The purpose of this study was to use geometric morphometrics (GM) to investigate the relationships between non-metric traits of the human hip bone: the greater sciatic notch (GSN), the ventral arc (VA), the subpubic contour (SPC), and the ischiopubic ramus ridge (IPRR), estimated skeletal sex, and shape. Fifty-nine undocumented left hip bone specimens were visually assessed for skeletal sex using recognized standards of sex estimation for the GSN (Buikstra and Ubelaker, 1994). The VA, SPC, and IPRR were assessed according to Klales et al., (2012). The Non-metric traits were scored on a five-scale scheme. Skeletal sex was classified as either male, possible male, indeterminate sex, possible female, or female. Three-dimensional computer models were created of the hip bones using the NextEngine 3D desktop surface scanner. Thirty landmarks were selected to represent the hip bone in three-dimensional shape for GM analysis. Twenty-seven of the selected landmarks were reliable according to suggested digitizing error measurements. The apex of the auricular surface, the arcurate eminence, and the anterior gluteal line were the least precise in the test for digitizing error. Geometric morphometric analysis of the computer models were performed using MorphoJ software. Principal component analysis identified the patterns of hip bone shape within the sex categories. A Procrustes ANOVA and a Spearman's correlation tested the significance between hip bone shape and estimated skeletal sex, and between hip bone shape and non-metric trait morphology. Patterns of hip bone shape in the ischium could not be identified by sex, however sex differences were identified in ischium size. Patterns of hip bone shape in the whole hip bone, segmented ilium and segmented pubis were distinguishable by larger sex groups (males = male and possible male categories; females = female and possible female categories). Shape patterns alluded to differences between females and possible females, however, shape patterns did not distinguish males from possible males. Individuals of indeterminate sex shared similar hip bone shapes as males and were therefore included in that larger sex group. Hip bone shape was also correlated with GSN, SPC, IPRR, and VA. However, the strength of the correlation differed between non-metric traits and certain components of hip bone shape. The GSN and SPC had the strongest correlation (p=<0.01) with the whole hip bone, the ilium and the pubis at distinguishing between larger male and female sex groups. The IPRR, and GSN had the strongest correlation (p=<0.01) with the pubis at distinguishing females and possible females. The results of the study suggest that non-metric traits can discern patterns of female shape better than patterns of male shape. Further research into discerning patterns of male hip bone shape and non-metric trait variation using GM is suggested. The results of the study also suggest that patterns of pubis shape might exist among females and could be identifiable using pubis non-metric trait scores. This result lends credence to the practice of estimating sex on a five-scale gradient rather than on a male/female dichotomous division, in order to capture the morphological variation of female hip bone better. / Graduate / 0327 / 0339 / heatherisobelrobertson@gmail.com

This study applies a life history approach to analyzing the identities of 52 Maya individuals who lived between 2000 BC and AD 900 in and around the city of Holmul, within the Petén region of Guatemala. Primary goals were to: (1) identify migrant and local individuals within the urban population; (2) determine 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratio signatures for the sites of Holmul, Cival, La Sufricaya, K’o, and Hamontun; (3) compile osteobiographies, personal life histories revealed through skeletal remains, of the individuals in the sample; and (4) evaluate evidence bearing on the identities of inhabitants of the Holmul region and how they were represented within economic, political, and cultural landscapes of the ancient Maya. This work demonstrates how bioarchaeologists can implement osteobiographical analyses to advance the understanding of multifaceted social identities and individual experiences of life and death. By integrating osteological study, stable isotope analysis, and consideration of mortuary context, material culture, inscriptions, and monumental architecture, the individual, rather than the population, becomes the focus. This aggregate approach allows for an in-depth consideration of human remains as former social beings with complex identities. The findings of this research suggest that most elite inhabitants in this ancient Maya city were local to the Holmul region, with the few outliers having originated from elsewhere in the Maya lowlands. This conclusion aligns with Maya elite ideologies of establishing lineages and reinforcing power through ancestor veneration. The local 87Sr/86Sr ratio signature of the Holmul region is comparable to other archaeological sites in the southern Maya lowlands. The osteobiographies reveal life histories, which personalize prior interpretations that considered the population only as an aggregate. This project also elucidates identities of sacrificed children, elite/royal women, and the local Holmul elite. Results of the study support the use of the isotopic analysis of human remains as an essential tool for approaching complex archaeological questions and evaluating hypotheses previously addressed primarily using architectural, iconographic, and artifactual evidence. Further, this study demonstrates the benefit of the isotopic analysis of dental enamel, especially in the Maya region and other environments characterized by difficult excavation conditions and the poor preservation of human remains.

Forensic anthropologists are tasked with the responsibility of identifying human remains in a forensic context. This includes differentiating between human and non-human osteological remains, and further determining a species-specific identification when presented with nonhuman material. Previous research has provided manuals that are typically limited to one class of animal and includes either photographs or descriptions of cranial or post-cranial skeletal elements. Further, the available resources generally cover a limited number of species from Florida#s diverse habitat. Therefore, the intent of this thesis was to compile a comprehensive comparative osteological guide of local Florida species that addressed both cranial and postcranial skeletal elements. The first aspect of this research was to identify the most common Florida species typically analyzed in a medicolegal context. At the same time, represented examples were identified at the class level for birds, reptiles, and marine mammals. Next, the analysis consisted of detailed photographic documentation of cranial and post-cranial skeletal elements at three collections. The Anthropology Department teaching lab at UCF and the Biology Department Vertebrate Collection at UCF as well as the University of Florida#s Zooarchaeology Comparative Collection. The images were then edited to highlight the most diagnostic features exhibited among the different taxonomic families. These results were then complied into a series of guidelines to aid in a family and species-specific identification to be used during an investigation when presented with a whole skeleton, a single skeletal element, or fragmentary remains.

The intention with this thesis is to improve the method to assess dental wear as an age indicator by examining its correlation with the closure of cranial suture and the influence diet has on dental wear. This thesis explores this correlation through a comparative study between a collection of skulls with unknown context and a control group with known context. Age assessment of cranial sutures is one of the oldest and most questionable methods of physical anthropology. The studies that were carried out in the beginning of the 21st century have shown a useful correlation between the cranial sutures closure and age assessment. Research on food is essential for understanding a society, and dental health has always been important for wellbeing. A difference between populations today and historical populations is the dental wear that causes infections. All these premises make this research interesting to explore further, to learn more about what the teeth can tell us about historic populations.

Denna studie behandlar hälsan i det medeltida Uppsala genom osteologiska analyser på 32 skallar från Gustavianums anatomiska samling. Skallarna i fråga är del av en större grupp med mänskliga benrester som hittades vid Östra Ågatan år 1909. Gruppen består enbart av skallar; det finns ingen information om var de postkananiala skeletten finns. Studiens syfte är att undersöka sjukdom och hälsa i gruppen för att således kunna utöka informationen som finns om den medeltida hälsan i Uppsala. Den osteologiska analysen kompletteras med en diskussion om skallanas fyndplats i en möjlig relation till den närliggande medeltida Vårfrukyrkans kyrkogård. Benprover från fyra av skallarna i studien har använts för C-14 analys för att kunna fastställa den kronologiska kontexten då det inte finns någon ytterligare information om utgrävningen. C-14 analysen bekräftade den medeltida hypotesen. Den bekräftade tidsbestämmelsen tillsammans med den begränsade informationen om utgrävningsplatsen vid Östra Ågatan 37 möjliggör hypotesen att skallarna kan vara del av Vårfrukyrkans kyrkogård. Hälsoutredningen har baserats på kön och åldersbedömning likväl som på identifiering av de patologiska tillstånden som benen och tänderna befinner sig i. Totalt bedömdes 20 individer som troligen manliga, samt fem som eventuellt kvinnliga. På sju av individerna var könsbedömning inte möjlig. Urvalet består av unga och vuxna individer och majoriteten av individerna bedömdes som medelålders (35–50 år). Beträffande metaboliska sjukdomar inom palaeopatologin identifierades tumörer och trauman på vissa kranier. Alla individer var drabbade av tandsjukdomar i högre eller lägre utsträckning. De tandsjukdomar som förekom på de undersökta tänderna var tandsten, parodontit, karies, ante mortem tandlossning samt periapikala kaviteter. Studien visar att individer var utsatta för ett tufft liv och behövde utstå våld, smärta, obehag, perioder av sjukdom och undernäring sedan barndom, men också att de var anpassningsbara och kunde övervinna vissa av de förhållanden som de drabbades av. / The present study deals with health in medieval Uppsala through the osteological analysis of 32 skulls from the Anatomical collection of Museum Gustavianum. The skulls in question form part of a larger group of human skeletal remains found in Östra Ågatan in 1909. The group is consisted exclusively of skulls; there is no information about the whereabouts of the postcranial bones. The aim of the study is to investigate health and illness in the group in order to add to the existing body of information on health and living conditions in medieval Uppsala. A discussion on the location the skulls were found and the possible association of with the cemetery of the nearby medieval Church of Our Lady is complimentary to the osteological analysis. Samples of bone from four of the skulls under study were used in a 14C analysis in order to determine the chronological context since no further information on the excavation exists today. The 14C analysis confirmed the medieval hypothesis. The confirmed temporal context together with the limited spatial information of the location of the excavation in Östra Ågatan 37 allow for the hypothesis that the skulls were part of the cemetery of the Church of Our Lady. Health investigation has been attained by sex and age assessments as well as identification of pathological conditions on the bones and the dentition. In total, 20 individuals were assessed as possibly male and 5 as possibly female, while sex assessment was not possible for 7 individuals. The sample consists of juveniles and adults, with the majority of the individuals being assessed as middle adults (35-50 years). In terms of palaeopathology metabolic disease, tumours and trauma were identified on cranial bones of some individuals. All individuals were affected by dental disease in a higher or lesser degree. Dental diseases present on teeth examined were calculus, periodontitis, carries, ante mortem tooth loss and periapical cavities. The study shows that individuals were subjects to a tough life, having to deal with violence, pain and discomfort, periods of illness and malnutrition since childhood, but were also able to adapt and overcome some of the conditions that afflicted them.

The application of 3D laser scanning to the analysis of human skeletal remains provides the opportunity for new methodological approaches, including for the assessment of age at death. The focus of this new perspective revolves around the question of whether morphological development of skeletal features can be captured with quantitative measurements taken from 3D scanned representations of physical specimens, with the aims of adding an increased level of accuracy and precision over currently employed age estimations methods that focus on visual, and often subjective, assessments based comparisons with plaster casts and written descriptions. The current research was conducted to determine if specific morphological features of the pubic symphysis could be isolated and quantified on 3D models, and whether these measurements captured the general age related trends of symphyseal development. Using CAD software, each symphyseal face was divided into half and quadrant specific sections in an attempt to better capture the development of symphyseal morphology. A sample of left male pubic symphyses (n = 40) scanned from a well-documented collection of known-age individuals (Coimbra Identified Skeletal Collection) was selected for this study. Seven symphyseal features were identified from the Suchey-Brooks method unisex age phase descriptions. Eight measurements were generated to quantify these features. The data for each feature was subjected to linear regression analyses to test for statistical correspondence to known chronological age at death. Rim completeness, billowing height and area, and depth of symphyseal face depression demonstrated the strongest relationships with chronological age, while curvature of the ventral rampart and the angle of the dorsal aspect, showed significant but weak relationships with known age. Degree of dorsal lipping and dorsal rampart curvature showed no relationship with age. The results of the study suggest that quantitative assessments of morphological changes at the pubic symphysis are possible and therefore can potentially add further insights into age at death estimations based on the pubic symphysis, as measurements taken within CAD software are far more precise than traditional measuring implements. This study illustrates the potential for 3D imaging to improve the methods of osteological analyses applied particularly in the fields of bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology. / Graduate

This essay include the osteological analysis of ten cremation burials from the burial ground of Vindförberg in Ore parish, Dalarna. The burial ground on Vindförberg was used between the years 100 and 550 AD. during the Iron age. Vindförberg is a hunting burial ground which is one of two burial practices that existed during this age in Dalarna. The hunting ground graves are located far from settlements and their origin is under debate. Theories about these graves say that they are either settlers from the south or hunting-gatherer groups from the north and west. The questions this essay is if it is possible to see the structure of the community the people behind the burial ground at Vindförberg had. This will be achieved with the help of age and sex determinations to study the relationship between the different graves at Vindförberg. In excess of previous question, it was also of interest to compare the result from Vindförberg with four other contemporary burial grounds to inquire similarities and differences. Of the 43 graves on the burial ground, ten were analyzed in this essay. A total weight and volume of nine kilograms and twelve liters was analyzed. Human, dog, bear, elk, beaver, and fish were the identified species from Vindförberg. Because of the very fragmented material, the determinations of age and sex proved difficult to estimate. This led to the discussion being more about the ancient people’s conception of the world and rituals as well to social structure.

Denna kandidatuppsats är ämnad att ligga som grund för framtida osteologisk dokumentation ochanalys av de skeletala kvarlevorna från skeppet Mars, och är utförd i samarbete med projektet SkeppetMars (1564).Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka och problematisera möjligheterna att analyseradigitalt dokumenterade skeletala kvarlevor i en marin miljö. För att utvärdera möjligheterna ochbegränsningarna med att utföra en digital osteologisk analys utfördes en mindre studie av det digitaltdokumenterade material som hittills insamlats från skeppet Mars. Analysen visade att en osteologiskanalys kan utföras på digitalt dokumenterade skeletala kvarlevor men att det finns begränsningar medatt utföra en analys av ett två dimensionellt källmaterial. Syftet med denna uppsats är även attdiskutera och lyfta fram hur skeletala kvarlevor påverkas under längre tid i marina sediment* samtbräckt/salt vatten. Syftet med denna uppsats är även att diskutera hur en hypotetisk inhämtning och konservering av de skeletala kvarlevorna från skeppet Mars bör utföras. / This bachelor's thesis is intended to lay the ground for future osteological documentation and analysisof the skeletal remains from the naval ship Mars, and is conducted with the project Skeppet Mars(1564). The main purpose of this thesis is to examine and problematise the possibility to analysedigitally documented skeletal remains in a marine context. In order to evaluate the possibilities andlimitations of performing an osteological analysis, a small analysis was conducted on the digitallydocumented skeletal remains collected from the naval ship Mars so far. The analysis showed that anosteological analysis can be performed on digitally documented skeletal remains, there are, however,limitations of performing an analysis on a two dimensional documentation. The secondary purpose ofthis thesis is to discuss and highlight how skeletal remains are affected by marine sediment* andbrackish/saltwater over a long period of time. An additional goal for this thesis is to discuss how ahypothetical retrieval and conservation of the skeletal remains of the naval ship Mars shouldpreferably be performed.

xvii, 133 p. : ill., maps. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / The objective of this dissertation is to address violence at the archaeological site of Casas Grandes (Paquimé) in northwest Chihuahua, Mexico. The reasons for the abandonment of Paquimé are uncertain. The prevailing theory claims this geographic area endured centuries of warfare, ritual sacrifice, and at least one massacre; this theory is supported by numerous unburied bodies recovered at the site. These assertions of violence have never been corroborated by osteological data. Data were collected from a sample of Medio period (A.D. 1200-1450) human skeletal remains recovered from the 1958-1961 excavations at Casas Grandes. These data were synthesized with accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dates, fluoride ion dates, population demographics, and burial context. Frequencies of ante-, peri-, and postmortem trauma were compared to other studies from the Old and New Worlds. I argue that warfare was not endemic to this region and that a massacre did not occur. Moreover, cannibalism and probably human sacrifice were practiced. I assert that these activities may have been related to the proliferation of the Mesoamerican ballgame in the American Southwest and to Paquimé's role as the distribution center of the region's ritual and exotic goods. This dissertation underscores the importance of including skeletal analysis with other lines of archaeological inquiry when answering questions about human behavior. / Committee in charge: John Lukacs, Chairperson, Anthropology; Guy Tasa, Member, Anthropology; Frances White, Member, Anthropology; John Orbell, Outside Member, Political Science

This paper reviews a study of the skulls from the anatomy collection at Gustavianum, Uppsala university museum, historical collections in Uppsala, Sweden. The skulls were found in the central parts of Uppsala, on an area called Östra Ågatan, which is known for being one of the oldest parts in town. The skulls have been dated to medieval period between 11th and 14th centrury and came to be a part of the anatomical collection. Only skulls are available today in the big collection.  Cranial metrics were recorded, probably by the Anatomical department for all skulls in the large anatomical collection. Östra Ågatan is today a road located near Fyrisån, a river that flows through the city. Uppsala is well known for being one of the oldest city in Sweden and Europe. People have lived here for several centuries, and today the area are currently being used the same. The study aims to collect information about the health status on the medieval humans living in Uppsala. Also, to see if the skulls had a connection to the nearby churches that were located near the area under the same period. Questions that the study are examining is, -If the skulls have any connection to a church in the nearby area that they were found in? -Do the skulls have any pathologies, non-metric features or damage?