This study examines activity induced articular facets and osteoarthritis in the ankle and foot complex of an Archaic hunter-gatherer population from the Gauthier (8BR-193) mortuary complex. To determine the frequency at which these characteristics occur, I scored the tibiae, tali, proximal phalanges, and metatarsals of adults and juveniles using methods developed by Buikstra and Ubelaker (1994) for scoring osteoarthritis and a synthesis of methods developed by Barnett (1954), and Boulle (2001a; 2001b), Buikstra and Ubelaker (1994). Molleson (1989), Ubelaker (1979), for scoring articular facets. Despite significant skeletal fragmentation observed, articular facets were remarkbly complete, allowing for analysis of joint degeneration. While there does not appear to be a correlation between characteristics, the high prevalence of activity induced articular facets and osteoarthritis is indicative of extreme hyperdorsiflexion. Habitual kneeling and squatting postures are characteristic of hunter-gatherer subsistence activities as suggested by researchers such as Ubelaker (1975), Molleson (1969), and Trinkaus (1975). / by Kassandra Nelson. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 200?. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

En Gaule méridionale la pratique des têtes coupées, décrite par la littérature antique, est attestée par les vestiges lapidaires et les restes humains mis au jour depuis plus d’un siècle. Des données inédites sur cette coutume ont été acquises suite à la découverte au Cailar (Gard, France), à partir de 2003, d’un ensemble de crânes humains fragmentés, d’armement manipulé et de plusieurs dizaines de monnaies, dispersés dans les phases de remblaiement d’une place publique entre la fin du IVe et la fin du IIIe s av. n. è. Cette dernière appartient à une agglomération fortifiée fondée dès le VIe s. av. n. è. Les fragments de crânes trouvés sur ce site constituent le sujet de cette étude. Ces os forment un corpus assez différent des restes généralement associés aux têtes coupées : ils sont nombreux, très fragmentés et largement mélangés et dispersés dans les couches. Pour comprendre les évènements qui ont conduit à la création d’un tel assemblage, il a été nécessaire de mettre en place des outils adaptés à leur étude. Après une remise en contexte archéologique régionale et locale, ce travail se propose de présenter les méthodes de l’archéothanatologie adaptées à l’étude de ce type d’ossements (quantification, modification osseuses). Dans un deuxième temps, sont détaillés l’outil d’enregistrement créé pour optimiser l’étude (base de données/géodatabase, SIG), et les méthodes d’analyses spatiales retenues pour étudier non seulement les traces et les fractures des pièces osseuses, mais aussi leur répartition sur le terrain. Les résultats obtenus sont multiples : données quantitatives et taphonomiques précises sur l’assemblage, proposition d’une méthode inédite pour l’analyse de la découpe et de la fragmentation sur des crânes humains fragmentés, analyse poussée de la répartition spatiale dans les trois dimensions. Tous ces éléments permettent de proposer des hypothèses solides quant à la chaîne opératoire qui concerne les têtes coupées : mode de récupération, traitement, rejet, mise en place du dépôt. Ce travail permet également de suggérer des pistes à approfondir ou à abandonner dans les méthodes usuelles d’analyses des grands ensembles fragmentés et dispersés. / Once only known from Classical accounts, the practice of collecting and curating human heads by certain Iron Age groups in southern France has, for more than a century now, been evinced by materials including stone carvings and human remains. In particular, new evidence has been brought to light at the site of Le Cailar (Gard), a fortified site occupied from the end of the 6th century BCE. Specially, excavations carried out since 2003 have revealed an extensive deposit accumulated from the end of the 4th until the end of the 3rd century BCE, comprising fragmented human crania, purposefully deformed armaments, and many dozens of coins scattered across a public plaza, beneath a thick layer of rubble. The human cranial fragments discovered on this plaza are the subject of this study. These bones form a corpus quite different from the remains generally associated with severed heads: they are numerous, very fragmented, and largely mixed and dispersed in the levels. In order to understand the events that led to the creation of the assemblage, it has been necessary to adapt tools to this study. After putting the site into its local and regional context, this work proposes to present bioarchaeological methods adapted to the study of these types of bone (especially, quantification and modification of the bone). In a second time, the recording tool created to optimize the study is presented (database / geodatabase, GIS), then the spatial analysis methods used to study, not only the traces and the fractures of the parts bones, but also their distribution on the field. There are a lot of results: precise quantitative and taphonomic data about the assemblage, proposition of new method to study cut marks and fracturing, a hitherto unparalleled understanding of the process of how crania were distributed across the site (this last measured in three dimensions). All these elements permit to propose solid hypotheses regarding the process by which these heads were produced: the means of recuperation, treatment, disposal, and deposition. This work also suggests which avenues of research will or won't be useful to pursue in future projects of a similar nature.

Those who practice within the field and those who wish to discredit the field have long debated the field of paleodemography. In 1999 and again in 2000, researchers who used paleodemographic analysis assembled in Rostock, Germany to amend the present issues and change the way research is conducted in the future (Hoppa and Vaupel 2002). As a result of these meetings, researchers created the Rostock Manifesto. While many scholars accepted the change in the suite of methodologies carried out under the new guidance, little has been said on the effectiveness of the manifesto. In this thesis, I argue that the Rostock Manifesto, at the very least, is effective in changing the results of paleodemographic research both qualitatively and quantitatively. Unfortunately, due to the nature of paleodemographic research it cannot be said of how effective the manifesto is. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015 / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

In the fall of 1999, human skeletal remains and historic artifacts were discovered on private farmland approximately two kilometres south of the Town of Battleford, Saskatchewan. Document searches and a ground-penetrating radar survey of the property resulted in the discovery that the land was once used as a cemetery for the Catholic Church of St. Vital during the years of 1879 to 1885. Numerous interest groups were brought together in the process of handling this sensitive situation, including the landowners, the Heritage Resource Branch of the Department of Saskatchewan Culture, Youth and Recreation, the Rural Municipality of Battle River, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Prince Albert, and the Battleford Tribal Council. A decision was made to relocate the burials to the current town cemetery. In the meantime, permission was granted for the University of Saskatchewan to play the lead role in the excavation and analysis process. The partial and complete skeletal remains of thirty individuals were recovered, and in addition to a basic osteological analysis of the individuals that included sex determination, age at death and population affinity, a detailed assessment of the pathological conditions was also undertaken. The document and artifact analyses will be the subject of a separate thesis by Colette Hopkins.

In the fall of 1999, human skeletal remains and historic artifacts were discovered on private farmland approximately two kilometres south of the Town of Battleford, Saskatchewan. Document searches and a ground-penetrating radar survey of the property resulted in the discovery that the land was once used as a cemetery for the Catholic Church of St. Vital during the years of 1879 to 1885. Numerous interest groups were brought together in the process of handling this sensitive situation, including the landowners, the Heritage Resource Branch of the Department of Saskatchewan Culture, Youth and Recreation, the Rural Municipality of Battle River, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Prince Albert, and the Battleford Tribal Council. A decision was made to relocate the burials to the current town cemetery. In the meantime, permission was granted for the University of Saskatchewan to play the lead role in the excavation and analysis process. The partial and complete skeletal remains of thirty individuals were recovered, and in addition to a basic osteological analysis of the individuals that included sex determination, age at death and population affinity, a detailed assessment of the pathological conditions was also undertaken. The document and artifact analyses will be the subject of a separate thesis by Colette Hopkins.

In today’s archaeology there’s a growing need for non-invasive prospection methods. However there’s a methodological gap and what’s missing is a method for locating human bones. In this study a specially trained German shepherd is put through scientific tests determining how good the dog is at telling the different between the scent of human and animal bones. The dog is also tested in an outdoor environment to simulate an actual archaeological site. The tests in this study show that the dog can distinguish between the smell of human and animal bones with an accuracy of 94,2 % and that he can detect human bones in the field. Further tests need to be conducted to calibrate the method.

No description available.

The Old Frankfort Cemetery (15Frl54) is located in downtown Frankfort, Kentucky, at the foot of Fort Hill. Records indicate this cemetery may have been the first in use in Frankfort. It was initially used as a general burial ground for the city in the early 1800s; however, it appears that the cemetery quickly became dilapidated and was primarily used for the poor of the city. Subsequent development of the site through out the 19th and 20`" centuries effectively removed the cemetery from the landscape and public memory. This amnesia was compounded by the social status of those interred at the Old Frankfort Cemetery.The specific aim of this study is to better understand children's health in the Antebellum South. Through a case study of Frankfort, Kentucky, political and economic conditions during the 19th century that affected health conditions will be examined. Documentation of immature skeletal remains from this unknown population will provide insight as to delays in both bone and dental growth and maturity, and epiphyseal closure. It will also provide information on the health of the overall population. Results of this study will not only enhance the social, economic and political intra-relationships between the population of the cemetery, but also the surrounding urban area of Frankfort, KY, during the early 19'h century and Antebellum America. / Department of Anthropology

Mound building was a common practice in the Midwestern United States among the Adena and Middle Mississippian tribes from approximately 500 B.C. to 1500 A.D. Though they varied greatly in size, shape, and complexity between cultures, the mounds served a common purpose as means to bury the deceased. Mounds representing both cultures have been found dispersed throughout Indiana, in areas such as Randolph County, Henry County, Madison County, Knox County, and Vanderburgh County.Of particular interest in this investigation is an Adena burial plot, known as Windsor Mound, which is 2000 yrs old and located in neighboring Randolph County. An amateur excavation of the mound from 1986 to 1988 unearthed the fragmented remains of 44 individuals and several artifacts, all of which were loaned to the Ball State University Anthropology Department. Documentation of the excavation was poor and the exact location of artifacts and remains within the mound were not recorded, leaving anthropologists with many unanswered questions that could only be answered through genetic analysis. Pressing questions were the degree to which the 44 individuals were related and which of the five Native American lineages (haplotypes) they belonged to.For this analysis, dentin was recovered from the teeth of three Native American individuals exhumed from Windsor Mound. Two of the individuals (87.17.5 and 87.17.10) were found in the lower mound portion (70 B.C.), while the third individual (87.17.22) was found in the upper mound cap (1180 A.D.). Ancient DNA (aDNA) was extracted from each dentin sample, yielding an average of 0.072 ug/mg of dentin. A highly polymorphic portion of the mitochondria) DNA control region (nt 16,049 - nt 16,221) termed hypervariable region 1 (HVI) was amplified via PCR to generate 172 bp amplicons which were cloned into a plasmid vector. Following a transformation, 10 clones from each individual were sequenced and aligned to identify consistent mutations, as opposed to random post-mortem damage that may have occurred.Sequencing of the HVI region for Individual 87.17.5 revealed a T —~ C base substitution at nt 16,189, a C — T substitution at nt 16,192, and a deletion at nt 16,203. Identical mutations were seen in Individual 87.17.22 from the upper mound cap. The alignment for Individual 87.17.10 revealed a unique T --~ C mutation at nt 16,126 as well as the deletion at nt 16,203. A literature search revealed that the substitution at nt 16,189 is specific to Native American 1-laplogroups B and X. Haplogroup B first appeared in central Asia 60,000 yrs ago while Haplogroup X appeared in western Asia 30,000 yrs ago. The substitution at nt 16,192 is indicative of East Asian origin and specific to Japanese populations. To our knowledge the deletion at nt 16,203 has not been reported before in a Native American, thus its presence was thought to indicate kinship between the individuals. However, an alignment of the ancient consensus sequences to that of the three investigators revealed that the deletion was present in two of the modern samples and was not novel. Nothing is known about the substitution at nt 16,126. Further sequencing downstream of nt 16,221 is needed to identify additional mutations characteristic of Haplogroup B or X and a novel kinship marker. / Department of Biology

Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) is a rheumatology term for a particular type of vertebral arthritis involving the calcification of the right aspect of the anterolateral ligament (ALL) and the presence of ligament ossification at particular peripheral joints. DISH is most common among middle to late age males and is thought to be present in 10% of males over the age of 65. Although the etiology of the disease is unknown, many have associated it with diabetes and a high status lifestyle. In this thesis, DISH is examined in a late nineteenth, early twentieth century almshouse cemetery known as the Milwaukee County Institution Grounds (MCIG) cemetery. Due to the health and diet of the immigrant peoples living in Milwaukee during the MCIG cemetery’s usage, 1850 to 1974, it is suspected that diabetes would not have been a common disorder, thus leading to little to no DISH presence in the cemetery population. However, DISH is seen in the MCIG population which suggests that the etiology of DISH is not a result of diet or diabetes but other factors altogether. / Department of Anthropology