the use of fiber lines and nets, and the ability to fish in both shallow and deep water.

3. Late habitation phase

As sea levels continued to rise in the Early-Middle Holocene, the Pantar Strait opened up once more and we see the loss of the sheltered bay resources from the Makpan diet alongside an increase in reliance on terrestrial foods.

This coincided with a decline in occupation intensity, culminating in the abandonment of Makpan about 7,000 years ago. Why Makpan was abandoned at this time we do not know. Perhaps these final sea level increases made other areas around Alor island more attractive settlement locations, encouraging people to relocate.

The cave was reoccupied in the Neolithic (about 3,500 years ago), after sea-levels had stabilized, and we see a significant change in technology and lifestyle—evidenced by the appearance of pottery and domestic animals in the deposits. The Makpan archaeological record shows just how inventive and adaptive modern humans were in response to global climate change.

Provided by The Conversation 

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.40,000 years of adapting to sea-level change on Alor Island

INDIA

400-Year-Old Metal Idols Found In Haryana Village

The idols recovered from the plot owner's house include a standing idol of Lord Vishnu, an idol of Goddess Lakshmi and a joint idol of Goddess Laxmi and Lord Vishnu.


PTI
Updated on: 25 April 2024 

Image for representation

Three metal idols, estimated to be about 400 years old, were unearthed during excavation for a house construction project in Baghanki village near Manesar, police said on Wednesda

The antique idols have been taken into possession and the owner has been told to stall construction work, the police said, adding that the Archeology Department will now dig further to check if there are more idols in the site.

According to the police, the idols were found as the foundation for a new house was dug using a JCB machine.

Initially, the plot owner tried to conceal the discovery and even offered money to the JCB driver to keep the information hidden. The driver, however, informed the Bilaspur police after two days and a police team reached the spot, they said.

The idols recovered from the plot owner's house include a standing idol of Lord Vishnu, an idol of Goddess Lakshmi and a joint idol of Goddess Laxmi and Lord Vishnu, they said.

The idols have been handed over to Deputy Director of Archeology Department Banani Bhattacharya and Dr Kush Dhebar by the Bilaspur police.

According to the police, the villagers wanted the idols to be handed over to the panchayat as they wanted to build a temple on the plot. The Archeology Department officials, however, refused their demand.

"These idols are the property of the government and no one can have personal rights on these. These will be kept in the museum of the Archeology Department after study in our laboratory. As per the preliminary examination, these idols seem to be around 400 years old. Excavation will also be done in the plot," the deputy director of the Archeology Department said.

UK

Archaeologists called in after mystery find on Barrhead building site

25th April

A huge mystery stone structure has been discovered on a site where new houses are being constructed in Barrhead.

Archaeology teams are investigating the blonde sandstone circular piece of architecture which was unearthed during a £22.68m project near Aurs Road.

Residents have expressed their shock at the find, which they believe is from the 18th century and was used as part of a freshwater filtration system.

East Renfrewshire Council is now working with specialists to determine if it is of significance and if more structures exist below groun

Colin Cliff, 44, is a resident who lives nearby and said: “A huge blonde sandstone circular structure from the 18th century has been unearthed.

“It was part of Barrhead's first freshwater filtration system, part of Balgray and Gorbals gravitational water system. I believe it was among the first of its kind in the world to provide fresh water.

“If the plans are to remove the structure that would be very sad and costly.

“It should be cleaned and used as a feature wall for the access to Dams to Darnley Park, with a reference to its past use.”

Emma Wolfe, 45, also lives nearby and added: “I think it’s pretty amazing that it has stood the test of time under all the mud.

“Better building work than we get these days.

“A little bit of history is that it used to supply water to the village of Barrhead back in the day.

“It would be great just to be cleaned up, and perhaps have a plaque acknowledging its history and how far we have come.”

An East Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: "During recent excavation work to facilitate the Aurs Road upgrade and improvement project, a buried structure was uncovered.

“The council has notified the West of Scotland Archaeology Service (WoSAS) and appointed an archaeology team to investigate what this structure is and whether it is of any significance.

“An archaeologist will also oversee further excavations to determine if any other structures exist below ground.

“Once investigations are complete, the council, the archaeology team and WoSAS will work together to agree a way forward."

 

Research finds pronoun use not only shaped by language but also beliefs

UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

DURHAM, N.H.—Pronouns like ”he” and “she” are at the center of much debate as society tries to shift to using more gender-inclusive pronouns like ‘they’—especially when referring to those with identities that do not fit with traditional pronouns. Research at the University of New Hampshire looked at the use of pronouns in two different languages—including one where all pronouns are identity neutral—and found that people’s use of pronouns reflects not just the language they speak but also their ideologies.

“Most people want to be thoughtful and inclusive and say they are open to using pronouns like “they” and “them” but in reality it can often be hard for some to make the shift,” said April Bailey, assistant professor of psychology and lead author. “We wanted take a closer look at societal attitudes about pronoun use and see if it was connected to the language they speak and their beliefs about identity.”

In their research, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, the researchers asked a series of questions about pronouns to participants from two languages, English and Turkish, that have very different pronoun systems. English pronouns commonly denote binary gender, for example “he” for men and “she” for women. In the Turkish language, pronouns are identity-neutral, for example, “o” can refer to “he”, “she” or “it” depending on the noun it refers to. There are not any specific masculine or feminine pronouns.

In a series of three studies, participants were asked to evaluate different types of real and hypothetical pronouns, including binary gender pronouns, race pronouns and identity-neutral pronouns. The researchers found that both groups generally endorsed the pronouns that were most familiar and common in their respective languages. English-speaking participants mostly endorsed binary gender pronouns, like “he” and “she”. Turkish-speaking participants mostly endorsed identity-neutral pronouns, like “o”.

The researchers also found that participants’ answers reflected specific ideologies so they looked at the social-cognitive process—how people process, store and apply information—to see how that affects the reasoning around pronouns. Among both English and Turkish speaking participants, those who were high in essentialist ideologies about identity—assuming people are inherently and permanently either male or female—also endorsed binary gender pronouns and race pronouns more, showing that ideological beliefs can influence beliefs about pronouns.

“Similar to other function words, like conjunctions, pronouns are some of the

most frequently used words in any language,” said Bailey. “However, unlike those other words, pronouns can encode social information that may shape a person’s beliefs and how they reason about their social world.”

The researchers say there are valid debates on both sides of the issues – why gender pronouns are helpful and also how they can alienate some non-binary individuals. For instance, using “she” can make women more visible when referring to a more male-dominated field. However, those who point to drawbacks feel binary gender pronouns exclude non-binary individuals. They say language can shape how people think and despite recent trends toward using “they” and “them” more often, traditional gender pronouns, like “he” and “she”, are still used more often. The researchers hope their work will shine a light on why many English speakers struggle with using gender neutral pronouns like “they” and ”them” and contribute to theories on how people reason about language and ultimately help inform policy-relevant questions about whether and how to implement language changes for social purposes.

Co-authors on the study include Robin Dembroff, Yale University; Daniel Wodak, University of Pennsylvania; Elif G. Ikizer, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay; and, Andrei Cimpian, New York University.

The University of New Hampshire inspires innovation and transforms lives in our state, nation and world. More than 16,000 students from 49 states and 82 countries engage with an award-winning faculty in top-ranked programs in business, engineering, law, health and human services, liberal arts and the sciences across more than 200 programs of study. A Carnegie Classification R1 institution, UNH partners with NASA, NOAA, NSF, and NIH, and received over $210 million in competitive external funding in FY23 to further explore and define the frontiers of land, sea and space.

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JOURNAL

Journal of Experimental Psychology General

 

Gender-nonconforming ancient Romans found refuge in community dedicated to goddess Cybele

by Tina Chronopoulos, The Conversation

A relief showing a Gallus making sacrifices to the goddess Cybele and Attis. 

Credit: Saiko via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

A Vatican declaration, the "Infinite Dignity," has brought renewed attention to how religions define and interpret gender and gender roles.

Approved by the pope on March 25, 2024, the Vatican declaration asserts the Vatican's opposition to gender-affirming surgery and surrogacy. While noting that people should not be "imprisoned," "tortured" or "killed" because of their sexual orientation, it says that "gender theory" and any sex-change intervention reject God's plan for human life.

The Catholic Church has long emphasized traditional binary views of gender. But in many places, both present and past, individuals have been able to push back against gender norms. Even in the ancient Roman Empire, individuals could transgress traditional conceptions of gender roles in various ways. While Roman notions of femininity and masculinity were strict as regards clothing, for instance, there is evidence to suggest that individuals could and did breach these norms, although they were likely to be met with ridicule or scorn.

As a scholar of Greek and Latin literature, I have studied the "Galli," male followers of the goddess Cybele. Their appearance and behaviors, often considered feminine, were commented on extensively by Roman authors: They were said to curl their hair, smooth their legs with pumice stones and wear fine clothing. They also, but not always, surgically removed their testicles.

Cybele: Mother of the gods

In the philosophical treatise "Hymn to the Mother of the Gods," Julian the Philosopher, the last pagan emperor of the Roman empire, writes about the history of the cult of Cybele. In this treatise, he describes the cult's main figures and how some of its rites were performed.

Often referred to as the Mother of the Gods, Cybele was first worshiped in Anatolia. Her most famous cult site was located at Pessinous, the modern Turkish village of Ballıhisar, about 95 miles southwest of Ankara, where Julian stopped to pay a visit on his journey to Antioch in 362 C.E.

Cybele was known in Greece by around 500 B.C.E. and introduced to Rome sometime between 205 and 204 B.C.E. In Rome, where she came to be recognized as the mother of the state, her worship was incorporated into the official roster of Roman cults, and her temple was built on the Palatine, the political center of Rome.

Cybele's cult gave rise to a group of male followers, or attendants, known as Galli. Among the surviving material evidence related to their existence are sculptures, as well as a Roman burial of an individual Gallus discovered in Northern England.

Attis: Cybele's human companion

A statue from Ostia, Rome's port city, depicts a reclining Attis, Cybele's youthful male human companion.

What is highly unusual about this statue, which is at the Vatican museum, is how the sculptor has draped the clothing to draw attention to Attis' groin and stomach: No discernible genitalia are visible. Attis, at first sight, appears to be a woman.

In their tellings of Cybele's myth, Greek and Roman authors give differing versions for Attis' self-castration. The Roman poet Catullus describes how Cybele puts Attis into a state of frenzy, during which he castrates himself. Immediately afterward, Attis is referred to by female adjectives as she calls to her companions, the Gallae, using the female form instead of the masculine Galli. Catullus' poem highlights the ambiguity in Attis' gender and that of Cybele's attendants.

Material evidence for the Galli

A relief sculpture from Lanuvium, now at the Musei Capitolini in Rome and dated to the second century C.E, is one of the few surviving representations of a Gallus.

This individual is surrounded by objects commonly associated with Cybele's cult, including musical instruments, a box for cult objects and a whip. The sculpted figure is adorned with an elaborate headdress or crown, a torque necklace and a small breastplate, as well as ornate clothing.

Other than signaling the person's connection to Cybele's cult, the objects and adornments also suggest that the person's gender identity is somewhat ambiguous, since Roman men shunned flamboyance and ornaments.

At Cataractonium, a Roman fort in Northern England, a skeleton was uncovered in the necropolis of Bainesse during excavations in 1981-82. Based on the accompanying burial goods, which included a torque anklet, bracelets and a necklace made of a type of gemstone that has been dated to around the third century C.E., archaeologists thought that these were the remains of a woman.

An examination of the bones, however, revealed that the remains were those of a young man—likely in his early twenties. Since Roman men typically did not wear the kind of jewelry found in the grave, archaeologists concluded that the individual may have been a Gallus.

Respect for Galli

Galli were attached to temples, where they formed a community. During processions in Cybele's honor, they would follow behind the cult image and priests, chanting alongside musical instruments they played.

In Rome, they had permission to seek alms from the populace; they would also offer prophetic readings or ecstatic dances in return for payment. It is possible that they enhanced their looks in order to get more money.

Some scholars have argued that their feminine appearance was a way to differentiate themselves from the general public; likewise, that their voluntary castration signaled their renunciation of the world and devotion to Cybele, in imitation of Attis, her companion.

However, it does not seem out of the ordinary to think that some Galli were drawn to Cybele's cult because it offered them a way to escape the strict binary gender system of the Romans. Galli, unlike other men in Rome or its empire, were able to openly present themselves or live as women, regardless of their assigned sex or how they identified.

Catullus' poem and comments by other authors indicate that they perceived the gender of the Galli as differing from Roman concepts of masculinity. However, the Galli were also, reluctantly, respected for the role they played in Cybele's cult. It is thus hard to know who exactly joined their communities and how they saw themselves, and whether the sources describe them accurately.

It is tempting to see the Galli as nonbinary or transgender individuals, even though the Romans did not know or use concepts such as nonbinary or transgender. Still, it is not inconceivable that a number of individuals found in the Galli both a community and an identity that allowed them to express themselves in a way that traditional Roman manhood did not permit.

The Vatican declaration asserts that the female and male binary is fixed and suggests that gender-affirming care "risks threatening the unique dignity the person has received from the moment of conception."

Nonetheless, the existence of trans people today, as well as people who defied gender binaries in the past—including the Galli of ancient Rome—shows that it is and was possible to live outside prevailing gender norms. In my view, that makes it clear that it is unjust to impose moral teachings or judgments on how people experience their bodies or themselves.

Provided by The Conversation 

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Cult mentality: Professor makes monumental discovery in Italy

Diversity and inclusion strategies to be explored at Museums + Heritage Show

25 April 2024

A look at some of the sessions at Museums + Heritage Show 2024 which focus on diversity, inclusion, and accessibility strategies for cultural organisations.

Effective efforts to improve inclusion, both internally and externally, require the continued investment of time, understanding, and the formalisation of new strategies.

At this year’s Museums + Heritage Show, a series of sessions centering on diversity and inclusion will assist organisations in doing just that.

Topics at the free, two day event span the navigation of power dynamics and inequalities across cultural organisations, developing transgender-inclusive policies and programming, modern accessibility measures, and more.

The Museums + Heritage Show is packed with talks from sector leaders, demonstrations from a wealth of exhibitors and plenty of opportunity to catch-up and network with fellow attendees. More than 60 sessions and 90 speakers make up this year’s event.

On the topic of diversity, a session by Pawlet Brookes, MBE, the founder,CEO and Artistic Director of Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage and Naomi Korn, Founder and CEO of Naomi Korn Associates will examine how copyright and licensing are enacted within the often-complex power dynamics existing between cultural heritage organisations and the third parties with whom they work. It will identify imbalances that might exist and suggest next steps to better support positions on equality, diversity, and inclusion. Copyright and rights management: navigating power dynamics and inequalities across cultural organisations takes place on Wednesday 15 May 2024.

Also taking place on Wednesday is Who Cares? Understanding empathy and trauma in museums, a session led by Sandra Shakespeare from Museum X CIC and filmmaker Ashton John, M.A., who will be screening ‘To whom does this belong?’. The collaborative short film explores Cornish Black History through local archives and museum collections. The pair will discuss their discoveries, the links to slavery and whether those artefacts should be on display at museums.

In Modern accessibility in a Medieval setting, Dr Ashley Fisher, Community Engagement Supervisor and Philip Roebuck, Exhibitions Executive at York Archaeology Attractions will lead a session about changing attitudes towards accessibility through the centuries, and how the latest exhibition at Barley Hall in York combines a medieval setting with modern accessibility measures.

Spencer Clark, Managing Director at ATS and Steve Dering, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Direct Access Consultancy will also explore best practice examples of accessibility, focussion on the heritage sector and how to improve accessibility for those who are D/deaf or hard of hearing, for people with sight impairments and for those with physical needs. In Breaking down barriers: essential accessibility tips for visitor attractions, the speakers will also provide practical advice on how to get started on different budgets.

The Trans-inclusive culture session will explore practical strategies for taking forward trans-inclusion in their organisations. The session will be held by E-J Scott from the Museum of Transology and University of the Arts London, and Suzanne MacLeod, Richard Sandell, Cesare Cuzzola, and Sarah Plumb, from ​​RCMG.

On Wednesday, 15 May, hear from the Museum Detox panellists about how seeking out diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences in leadership positions will help foster innovation, creativity and the building of trust and legitimacy across organisations and the broader community. Towards inclusive governance will be held by Sara Wajid, Co-CEO of Birmingham Museums Trust, Jeannette Plummer Sires, Trustee Board Member of the Council for British Archaeology and Esther Lisk-Carew, Trustee of Portico Library.

On Thursday 16 May, explore the future of museum and heritage learning with GEM (Group for Education in Museums and Heritage Education Trust). Explored in The future of museum & heritage learning will be the sector priorities, support for museum practitioners and insights from GEM’s new research about the needs of the sector with a focus on inclusion and diversity. It will be led by Rachel Tranter MBE, GEM Director, Kara Wescombe Blackman, GEM Consultant and Course Director and Rachel Moss, Freelance Practitioner & GEM Consultant.

An Informal networking session, ‘Learning from the best’ and hosted by GEM will follow the session on Thursday, which is open to anyone interested in responsible for or interested in increasing inclusion within their organisation.

Another of the information networking sessions, ‘A sector for everyone’ will be hosted by Museum Detox and Queer Heritage and Collections Network; a a safe supportive space to chat, network and build connections.

To gain access to these sessions for free, plus more than 50 more at this year’s Museums + Heritage Show in London, simply register for free admission here.