Ridanäs was an important port of trade on the island of Gotland, Sweden, in use during the 7-11th centuries, AD. Excavations have revealed the presence of two Viking Age (800-1070 AD) graveyards containing over 80 individuals. This study examined the remains of 60 of these individuals buried in the Viking graveyards. Strontium isotope analysis was used to determine whether they were local or non-local to the trading port. It was hypothesized that the Ridanäs population would consist of locals and non-locals who came to Gotland to take advantage of its successful trade economy. 13 archaeological fauna samples were analyzed in order to define the local bioavailable strontium isotope baseline range. Results showed that only 4 of the 60 individuals were non-local to Gotland, indicating that non-locals did not seek long-term residency at this port of trade.

Cultural adaptations to environment can result in certain biological changes in individuals (Kennedy, 1989; Jurmain, 1999). Some of these changes can affect the human skeleton and leave markers pointing to patterns of habitual behavior or general level of workload stress placed on the body. This study assesses the variation in workload caused by environmental and cultural differences of three contemporaneous Nubian groups of the Kerma era (2,500-1,500BC) in ancient Nubia. The skeletal samples used here are from three contemporaneous ancient Nubian groups who lived during this period. The Kerma Collection represents a population from the urban capital city of Kerma in Upper Nubia (1,750-1,500BC; n=216), the collection of the Northern Dongola Reach Survey (NDRS) represents a rural population located 70km south of the Kerma city in Upper Nubia (2,500-1,750BC; n=48), and the C-Group collection represents a subsistence based society from the area of Lower Nubia (2,000-1,600BC; n=109). The rural and urban groups were located in the fertile area of Sudan known as the Dongola Reach and the subsistence based society occupied the more rugged, desert-like terrain outside of the Dongola Reach. Behavioral reconstruction markers entheseal changes (EC), workload trauma, and degenerative joint disease (DJD) were employed in order to attain broader answers of how Homo sapiens from the same civilization cope with varying environments. Results suggest that the subsistence based population (C-Group) experienced the least amount of workload stress, suggesting increase in workload with an increase in agricultural intensity/social complexity, as both the urban and rural populations had much more intensive agriculture and were more socially complex than the subsistence based population. This increase in workload with the advent of agriculture (Cohen and Armelagos, 1984; Goodman et al., 1984; Larsen, 1995) and with increase in social complexity (Zabecki, 2009) has been suggested in prior studies with other populations and this is seen here. Furthermore, though sex differences concerning pattern of behavior are clearer in the C-Group suggesting fewer habitual activities due to a less complex society (as suggested by Petersen, 1998; Eshed et al., 2004), similar behavior differences between sexes were still somewhat visible in the urban and rural populations. This suggests that some cultural traits remain constant in the Nubian culture despite environment or level of social complexity. The Kerma city and NDRS collections are, in general, highly stressed when compared to the C-Group or contemporaneous populations, irrespective of which marker is assessed. This may be due to the intensive agriculture practiced or the threat of attack from other populations forcing strenuous construction and fortification efforts of settlements. Juvenile remains, which are traditionally excluded from behavior studies, displayed lesions on several areas of the skeleton which may suggest heavy workload. This study builds on previous information known about the people of the Kerma era and gains a clearer perspective of how these populations lived their lives from day to day. These data can be used to continue investigation into ways in which environment and culture affect human biology and, in turn, the human skeleton.

abstract: In anthropological models of social organization, kinship is perceived to be fundamental to social structure. This project aimed to understand how individuals buried in neighborhoods or patio groups were affiliated, by considering multiple possibilities of fictive and biological kinship, short or long-term co-residence, and long-distance kin affiliation. The social organization of the ancient Maya urban center of Copan, Honduras during the Late Classic (AD 600-822) period was evaluated through analysis of the human skeletal remains drawn from the largest collection yet recovered in Mesoamerica (n=1200). The research question was: What are the roles that kinship (biological or fictive) and co-residence play in the internal social organization of a lineage-based and/or house society? Biodistance and radiogenic strontium isotope analysis were combined to identify the degree to which individuals buried within 22 patio groups and eight neighborhoods, were (1) related to one another and (2) of local or non-local origin. Copan was an ideal place to evaluate the nuances of migration and kinship as the site is situated at the frontier of the Maya region and the edge of culturally diverse Honduras. The results highlight the complexity of Copan’s social structure within the lineage and house models proposed for ancient Maya social organization. The radiogenic strontium data are diverse; the percentage of potential non-local individuals varied by neighborhood, some with only 10% in-migration while others approached 40%. The biodistance results are statistically significant with differences between neighborhoods, patios, and even patios within one neighborhood. The high level of in-migration and biological heterogeneity are unique to Copan. Overall, these results highlight that the Copan community was created within a complex system that was influenced by multiple factors where neither a lineage nor house model is appropriate. It was a dynamic urban environment where genealogy, affiliation, and migration all affected the social structure. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Anthropology 2015

This article considers forensic anthropologists’ roles in negotiating the concept of criminality in biohistorical cases, those investigations of the famous and infamous dead that are driven by public interest rather than traditional medicolegal relevance. We review three biohistorical cases from the United States: the purported skull of a martyred Catholic priest from sixteenth century Georgia, the Mountain Meadows Massacre that occurred in Utah in the mid-nineteenth century, and the search for Billy the Kid’s grave in New Mexico. We find that anthropologists have active and passive roles in the manufacture, assignment, and sometimes denial of criminality in these cases. Additionally we explore how the analysis and discussion of violence in these biohistorical cases reflects two concepts that are distinctive to United States’ history, notably manifest destiny and the idea of closure in historical narratives. The perception that the present order is a natural culmination of history, and that the past is truly past underestimates the relevance and impact of labelling past personages as criminals to contemporary culture. As a result, forensic anthropologists’ negotiation of criminality in U.S. biohistorical cases is fraught with nebulous ethical challenges and tangible consequences.

Using skeletal and material remains respectively, archaeologists and physical anthropologists attempt to reconstruct the lives of past peoples. The combination of these two types of evidence within one discipline is referred to as bioarcheology. Bioarcheology includes studies in palaeodemography and palaeopathology, as well as exploring theories of mortuary behavior, lifestyle and activity, violence and interpersonal activity, and technology. This thesis contains a brief history of bioarcheology, followed by how it can be used worldwide to explore what we can discover about past populations and their culture by studying their skeletal and archaeological remains, specifically through palaeopathology. Topics covered include acquired skeletal pathologies, congenital diseases, infectious diseases, dental diseases, metabolic and endocrine diseases, and nutrition. The thesis also includes analysis of case studies conducted using a bioarcheological approach and specifically addresses why it is important for archaeologists and physical anthropologists to work together and unite bioarcheology. The ultimate objective of this thesis is to demonstrate that bioarcheology can assist in filling a void between physical anthropology and archaeology.

The material remains of ancient Egypt provide extensive and wide ranging data about the empire throughout its history. However, little evidence is available from ancient Egypt, or any past culture, with which to rebuild an image of social identity or individual experiences. This is especially problematic when the dominant narrative ignores experiences of minorities and minimizes the variation existing throughout the empire. Stable isotope analysis has the potential to reveal variability in lived experience of past peoples by acting as a proxy for behavior that can be analyzed from bone. Such an approach has been applied on individuals from the Romano-Christian Kellis 2 cemetery in the Dakhleh Oasis to explore diversity of lived experiences in relation to age, sex, and gender. Analysis of stable carbon and nitrogen values from bone collagen of 138 adults revealed a predominately C3 plant based diet with the addition of some animal protein. Statistical analysis of these values uncovered discernable differences in the values of young males and older adults which may suggest differences in the biological experiences of these groups and unique social experiences for those individuals. These findings offer a starting point with which to explore social organization at this site and others in ancient Egypt and the methods provide a useful approach to exploring individual experience in the past in ways not possible from other sources.

No / This study presents the results of an isotopic analysis of nine naturally mummified individuals—three adults, two adolescents, one juvenile, and three infants—recovered from the Hets Mountain Cave site in southern Mongolia, where they had been secondarily deposited. All of the individuals show evidence of violent perimortem trauma, but no skeletal indicators of nutritional or disease-related stress. Multi-isotopic data (δ13C, δ15N, δ18O, 87Sr/86Sr, and 20nPb/204Pb) were characterized in multiple tissues from each individual when possible, in order to reconstruct diet composition and residential origin at different points in life. Specifically, δ13C and δ15N in bone carbonate and collagen (N = 8) and hair keratin (N = 4) were coupled with enamel carbonate δ18O and δ13C (N = 3) and enamel 87Sr/86Sr, and 20nPb/204Pb (N = 3) to assess diet and residential mobility in relation to skeletal indicators of health and trauma. Results are consistent with a persistence of mixed C3/C4 pastoral subsistence and general stability of diet composition over the life course, in contrast to contemporary accounts of widespread famine and a dependence on grains imported from China throughout the region. However, results also suggest that at least some individuals may have migrated to this region of southern Mongolia from elsewhere during life, meaning that their dietary isotopic profiles may not represent local subsistence patterns near the Hets Mountain Cave site. Overall, these results speak to the utility of life course oriented multi-isotopic analysis in complementing more top-down historical analyses in understanding variation in subsistence, nutrition, and migration in regions undergoing significant political and economic turmoil.

Yes / Objectives: In this brief communication we discuss issues concerning scientific rigour in palaeopathological publications, particularly studies published in clinical or general science journals, that employ skeletal analysis to elucidate the lives and deaths of historical figures or interpret “mysterious” assemblages or burials. We highlight the relationship between poor methodological rigour and lack of interdisciplinary communication, and discuss how this can result in scientifically weak, sensational narratives being presented to the public. Conclusions: Although most high profile publications involving analysis of archaeological human remains are methodologically sound and well interpreted, others have suffered from poor scientific rigour stemming from an apparent lack of awareness of anthropological methods and ethics. When these publications are highlighted by the press, sensationalistic narratives are perpetuated which may reflect poorly on our discipline and give the public unrealistic expectations about our work. Suggestions for future research: We suggest that best practice in high-profile paleopathological research include recruitment of a range of authors and reviewers from clinical sciences, anthropology, and the humanities, consideration of the ethical issues surrounding retrospective diagnosis, and transparency with the press in regards to the limitations inherent in this kind of work.

Inequalities in society, past and present, are influenced by a number of aspects of identity. The purpose of this study is to investigate dental health differences at a Romano- British site as they relate to (1) sex, (2) social status, and the (3) confluence of sex and social status, using the theoretical frameworks of Embodiment and Intersectionality. Dental health data for 342 adults from Roman Winchester (4-5th century CE) were compared between sex and social status groups. Statistical analyses showed that males exhibited higher rates of anterior antemortem tooth loss (AMTL) and higher rates of dental wear than females; additionally, the Lower Social Status group had higher rates of posterior and total AMTL than the Higher Social Status group. When analyzing sex and social status, the Higher Social Status group exhibited no statistically significant differences. Within the Lower Social Status group, however, males and females exhibited differences in anterior AMTL, anterior dental wear, and posterior dental wear. No differences in dental caries rates were found for any subgroups. Results show that in this skeletal sample, dental health between the sexes was not drastically different, suggesting, at least with respect to diet, that women were not fundamentally inferior to men, contrary to surviving literary evidence. By analyzing the confluence of sex and social status, analysis shows that the Higher Social Status group was defined by more equality between sexes, while minor differences were found in the Lower Social Status group. This may suggest that in families where resources were strained, men and women consumed slightly different diets, while in families where resources were plentiful, women and men consumed similar foods. The results of this thesis provide new insights into the lives of women and lower social status groups, and contributes to a greater understanding of inequalities and dietary variation in Roman Britain. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

This thesis applies stable isotope analysis to the study of diet from a rural Roman estate, Vagnari (1st – 4th centuries AD), in southern Italy. The major objectives of this research are to identify the types of food eaten in the Vagnari skeletal sample from stable isotope ratios, as well as to explore individual variation in diet in the sample. Isotopic composition of collagen and carbonate indicate a diet heavy in C₃ plants with the incorporation of some animal-based proteins. Isotopes of carbon from collagen (δ¹³C) were relatively consistent across the sample, with some variation according to burial type. Nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) values varied with age-at-death and the number of grave goods buried with an individual, suggesting possible status-based variation in diet. Carbon isotopes from carbonate (δ¹³Cₐₚ) suggested variation in total diet with increased age-at-death. Isotope ratios from Vagnari were also compared with other Imperial Italian sites to situate the diet within a broader Roman context. Isotopically, diets at Vagnari were most similar to other inland and rural sites, and distinct from coastal urban diets based on marine fish. These results indicate the diversity in foods eaten in the Roman Empire, both at a local site level and between different settlements. Studying diet from Vagnari provides another window into the lives of people who lived and worked on industrial estates, and bolsters knowledge of the diets of rural residents, which are underrepresented in the literature. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)