This project focuses on the Yellow Fever Cemetery of Grenada, Mississippi through geophysical and biological methods. A ground penetrating radar survey was conducted to investigate the landscape and burial patterns in relation to the use of the cemetery throughout high periods of mortality such as a yellow fever epidemic. Additionally, biological methods were used in the analysis of an individual recovered as part of a salvage archaeology event from the cemetery. The multifaceted approach aims to uncover more about the cemetery, landscape, and community as it has changed over time with the influence of extreme events such as the yellow fever epidemic of 1878.

Dietary practice during the transition from Early Intermediate Period (200 BC-AD 600) to the Middle Horizon (AD 600-1000) is crucial to understanding Pre-Hispanic life on the southern coast of Peru. The Cerro Del Oro material was excavated in 1925 by Alfred Kroeber and since been biochemically unstudied for almost ninety years; left dormant at The Field Museum in Chicago. Through bioarchaeological reconstruction of diet and health at the site of Cerro Del Oro from a cemetery sample (N=35) in the Cañete Valley, the effects of demographic and subsistence changes can be examined through a combined analysis of osteological and light isotopic data. Stable carbon (13C/12C, or δ13C) and oxygen (18O/16O, or δ18O) isotopic values from tooth enamel carbonate are utilized to reconstruct diet during early childhood of each individual. Results indicate that the majority of the population were consuming a moderately variable terrestrial protein or C3 diet. This is significant due to the close proximity to marine resources.

This study utilizes stable isotope and dental microwear analyses to elucidate diet and subsistence practices of indigenous Muchik peoples interred at two sites in the Lambayeque region of northern Peru: La Capilla Santa María Magdalena De Eten (CSMME) (n=17) and La Capilla Del Niño Serranito (CNS) (n=18). Burials at CNS date to the Early Colonial Period (A.D. 1533-1620), while burials at CSMME date to the Mid- to Late-Colonial Period (A.D. 1625-1760). Dental microwear and stable isotope investigations reveal a highly correlated dietary profile across both sites, which suggests consistent subsistence practices across the Colonial Period, insofar as can be measured using these techniques. However, there is significant differences between CNS and CSMME in dental microwear features indicating the foods consumed by all members at each site—since sex and age are not significantly different between the two sites—is perhaps attributable to the influence of Spanish colonial rule to the degree to which these dental microwear features capture larger patterns in these two populations. Although samples sizes are limited, at CNS, the frequency of fine scratches and small pits increase with age and coarse scratches decrease between childhood and adolescence, indicative of transitions in diet or the use of the teeth during the maturation. Further, statistical inquiry found no significant dental microwear differences between site, age, or sex in the studied populations.

O deserto de Atacama, no norte do Chile, a despeito da altitude e da aridez que o caracterizam, apresenta evidências da presença humana há pelo menos 13000 anos. San Pedro de Atacama é uma região muito importante deste deserto devido ao grande número de esqueletos arqueológicos ali exumados e ao excelente estado de preservação que o material escavado, seja ele mineral ou orgânico, é encontrado. Equipes independentes de pesquisadores têm colaborado, nos últimos 50 anos, para o entendimento da pré-história atacamenha através de análises do acervo arqueológico e bioantropológico que hoje se encontra sob a guarda do museu arqueológico Padre Gustavo Le Paige. O material analisado neste trabalho é parte integrante da coleção de crânios humanos escavados por Le Paige, coleção que se encontra severamente reduzida por deficiências no processo de cura e guarda. Foram analisadas as patologias bucais de 402 crânios provenientes de 13 sítios arqueológicos de San Pedro de Atacama e Caspana, com o objetivo de inferir a qualidade de vida biológica dessas populações a partir do período Formativo (350 AC) até a chegada Império Inca (1470 AD) nos oásis atacamenhos. Considerando o período de influência do Império Tiwanaku em San Pedro como referência, os períodos Pré Tiwanaku e Pós Tiwanaku foram comparados com o período Tiwanaku (500 a 1000 AD) e também com o sítio Caspana, utilizado como controle externo. As redes de troca que foram intensificadas durante o período Tiwanaku em todos os Andes Centrais disponibilizaram aos oásis de San Pedro de Atacama uma maior variedade de alimentos, diminuindo assim a dependência do milho desta sociedade. Prova disso é a queda significativa das cáries dentárias observada entre o período Pré Tiwanaku e o período Tiwanaku. No mesmo período, foram observados aumentos dos cálculos salivares e das reabsorções periodontais que, associados à queda das cáries dentárias, sugerem o aumento no consumo de proteína e sais minerais pelos atacamenhos. O período subsequente, marcado pela alteração climática responsável pelo desmantelamento do Estado Tiwanaku, afetaria a população dos oásis obrigando-a a retornar ao milho como item principal em sua dieta, fato confirmado pelo aumento das cáries dentárias. A seca característica do período Pós Tiwanaku deve ter pressionado a sociedade atacamenha a intensificar suas técnicas de conservação dos alimentos, sendo esta a mais plausível explicação para o também observado aumento significativo dos cálculos salivares. Os crânios analisados de Caspana apresentaram uma prevalência de cáries dentárias inferior à prevalência observada durante período Pós Tiwanaku em San Pedro de Atacama, sugerindo uma estratégia de subsistência distinta, baseada numa dieta menos cariogênica. O limitado consumo de proteínas e sais minerais como cálcio e potássio também caracterizou a alimentação dos habitantes de Caspana, confirmado pela baixa prevalência de cálculos salivares e reabsorções periodontais. As mulheres apresentaram prevalências mais altas de cárie dentária, cálculo salivar e reabsorção periodontal, indicando um acesso maior aos alimentos, em quantidade ou em frequência, que os indivíduos do sexo masculino. Quanto às deformações cranianas intencionais analisadas nos sítios de San Pedro de Atacama, não foram encontrados sinais de privilégios nutricionais por nenhum grupo estudado, sejam eles não deformados ou deformados, independentemente do período avaliado ou do tipo e angulação da deformação apresentada. / The Atacama Desert in northern Chile, despite the altitude and dryness that characterize it, displays evidence of human presence for at least 13,000 years. San Pedro de Atacama is a very important region of the desert, for the large number of archaeological skeletons that were exhumed and found there and also for the excellent state of preservation in which the excavated material- whether mineral or organic - was found. Independent teams of researchers have collaborated for the past 50 years to the understanding of Atacamenian prehistory, through analysis of the archaeological and the bio anthropological collection, which are now in the custody of the archaeological museum Padre Gustavo Le Paige. The material analyzed in this dissertation is part of the collection of human skulls excavated by Le Paige, a collection now severely reduced due to deficiencies in the process of safekeeping. The oral pathologies of 402 skulls from 13 different archaeological sites of San Pedro de Atacama and Caspana have been analyzed in order to infer the biological quality of life of these populations from the Formative period (350 BC) up to the arrival of the Inca Empire (1470 AD) in the oasis Atacameños. Considering the period of influence of the Tiwanaku Empire in San Pedro as reference, the periods Pre and Post Tiwanaku Tiwanaku were compared with the Tiwanaku period (500-1000 AD) and also with the Caspana site, which was used as an external control. The enhanced networks of exchange during the Tiwanaku period around the whole of the Central Andes have provided the oasis of San Pedro de Atacama greater variety of foods, thereby reducing the reliance this society had on corn. The proof of this is the significant decline in dental caries observed between the pre Tiwanaku and the Tiwanaku periods. During this period, the increase in salivary calculi and periodontal resorption associated to the decrease in dental caries suggests the raise in consumption of protein and minerals by the Atacameños. The subsequent period is marked by a climate change which was responsible for the dismantling of the Tiwanaku state, thus affecting the population of the oasis and forcing it to return to the consumption of corn as the main item in their diet, a fact that is confirmed by the increase in dental caries. The characteristic drought of this period must have driven the Post Tiwanaku Atacamenian society to intensify their food preservation techniques, and that is the most plausible explanation for the also significant raise in salivary calculi. The skulls analyzed from Caspana showed a lower prevalence of dental caries than the ones observed during the Post Tiwanaku period in San Pedro de Atacama, suggesting a distinct livelihood strategy based on a less cariogenic diet. The limited consumption of protein and minerals like calcium and potassium also characterize the food intake of the inhabitants of Caspana, which is confirmed by the low prevalence of salivary calculi and periodontal resorption. The female skulls showed a higher incidence of dental caries, salivary calculus and periodontal resorption, indicating that they had broader access to food, both in quantity and frequency than their male counterparts. Regarding the intentional cranial deformations analyzed here, no signs of nutritional privileges were found on any of the studied groups, whether deformed or not, regardless of the period studied or the type and angle of these deformations.

Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo principal investigar a relação entre a arqueofauna e os grupos humanos que ocuparam os sambaquis fluviais - Estreito (4124±27), Caraça (1607±24), Lageado IV (1460±60) e Tatupeva (3990±70), situados em Itaoca, no Vale do Ribeira de Iguape e, assim, contextualizar esses restos com os demais vestígios da cultura material. O emprego das abordagens - arqueofaunística, lítica e bioarqueológica - permitiu-nos discorrer sobre os processos de formação desses sítios e compreender as diferenças e semelhanças intra-sítio, envolvendo as três áreas do médio vale. / This research aimed to investigate the relationship between the archaeofauna and human groups that occupied the sambaquis fluviais (riverine sambaquis) - Estreito (4124±27), Caraça (1607±24), Lageado IV (1460±60) and Tatupeva (3990±70), located in Itaoca, Ribeira de Iguape Valley and thus contextualize these remains with the remaining traces of material culture. The use of approaches - archaeofaunal, lithic and bioarchaeological - allowed us to discuss the formation processes of these sites and understand the differences and similarities intra-site, involving the three areas of the middle valley.

Este trabalho teve por objetivo principal estudar as relações sociais e simbólicas de gênero na pré-história brasileira, com base no estudo dos rituais funerários e remanescentes ósseos humanos de populações horticultoras do noroeste de Minas Gerais, que de 1540 anos a.C. a 1540 d.C. ocuparam de forma sazonal e constante a Gruta do Gentio II para a realização de seus rituais funerários. Nosso estudo foi dividido em duas partes, com base na análise de variáveis relacionadas ao ritual funerário (tratamento dado ao corpo, posição, orientação, direção da face, características da cova, distribuição temporal e espacial, acompanhamentos funerários) e aos remanescentes ósseos e dentários propriamente ditos (sexo, idade, fraturas, doenças, linhas de Harris, facetas suplementárias da tíbia, degeneração das superfícies articulares do esqueleto axial e apendicular, além de cáries, abrasão dentária, hipoplasia, doença periodontal, cálculos, abcessos dentários e perda ante-mortem). Dentro de uma perspectiva teórico-interpretativa simbólica, com base na arqueologia de gênero, pós-processualismo e arqueologia cognitiva, e nos métodos analíticos bioarqueológicos, acreditamos que foi possível compreender parte dos papéis sociais, desempenhados principalmente por homens e mulheres, além de adolescentes e crianças, no contexto arqueológico da Gruta do Gentio II, Unaí, Minas Gerais. / The aim of this work is to investigate the social and symbolic relations of gender in Brazilian prehistory, based on the study of human funerary rituals and bone remains of horticulturist populations in the northeast of Minas Gerais state who in a seasonal and constant form, in the period 1540 BC to 1540 AC, used the caverns at Gruta do Gentio II to perform their funerary rituals. Our study is divided in two parts based on the variables related to the funerary ritual (handling, position and orientation of the corpse, direction of the face, grave characteristics, distribution in space and time, grave goods) and to the bone and teeth remains respectively (sex, age, fractures, illnesses, Harris lines, supplementary tibia facets, joint surfaces degeneration of the axial and appendicular skeleton, and also caries, dental abrasion, hypoplasia, periodontal illness, calculus, dental abscesses and ante-mortem tooth loss). In a symbolic theoretical-interpretative perspective based on the gender archaeology, postprocessualism and cognitive archaeology, as well as the bioarchaeological analytic methods, we believe that it is possible to understand part of the social roles performed mainly by men and women but also by children and teenagers in the archaeological context of Gruta do Gentio II, Unaí, Minas Gerais.

This thesis presents the results of a multi-disciplinary investigation of a variant Ancestral Pueblo mortuary rite at Wallace Ruin, southwest Colorado (USA). This multi-storey building is one of four Lakeview Group great houses connected to the Pueblo II regional system centred at Pueblo Bonito of Chaco Canyon some 100 km to the south. From c. AD 1060-1150, Wallace Ruin functioned as a ritual-economic centre with a small residential component. Then, habitation of this great house, the Lakeview Group and all domiciles within 10 kilometres ceased. However, three or more decades later at least six rooms were used as a non-residential, Pueblo III mortuary facility for a minimum of 32 individuals. This utilisation was in marked contrast to the enduring Ancestral Pueblo practice of residential burial, usually in the extramural midden. The interrogation of several hypotheses regarding this anomaly entails a bioarchaeological approach that integrates skeletal evidence with spatial analyses regarding diachronic mortuary location choices at Wallace Ruin. Taphonomic methods that segregate bone displacements during corpse decomposition in a filled versus a void space provide accurate determinations of the depositional versus discovered mortuary microenvironments. The diachronic analysis of data from roughly 200 San Juan Region sites reveals additional ways in which Wallace’s Pueblo III mortuary program departs from longstanding communities of practice, whether great house or domicile. Chief among these are the use of a surface room floor and the postural arrangement of supine bodies with knees upright. These results, in combination with material culture evidence, form the basis of this thesis: The Pueblo III mortuary program at Wallace Ruin is a variant rite that entails a Mesa Verde Region reformulation of a Pueblo Bonito house society. The sanctioned retrieval of objects of memory offers a plausible explanation for intentional intrusions into two mortuary contexts. Beyond addressing questions concerning Wallace Ruin, a major contribution of this study includes advancement of the house society model as an interpretive scheme for evaluating Mesa Verde Region socio-ritual dynamics. This research also demonstrates the effectiveness of anthropologie de terrain (Duday, 2006) to retrospectively determine the original status of Ancestral Pueblo mortuary microenvironments. The refinement developed for this study, in which Range of Motion criteria are used to detect large-scale movements of lower limbs during corpse decomposition, is suitable for bioarchaeological analyses the world over.

This thesis explores identity in early mediaeval Scotland (ca 800-1300AD) using biological and burial deposition data. During this period Scotland was developing as a unified kingdom. The Norse, Scots, and Anglo-Saxons battled for political power. The Saxon and Irish Churches were pressuring for superiority over each other and over local beliefs. Many research areas in bioarchaeology have moved away from the more simplistic processual approach after a renewed understanding of the complexities of human existence. However, this newer methodology has not been sufficiently applied to early mediaeval Scottish studies. Common doxa still permeates the discipline despite the lack of critical assessment. Doxa tends to separate the early mediaeval Scottish world into the circumscribed categories of Norse (or ‘Viking’) and native, Christian and pagan. These commonly accepted site designations regarding ethnicity and religion were used to assess three hundred and twenty-one individuals from 21 sites. These individuals were analysed macroscopically for age, sex, stature and limb ratios, craniometrics, joint degeneration and disease, musculo-skeletal stress markers, dental pathologies, and overall health and disease. This data was compared to the available documentation for the sites considering site location, body position, cemetery type, grave enclosures, and grave furnishings. Statistical and qualitative methods were used to compare the data. Results suggest that there are slight differences within the population that may suggest some legitimacy for common site designations; however, the overall conclusion implies caution in the use of oversimplified categorising and a generally egalitarian view of identity for the early mediaeval people in Scotland.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease in human populations with onset and severity influenced by mechanical loading, aging effects, genetics, anatomy, and body mass. Despite major advancements in knowledge, the aetiopathogenesis of OA is complex and still poorly understood. Lack of standardization in methods to quantify skeletal OA make it difficult to study the effects of interacting explanatory variables on arthritic response, and prevents comparison of results between bioarchaeological studies. Joint changes of OA as a function of both the natural aging process and of mechanical stress can make an individual appear older than their chronological age, potentially impacting current methods to derive accurate skeletal age at death estimates, particularly in load-bearing regions. This project addressed these issues through three studies, using a large skeletal sample of modern Europeans for which sex, age, and occupation were available. The first study used principal component analysis (PCA) as a standardized procedure to compute aggregate scores for joint complexes and a systemic measure of OA in each region of the lumbar spine, pelvis, and knee. The second study analyzed the composite scores with a multiple regression model to determine the relative contribution of three predictors: age, activity, and body size, and their effect on skeletal expression of OA in each region. Body size (stature and mass) was calculated from postcranial skeletal measurements; torsional strength (J) of the femoral midshaft was calculated from three-dimensional surface models, size standardized and used as a proxy for measure of activity. The third study considered the effect of OA severity on the validity and reliability of three methods to estimate age at death from load-bearing joints of the os coxa: the pubic symphysis, auricular surface, and acetabulum. The study was designed to determine whether OA in adults acts as a potential limitation or benefit in deriving accurate skeletal age at death estimates from pelvic joint morphology that will contribute to standardized methods in establishing physiological degeneration of the skeleton due to aging. Body size and activity factors did not contribute significantly to OA pathology outside of the age-related expression in either of the lumbar vertebrae or knee regions, and only demonstrated a weak association at pelvic joints. Differences in adult patterns of age are reflected in joint arthritic changes of the os coxa and OA severity has an effect on the accuracy of age estimates from the pelvis; those with OA consistently aging faster in all three joint areas. This influence is most significant for young individuals at the auricular surface and pubic symphysis, over-aging at both. Oldest persons with little arthritic patterning at the acetabulum were under-aged, but accuracy of the age estimate improved as OA severity increased. Systemic measures of OA determined through PCA as an indicator of age, appear useful to identify the very old, but may also help to distinguish between systemic age-related stresses and localized biomechanical effects. Interpreting OA as evidence for old age, measures of habitual activity, and larger body mass should be exercised with caution in skeletal populations. / Graduate / 2018-04-18 / 0327 / 0339 / 0571 / calce.stephanie@gmail.com

O deserto de Atacama, no norte do Chile, a despeito da altitude e da aridez que o caracterizam, apresenta evidências da presença humana há pelo menos 13000 anos. San Pedro de Atacama é uma região muito importante deste deserto devido ao grande número de esqueletos arqueológicos ali exumados e ao excelente estado de preservação que o material escavado, seja ele mineral ou orgânico, é encontrado. Equipes independentes de pesquisadores têm colaborado, nos últimos 50 anos, para o entendimento da pré-história atacamenha através de análises do acervo arqueológico e bioantropológico que hoje se encontra sob a guarda do museu arqueológico Padre Gustavo Le Paige. O material analisado neste trabalho é parte integrante da coleção de crânios humanos escavados por Le Paige, coleção que se encontra severamente reduzida por deficiências no processo de cura e guarda. Foram analisadas as patologias bucais de 402 crânios provenientes de 13 sítios arqueológicos de San Pedro de Atacama e Caspana, com o objetivo de inferir a qualidade de vida biológica dessas populações a partir do período Formativo (350 AC) até a chegada Império Inca (1470 AD) nos oásis atacamenhos. Considerando o período de influência do Império Tiwanaku em San Pedro como referência, os períodos Pré Tiwanaku e Pós Tiwanaku foram comparados com o período Tiwanaku (500 a 1000 AD) e também com o sítio Caspana, utilizado como controle externo. As redes de troca que foram intensificadas durante o período Tiwanaku em todos os Andes Centrais disponibilizaram aos oásis de San Pedro de Atacama uma maior variedade de alimentos, diminuindo assim a dependência do milho desta sociedade. Prova disso é a queda significativa das cáries dentárias observada entre o período Pré Tiwanaku e o período Tiwanaku. No mesmo período, foram observados aumentos dos cálculos salivares e das reabsorções periodontais que, associados à queda das cáries dentárias, sugerem o aumento no consumo de proteína e sais minerais pelos atacamenhos. O período subsequente, marcado pela alteração climática responsável pelo desmantelamento do Estado Tiwanaku, afetaria a população dos oásis obrigando-a a retornar ao milho como item principal em sua dieta, fato confirmado pelo aumento das cáries dentárias. A seca característica do período Pós Tiwanaku deve ter pressionado a sociedade atacamenha a intensificar suas técnicas de conservação dos alimentos, sendo esta a mais plausível explicação para o também observado aumento significativo dos cálculos salivares. Os crânios analisados de Caspana apresentaram uma prevalência de cáries dentárias inferior à prevalência observada durante período Pós Tiwanaku em San Pedro de Atacama, sugerindo uma estratégia de subsistência distinta, baseada numa dieta menos cariogênica. O limitado consumo de proteínas e sais minerais como cálcio e potássio também caracterizou a alimentação dos habitantes de Caspana, confirmado pela baixa prevalência de cálculos salivares e reabsorções periodontais. As mulheres apresentaram prevalências mais altas de cárie dentária, cálculo salivar e reabsorção periodontal, indicando um acesso maior aos alimentos, em quantidade ou em frequência, que os indivíduos do sexo masculino. Quanto às deformações cranianas intencionais analisadas nos sítios de San Pedro de Atacama, não foram encontrados sinais de privilégios nutricionais por nenhum grupo estudado, sejam eles não deformados ou deformados, independentemente do período avaliado ou do tipo e angulação da deformação apresentada. / The Atacama Desert in northern Chile, despite the altitude and dryness that characterize it, displays evidence of human presence for at least 13,000 years. San Pedro de Atacama is a very important region of the desert, for the large number of archaeological skeletons that were exhumed and found there and also for the excellent state of preservation in which the excavated material- whether mineral or organic - was found. Independent teams of researchers have collaborated for the past 50 years to the understanding of Atacamenian prehistory, through analysis of the archaeological and the bio anthropological collection, which are now in the custody of the archaeological museum Padre Gustavo Le Paige. The material analyzed in this dissertation is part of the collection of human skulls excavated by Le Paige, a collection now severely reduced due to deficiencies in the process of safekeeping. The oral pathologies of 402 skulls from 13 different archaeological sites of San Pedro de Atacama and Caspana have been analyzed in order to infer the biological quality of life of these populations from the Formative period (350 BC) up to the arrival of the Inca Empire (1470 AD) in the oasis Atacameños. Considering the period of influence of the Tiwanaku Empire in San Pedro as reference, the periods Pre and Post Tiwanaku Tiwanaku were compared with the Tiwanaku period (500-1000 AD) and also with the Caspana site, which was used as an external control. The enhanced networks of exchange during the Tiwanaku period around the whole of the Central Andes have provided the oasis of San Pedro de Atacama greater variety of foods, thereby reducing the reliance this society had on corn. The proof of this is the significant decline in dental caries observed between the pre Tiwanaku and the Tiwanaku periods. During this period, the increase in salivary calculi and periodontal resorption associated to the decrease in dental caries suggests the raise in consumption of protein and minerals by the Atacameños. The subsequent period is marked by a climate change which was responsible for the dismantling of the Tiwanaku state, thus affecting the population of the oasis and forcing it to return to the consumption of corn as the main item in their diet, a fact that is confirmed by the increase in dental caries. The characteristic drought of this period must have driven the Post Tiwanaku Atacamenian society to intensify their food preservation techniques, and that is the most plausible explanation for the also significant raise in salivary calculi. The skulls analyzed from Caspana showed a lower prevalence of dental caries than the ones observed during the Post Tiwanaku period in San Pedro de Atacama, suggesting a distinct livelihood strategy based on a less cariogenic diet. The limited consumption of protein and minerals like calcium and potassium also characterize the food intake of the inhabitants of Caspana, which is confirmed by the low prevalence of salivary calculi and periodontal resorption. The female skulls showed a higher incidence of dental caries, salivary calculus and periodontal resorption, indicating that they had broader access to food, both in quantity and frequency than their male counterparts. Regarding the intentional cranial deformations analyzed here, no signs of nutritional privileges were found on any of the studied groups, whether deformed or not, regardless of the period studied or the type and angle of these deformations.