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<p>The Smith’s Knoll collection is composed of the disarticulated, fragmentary, and commingled remains of battle dead from the War of 1812. Historical and archaeological context of this site can be well established, making it particularly valuable in helping to unveil the conditions experienced by individuals in the past. In this thesis, the Smith’s Knoll collection was analyzed for evidence of postcranial perimortem traumatic skeletal lesions. Further context for these injuries was provided through comparison with contemporaneous skeletal and surgical collections, historical documentary sources, and other bioarchaeological studies on violence and warfare in the past.</p> <p>Injuries associated with fractures, sharp force, and musket trauma were observed in the postcranial elements of the collection. Although the overall prevalence of lesions is low, the majority of observed lesions can be attributed to sharp force trauma. Sharp force injuries are present in fourteen of the ribs as well as one fibula, one femur, one carpal, one vertebra, and one ulna. Musket injuries are present in three innominates and one scapula, and perimortem fractures are present in one rib and one scapula. The sharp force injuries can be further differentiated into those most likely caused by the bayonet, found in the torso, and those most likely caused by the sword, found in the extremities. Musket trauma is present in the form of impact from both musket balls and buckshot. Importantly, this is the first study to identify buckshot lesions on archaeological skeletal material.</p> <p>The results of the analysis of Smith’s Knoll demonstrate the value of examining postcranial lesions in relation to violence in the past, which has frequently been overlooked in bioarchaeology. As well, this collection illustrates that fragmented, disarticulated, and commingled collections, despite their limitations, have much to contribute to knowledge of interpersonal violent conflicts, both in prehistory and in the more recent past.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

Assessing population diversity in southern Italy has traditionally relied on archaeological and historic evidence. Although informative, these lines of evidence do not establish specific instances of within lifetime mobility, nor track population diversity over time. In order to investigate the population structure of ancient South Italy I sequenced the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from 15 Iron Age (7th – 4th c. BCE) and 30 Roman period (1st – 4th c. BCE) individuals buried at Iron Age Botromagno and Roman period Vagnari, in southern Italy, and analyzed δ18O and 87Sr/86Sr values from a subset of the Vagnari skeletal assemblage. Phylogenetic analysis of 15 Iron Age mtDNAs together with 231 mtDNAs spanning European prehistory suggest that southern Italian Iapygians share close genetic affinities to Neolithic populations from eastern Europe and the Near East. Population pairwise analysis of Iron Age, Roman, and mtDNA datasets spanning the pan-Mediterranean region (n=357), indicate that Roman maternal genetic diversity is more similar to Neolithic and Bronze Age populations from central Europe and the eastern Mediterranean, respectively, than to Iron Age Italians. Genetic distance between population age categories imply moderate mtDNA turnover and constant population size during the Roman conquest of South Italy in the 3rd century BCE. In order to determine the local versus non-local demographic at Vagnari, I measured the 87Sr/86Sr and 18O/16O of composition of 43 molars, and the 87Sr/86Sr composition of an additional 13 molars, and constructed a preliminary 87Sr/86Sr variation map of the Italian peninsula using disparate 87Sr/86Sr datasets. The relationship between 87Sr/86Sr and previously published δ18O data suggest a relatively low proportion of migrants lived at Vagnari (7%). This research is the first to generate whole-mitochondrial DNA sequences from Iron Age and Roman period necropoleis, and demonstrates the ability to gain valuable information from the integration of aDNA, stable isotope, archaeological and historic evidence. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / With biochemical information obtained from teeth, this study examines the population structure and geographic origins in two archaeological communities located in southern Italy. Analysis of classical remains has traditionally been the subject of historical and archaeological inquiry. However, new applications evaluate these population changes with integrated stable isotope and ancient DNA techniques. Overall, the biochemical results suggest that the pre-Roman communities harbor deep maternal ancestry originating from eastern Europe and the eastern Mediterannean. These results, when compared to the genetic diversity of Roman and broader Mediterranean populations, indicate that the Romans share closer genetic similarity with ancient Stone and Bronze Age communites from Europe and the eastern Mediterranean, than with the pre-Roman community studied here. Furthermore, tooth chemistry results indicate a predominantly local population buried in the Roman period cemetery.

This research contributes to understandings of the occurrence of and associations between skeletal evidence of vitamin D deficiency and chronic respiratory infections across the life course based on human skeletal material from the Roman period sites of Isola Sacra in Italy (1st - 3rd centuries AD) and Ancaster in the United Kingdom (3rd - 4th centuries AD). Modern clinical data demonstrate a positive association between these two conditions that affects the ways in which they are experienced today, and may extend into the past. Macroscopic, radiographic, and histological evidence for skeletal manifestations of vitamin D deficiency and chronic respiratory infections were considered in the context of archaeological and historical evidence available for the Roman period in order to elucidate patterns in disease occurrence that reflect the unique local biologies of these two assemblages. Differing prevalence values for active and healed lesions caused by both conditions, as well as variation in age at death distributions and the relationship of lesions associated with vitamin D deficiency and chronic respiratory infections with one another and with age at death, provide information on the experience of both conditions and the potential interactions between them. Skeletal lesions caused by both conditions are present in individuals throughout the life course at Ancaster and Isola Sacra, with particular implications for disease experiences during infancy, adolescence, and pregnancy in the Roman period. These results point to a picture of morbidity and mortality at Ancaster that involves longer term survival of and more efficient immune responses to chronic disease processes, with higher levels of skeletal lesions indicating the presence of more "survivors" at this site. The combination of lower frequencies of skeletal lesions and higher mortality at Isola Sacra, on the other hand, suggests that fewer individuals may have survived to the point where they were able to mount a skeletal response to disease. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

No / The hair shaft has increasing importance in bioarchaeology, since it is now possible to retrieve detailed biomolecular information on recent life history using individual fibres (e.g., on diet, drug use and DNA). Data on hair condition is an important cornerstone to ensuring that reliable information is obtained. The following study defines morphological features of degradative change in human terminal scalp hair using different microscopy techniques. Evidence of degradative change is translated into a ranked histology for assessing hair sample condition. The approach is applied to samples of cut modern scalp hair subjected to degradation under soil burial/simulated grave conditions.

Yes / The skeletal remains of infants and children are a poignant reminder of the perilous nature of childhood in the past, yet they offer valuable insight into the life histories of individuals and into the health of populations. Many osteoarchaeological and bioarchaeological analyses are dependent on two vital pieces of information: the age-at-death and sex of the individual(s) under study. This chapter will outline how age-at-death and sex can be estimated from the skeletal remains and dental development of non-adults, and how these are easier or more difficult to determine than for adults, and will discuss the complexities and controversies surrounding different methods.

Dental caries have been identified for several centuries as a common pathology within individuals’ mouths, more specifically in the posterior teeth surfaces (Jesudass, Prabhu, Rajajee, & Sudheer, 2014). Although there have been modern procedures and preventative methods developed to help treat dental caries, in ancient times this was not always the case. The persistence of anterior teeth dental caries in juveniles is a unique pathology observed in Túcume that has not been studied yet. Through the analysis of skeletal samples, this research aims to study the specific case of the formation of anterior deciduous dental caries in juveniles located at the archaeological site of Túcume, Peru, while trying to understand the factors that might have caused them. Observational-based analysis was used to gather data, which was then used to test the proposed hypotheses that aimed to identify possible dental pathology (anterior deciduous dental caries) patterns. The sample size consisted of a dental inventory generated from the skeletal remains of 32 juveniles (< 7 years) that were excavated from Túcume. It was discovered that not all juveniles had the presence of anterior deciduous dental caries in Túcume. The discussion of this research explores possible explanations that may have contributed to the formation of anterior deciduous dental caries. Possible explanations that will be discussed include breastfeeding, The Osteological Paradox (DeWitte & Stojanowski, 2015), genetics, stress, socioeconomic levels, biomechanics and evolution of the mandible, maxilla, and teeth, non-dietary objects, and Andean weaning practices. In doing so, this research aims to provide great improvements in understanding oral health care and creating preventative measures to help avoid oral diseases starting at a young age.

Pesquisas recentes apontam para o fenômeno construtivo de sambaquis fluviais na região do médio Vale do Ribeira de Iguape, São Paulo, mais precisamente em três regiões, Itaoca, bacia do rio Jacupiranguinha e bacia do Juquiá, durante, pelo menos, o período de 9000 anos. O presente trabalho tem por objetivo definir o perfil de um sambaqui fluvial, sítio Moraes (6000-4000 anos a.P.), no município de Miracatu, SP, com a finalidade de criar a compreensão intra-sítio dos processos formativos envolvidos para a elevação desta estrutura monticular, através de diferentes abordagens: distribuição espacial intra-sítio, tecnologia, subsistência, isótopos estáveis, estudo sedimentológico e análise de proporção componencial volumétrico. Os resultados destas análises associados aos dados advindos de outras pesquisas nos permitiram ampliar a discussão sobre o processo formativo do sítio Moraes e abordar a questão sobre as relações genética e cultural entre sambaquieiros fluviais e os demais grupos vizinhos. / Previous research at the Ribeira de Iguape valley, at the southern part of the State of São Paulo, Brasil, has revealed a long cultural sequence (ca. 11 to 1,2 kyBP) characterized by small shellmound sites generally designated as riverine, or fluvial, sambaquis. Besides the conspicuous presence of a terrestrial gastropod (Megalobulimus sp.) shells, these little mounds also share relevant amounts of human burials and similar technological patterns as regards lithic and bone industries, among other compositional elements. The principal aim of this thesis is to describe one of these mounds, Moraes, investigating the cultural and post-depositional formation processes implied on the long duration (6 to 4 kyBP) construction phase of such mound structure and after its abandonment, by means of zooarchaeological, technological, geochemical and isotopic analysis of its various deposits and cultural components therein, as well as their spatial distribution and articulation. This thesis also discusses the cultural and historical relationships of this fluvial shellmound culture with other cultural patterns and populations found at the same and nearby areas.

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 .