The objective of this study was the assessment of linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) in early medieval Great Moravian population sample - Rajhrad. Linear enamel hypoplasia represents the disruption of enamel matrix secretion during the growth of the tooth crown, which is related to a generalized growth disturbance. This is why it is considered as a nonspecific stress marker. The incidence of LEH could reflect stress factors during the life of early medieval population. The aim of this study was to asses the frequency and timing of the LEH. The incidence of LEH was supposed to be high because of poorer nature of this cemetery. The results of our study could confirm or falsify this assumption and determine relation between LEH and socio-economic status. The timing of LEH was estimated from regression equations consisting of distance from LEH to CEJ (cemento-enamel junction) and crown height of upper and lower canines. 108 individuals from approximately 4 - 15 years were observed. The frequency was high according to the assumption - 88 %. That confirms poorer life conditions. The range of mean age of LEH formation was from 2,94 - 4,72 years in individuals with multiple LEH incidence. The mean age of single LEH formation was approximately 3,98 years. The earliest onset of LEH in the pooled sample occurred...

This dissertation explores patterns of health and variability among hunter-gatherers during the Holocene in two distinct ecological settings: the semi-arid Lower Pecos and Central Western Gulf Coastal Plain regions of Texas. Skeletal indicators of long-term and short-term stress were examined for 279 individuals representing 20 cemetery sites. To test the assumption that stress indicators, and therefore interpretations of health, for hunter-gatherers are not homogenous but extremely variable, patterning in age, sex, porotic hyperostosis, cribra orbitalia, linear enamel hypoplasia and periostitis are analyzed. There are no significant differences in the frequencies of cribra orbitalia for adults by region; a significantly greater proportion of subadults in the Coastal Plain region were affected with anemia in infancy (40%) than adults (13.8%). If severity is not taken into account, or if only the mildest lesions are considered, a larger proportion of Lower Pecos adults show porotic hyperostosis, a sign of anemia in childhood, than Coastal Plain adults. Overall there are no statistically significant differences by sex for any of the skeletal indicators analyzed with the exception of cribra orbitalia, where males and females for Lower Pecos region are significantly different with significantly fewer males showing cribra orbitalia (0%) than females (33.3%). In analyzing linear enamel hypoplasias, only the mandibular second incisors of Lower Pecos adults were found to have a significantly greater prevalence of hypoplasia than those of the Coastal Plain. A greater proportion of adults from the Coastal Plain show periosteal lesions in the tibia and fibula (30-40%) than those from the Lower Pecos. The results of this bioarchaeological case study indicate that more complex interpretations of health patterning which include important factors such as the osteological paradox, relevant ecological variables, and a framework which stresses the age of occurrence of skeletal indicators within hunter-gatherer groups are vital and relevant to archaeological and bioarchaeological research as a whole. Increasing sample sizes in the future, using sites that are more temporally discrete, and expanding sites used from other ecological regions in addition to drawing on data from stable isotopes may help further this research.

This thesis investigates infant and childhood health in the Roman period (1st to 4th centuries A.D.) cemetery at Vagnari using data on the prevalence and timing of linear enamel hypoplasias (LEH‘s). These results are examined in the context of historical and archaeological evidence for childhood health in ancient Rome. Analysis of the prevalence of LEH‘s in 48 individuals reveals a low frequency (64.6 %) of enamel hypoplasias in comparison with other Roman period skeletal samples, suggesting that political–economic or geographical variables may have contributed to the generally healthy conditions for subadults at Vagnari. Intrasite analysis indicates no significant difference between sexes or burial types with respect to the average number of teeth affected with hypoplasias and the average total number of defects, but a significant difference does exist between age groups (divided into 15 year intervals). The hypoplastic data indicate that males and females were experiencing similar levels of stress during infancy and childhood. These results are not consistent with the historical evidence, which suggests that male children were preferentially treated in ancient Roman society. Measurement of each hypoplastic defect indicates a peak age at occurrence of 2.75 years of age, which is interpreted as evidence of the end of the weaning process. Enamel hypoplasias occurred until around 6.5 years of age, suggesting that these Roman children experienced stress throughout childhood, possibly the result of childhood illness or malnutrition. The hypoplastic data are consistent with the historical evidence from the Roman period with respect to the general timetable of weaning. This research integrates biological, archaeological, and historical information about the lives of children to help investigate the physical well–being of a rural working class population in the ancient Roman Empire.

No description available.

The present research seeks to assesses the presence and prevalence of two distinct dental pathologies: linear enamel hypoplasia and caries in an ancient Maya juvenile subsample from Altun Ha, Belize spanning the Preclassic (ca. 600 B.C.) through the Terminal Classic (ca. 900 A.D.) periods. Teeth offer a remarkable wealth of information about the human experience in the past. Developmental and post-eruption pathology can provide insight into cultural and evolutionary processes by illuminating social and biological factors such as diet, weaning, illness, and overall health that manifest in observable changes to the composition of teeth. In addition, growth and developmental stages of juveniles provide an ideal framework in which to qualify paleopathological research. From a biological standpoint, high ante-mortem resistance to physiological stress and post-mortem preservation make teeth ideal for analyses of pathology in archaeological contexts. For the analysis of the Altun Ha juvenile subsample, a cohort approach is used in the presentation and discussion of results. Discrete pathologies are analyzed based on age cohorts, individual, tooth type, tooth surface location, and archaeological time period. The results indicate an increase in prevalence of pathology concurrent with increasing dental age as well as a predisposition to pathology among specific tooth types and locations on the crown surface and within the dental arcade as well as temporal shifts in pathology prevalence. These analyses demonstrate the importance of assessing juveniles within the archaeological record with emphasis on the transitory developmental stages experienced by children.

Esta dissertação de mestrado tem por objetivo principal estabelecer os perfis de ocorrência de estresse e mortalidade de dois diferentes grupos pré-históricos de São Paulo - os construtores do sambaqui fluvial Moraes e do sambaqui litorâneo Piaçaguera - relacionando-os com o estilo de vida e subsistência de cada um desses grupos. O período foco de interesse foi o infantil mesmo que os indivíduos adultos estivessem sendo analisados. Foram considerados para tanto 88 indivíduos de Piaçaguera e 55 de Moraes, todos eles analisados para o estabelecimento do perfil de mortalidade. Já para a análise de hipoplasias foram considerados, respectivamente 28 e 21 indivíduos, que cumpriram os critérios de inclusão definidos para a análise. Como resultado observou-se uma alta mortalidade na infância em ambas as séries, no entanto com diferenças entre os períodos mais afetados. A série de Piaçaguera apresentou maior risco de morrer em períodos mais tardios da infância enquanto que Moraes apresentou maior risco ainda no período neonatal. Já ao se considerar as hipoplasias lineares de esmalte, há uma sinalização no sentido da ocorrência de estresse relativamente contínuo durante toda a fase intermediária da infância em Moraes, que não apresentou picos de ocorrência de defeitos hipoplásicos. Já para Piaçaguera, os dados sugerem a ocorrência de um período de maior ocorrência/susceptibilidade ao estresse, o qual corresponde a um pico de prevalência de defeitos hipoplásicos entre 3 e 4 anos. / This dissertation has as main objective to establish the profiles of occurrence of stress and mortality on two different prehistoric groups from São Paulo State, Brazil - the builders of the riverine shellmound Moraes and the builders of the coastal shellmound Piaçaguera - relating them to the lifestyle and subsistency of each of these groups. The period focus of interest was the childhood, even if the adults were being analyzed. In order to establish the mortality profile were analized 88 individuals from Piaçaguera and 55 individuals from Moraes. For the analysis of hypoplasias were considered, respectively, 28 and 21 individuals which met the inclusion criteria defined for the analysis. There is possible to stabilish that if the child mortality is very high in both series, there are strong differences between the ages periods more affecteds. The Piaçaguera\'s skeletal serie showed a higher risk of dying in later periods of childhood while Moraes had a higher risk in the neonatal period. Considering the data obteined for linear enamel hypoplasia, there is a signal towards the occurrence of stress relatively continuous throughout the intermediate phase of childhood in Moraes. For this sample there are no peaks of occurrence of hypoplastic defects. In contrast, the data produced for Piaçaguera\'s sample suggest the occurrence of a period of higher incidence / susceptibility to stress, which corresponds to a peak prevalence of hypoplastic defects between 3 and 4 years old .

Esta dissertação de mestrado tem por objetivo principal estabelecer os perfis de ocorrência de estresse e mortalidade de dois diferentes grupos pré-históricos de São Paulo - os construtores do sambaqui fluvial Moraes e do sambaqui litorâneo Piaçaguera - relacionando-os com o estilo de vida e subsistência de cada um desses grupos. O período foco de interesse foi o infantil mesmo que os indivíduos adultos estivessem sendo analisados. Foram considerados para tanto 88 indivíduos de Piaçaguera e 55 de Moraes, todos eles analisados para o estabelecimento do perfil de mortalidade. Já para a análise de hipoplasias foram considerados, respectivamente 28 e 21 indivíduos, que cumpriram os critérios de inclusão definidos para a análise. Como resultado observou-se uma alta mortalidade na infância em ambas as séries, no entanto com diferenças entre os períodos mais afetados. A série de Piaçaguera apresentou maior risco de morrer em períodos mais tardios da infância enquanto que Moraes apresentou maior risco ainda no período neonatal. Já ao se considerar as hipoplasias lineares de esmalte, há uma sinalização no sentido da ocorrência de estresse relativamente contínuo durante toda a fase intermediária da infância em Moraes, que não apresentou picos de ocorrência de defeitos hipoplásicos. Já para Piaçaguera, os dados sugerem a ocorrência de um período de maior ocorrência/susceptibilidade ao estresse, o qual corresponde a um pico de prevalência de defeitos hipoplásicos entre 3 e 4 anos. / This dissertation has as main objective to establish the profiles of occurrence of stress and mortality on two different prehistoric groups from São Paulo State, Brazil - the builders of the riverine shellmound Moraes and the builders of the coastal shellmound Piaçaguera - relating them to the lifestyle and subsistency of each of these groups. The period focus of interest was the childhood, even if the adults were being analyzed. In order to establish the mortality profile were analized 88 individuals from Piaçaguera and 55 individuals from Moraes. For the analysis of hypoplasias were considered, respectively, 28 and 21 individuals which met the inclusion criteria defined for the analysis. There is possible to stabilish that if the child mortality is very high in both series, there are strong differences between the ages periods more affecteds. The Piaçaguera\'s skeletal serie showed a higher risk of dying in later periods of childhood while Moraes had a higher risk in the neonatal period. Considering the data obteined for linear enamel hypoplasia, there is a signal towards the occurrence of stress relatively continuous throughout the intermediate phase of childhood in Moraes. For this sample there are no peaks of occurrence of hypoplastic defects. In contrast, the data produced for Piaçaguera\'s sample suggest the occurrence of a period of higher incidence / susceptibility to stress, which corresponds to a peak prevalence of hypoplastic defects between 3 and 4 years old .

No description available.

Studies in zoo-archaeological Neolithic contexts is the study of early animal domestication in relation to humans transitioning into a more sedentary species. Research and documentation are vital for reconstructing the mechanisms behind the threshold event. In this thesis, teeth of Suidae have been documented, analysed and compared osteologically and interpreted cross-culturally. In addition, aDNA, isotope, coat colour and physical mammal size affecting factor studies are presented to contextualise this thesis. Primary osteological methods are Mandibular Wear Stage (MWS), Linear Enamel Hypoplasia (LEH) recordings and lower jaw third molar (M3) length measurement. These methods can detect biometric domestication markers. The analysed Suidae teeth are from the Middle Neolithic site of Ajvide, Gotland, Sweden. A collection of modern wild boar act as Control sample. These teeth are compared primarily with known domestic pig teeth sample statistics from the British Late Neolithic site of Durrington Walls, Wiltshire, United Kingdom. Results indicate that the Middle Neolithic Pitted Ware culture (PWC) on Gotland hunted during winter and kept limited numbers of captive wild boars as totemic animals (pets) possibly bound to land and ancestry. However, an exact reconstruction of the PWC pig pet keeping practices are uncertain due to human-pig relationships being highly dynamic. Intensified pig hunting, not pet keeping should be considered early domestication. Domestication carries with it detectable biometric markers, which seem to be rare in the Neolithic. The cross-cultural comparisons on traditional pig ‘low-intensity husbandry’ can attest to a human-pig relationship of hunter-gatherers keeping captive wild animals. The pig was not a staple food for the PWC and thus not intensively hunted, rather pigs were rare ritualistic commodities and likely highly praised. Perpetuating this human-pig relationship could have been maintained by PWC ‘big men’ that engaged in socio-political lavish giveaways at festivities and funerals, thus ‘hogging wealth’, but never domesticated the pig. / Studier i neolitiska zoo-arkeologiska sammanhang är undersökningar av tidig domesticering av djur i förhållande till mänsklighetens övergång till en mer stillasittande art. Forskning och dokumentation är avgörande för att rekonstruera mekanismerna bakom övergången. I denna uppsats har svintänder dokumenterats, analyserats och jämförts osteologiskt och tolkats tvärkulturellt. Studier i aDNA, isotop, pälsfärg och fysiska storleksfaktorer hos däggdjur presenteras också för att kontextualisera denna uppsats. Primära osteologiska metoder är tandslitage i underkäke (MWS), linjär emaljhypoplasi (LEH) och underkäkens tredje molar (M3) mätningar. Dessa metoder kan finna biometriska domesticeringsmarkörer. De analyserade svintänderna kommer ifrån den mellanneolitiska lokalen Ajvide, Eksta socken, Gotland. En samling moderna vildsvin agerar kontrollmaterial. Dessa tänder jämförs i första hand med kända domesticerade stenåldersvin från den Brittiska senneolitiska lokalen Durrington Walls, Wiltshire, Storbritannien. Resultaten indikerar på att den mellanneolitiska gropkeramiska kulturen (GRK), jagade på Gotland under vinterhalvåret och tog tillfånga ett begränsat antal svin som husdjur (totemdjur). Troligen togs svin tillfånga av olika ’hus’ till följd av att svinet var bundet till land och förfäder. En exakt rekonstruktion av GRKs svinhållningspraktik är dock osäkert på grund av att människo-svin relationer är dynamiska. Intensifierad svinjakt, inte tillfångatagandet av enstaka djur bör betraktas som tidig domesticering. Domesticering medför speciella biometriska markörer som är ovanligare i neolitisk tid. De tvärkulturella jämförelserna i traditionell "lågintensiv svinhållning" kan intyga på ett sådant förhållande mellan jägare-samlar grupper och vildsvin. Även om svinet inte var en basföda åt GRK, och därmed inte intensivt jagade, var svinen sällsynta ritualistiska handelsvaror och troligen högt värdesatta. Gropkeramiska "stormän" kan ha varit de drivande bakom denna praktik. Dessa ”stormän” engagerade sig i sociopolitiska aktiviteter, festligheter och begravningar, och därmed hade "hamstrat välstånd", men domesticerade aldrig svinet.

No description available.