On October 7th, 2004, construction of the Saskatchewan Forest Centre Building in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan was temporarily halted due to the exposure of human remains from within the soil matrix. Subsequent archaeological investigation revealed the presence of numerous rectangular soil stains suggesting the presence of additional interments within the construction site. The remains of two individuals were recovered during this original construction exposure. The following spring, Western Heritage Services, Inc., in coordination with the Department of Archaeology, University of Saskatchewan, conducted an extensive excavation at the site which unearthed 19 individuals of different racial affiliation, sex, and age. Interment location and an extensive document and literature review suggest that this was the cemetery established by Rev. James Nisbet, founder of the Prince Albert mission. This mission would evolve into the City of Prince Albert. The historic significance and sensitive nature of the site required the involvement of several interest groups including the Heritage Resource Branch of the Department of Saskatchewan Culture, Youth and Recreation, the Prince Albert Historical Society, and above all, St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church which was responsible for the reinterment of the Forest Centre individuals and was an indispensable source of information. Prior to reinterment, a fundamental osteological and paleopathological examination was conducted for each of the 21 individuals. Coordination and completion of cultural material analysis was performed by Amanda Boechler, an undergraduate archaeology student of the University of Saskatchewan and Mark MacKenzie of the Western Development Museum. Preliminary results may be found within the final site report issued by Western Heritage Services, Inc. dated November, 2005.

The life of the pre-European Maori consisted of subsistence strategies ranging from hunter-gatherer to horticultural activities. The femur of both sexes is generally characterised by a flattened proximal shaft rotated inward, and by a short, markedly bowed, robust diaphysis. Femoral rugosity denotes the attachment of relatively great thigh musculature which, in turn, is an indicator of the levels of physical activity associated with the subsistence strategies undertaken. The femoral neck and head is distinguished from contemporary populations and those of comparative subsistence strategies by a larger anterior offset (anteversion) and greater horizontal inclination (Coxa valga). In addition to consistently large femoral anteversion, the femoral head is denoted by a broad, horizontally oval insertion for the ligament of the head (fovea). These external morphological traits are such consistent features within the femur they represent racial attributes of the pre-European Maori population. The femoral morphology of the pre-European Maori has been described by earlier researchers dating back 109 years to 1886. However, there have been limited functional evaluations of the external traits, in particular, how traits are associated with respect to each other. To resolve these limitations and determine a biological basis to femoral morphology a comprehensive analysis of external traits from the femur and pelvis is combined with the biomechanical properties of geometric profiles at six cross-sectional levels of the diaphysis. From six major regions within New Zealand a total of 107 pooled femora in three catalogued �series� were measured, of these 52 are male and 55 female, and there are 22 pairs (11 male pairs, 11 female pairs). The external traits measured comprise articular areas, femoral angles, diaphyseal dimensions, and anterior shaft curvature. In addition, pelvic dimensions for matching femora are recorded. Cross-sectional parameters derived from profile areas and second moments of area provide information on compressive strength, and bending rigidities and orientation at each cross-sectional level. Statistical methods employed are univariate F-ratios and Student�s t-test, bivariate correlation coefficients, and multivariate principal components, discriminant function, and linear regression. In this study of the pre-European Maori it is suggested that the normal developmental changes in femoral angles are prevented by extrinsic mechanical influences, such as habitual posture, high levels of physical activity, and greater musculature that alter growth plate morphogenesis. Femoral angles are �set� on epiphyseal fusion and have limited ability to remodel. The femoral diaphysis in the adult undergoes continual remodelling at the periosteal and endosteal surfaces and provides adaptive plasticity to mechanical loading at the hip and knee. Results indicate differences in absolute and relative values of external and cross-sectional traits that indicate mechanical loading patterns specific to each sex. Functional interpretation of inter-trait associations suggests that; 1) associations between external traits indicate the functional effect of growth and development on femoral size and shape characteristics. 2) Associations within cross-sectional parameters show relationships between appositional remodelling activity and structural strength. 3) Associations between external and internal traits indicate the importance of mechanical loading patterns established during growth and adulthood to final femoral morphology and subsequently to adaptive remodelling of the adult shaft.

Thesis--Copenhagen. / Summary in Danish. Bibliography: p. 123-126.

Thesis--Copenhagen. / Summary in Danish. Bibliography: p. 123-126.

The relationship between biology, culture, and environment has been the subject of growing interest within the field of bioarchaeology. This study seeks to examine the nature of this relationship within the context of the Middle Sicán culture, a pre-Hispanic society which dominated much of the north coast of Peru from 900-1100 CE. A comprehensive osteological analysis of the individuals excavated from the site of Sicán by the Sicán Archaeological Project during the 2008 field season was conducted in August 2013. From this data, the author analyzed the relationship between social status inferred from the mortuary context and health. Skeletal indicators of stress and disease were used as proxies for health. The biocultural consequences of a prolonged drought and subsequent mega-El Niño event, which occurred at the end of the Middle Sicán period, were also examined. The results of this study suggest individuals of lower social status may have experienced worse dental health, possibly as a result of differential access to food resources. Additionally, temporal changes in dental health suggest Middle Sicán elite individuals may have become increasingly stressed at the end of the Middle Sicán period. The combined effects of the prolonged drought and mega-El Niño event may have necessitated a dietary shift which affected the dental health of these individuals.

Through stable isotope analysis of human tooth dentine, this thesis investigates breastfeeding and weaning patterns in relation to rickets in a sample of sub-adults (n=12) interred in the nineteenth century sub-adult cemetery located at the Church of the Trinitarias in Madrid, Spain. The main objectives of this research are to create early life feeding histories for each individual using dentine serial sectioning techniques and apply these histories to investigate the relationship between breastfeeding, weaning, and vitamin D deficiency. The early life feeding histories allows for the determination of the onset and complete age of weaning at an individual level. These stable isotope data are then used to estimate general trends in breastfeeding and weaning practices in nineteenth century Spain. The results of this study indicate that the onset age of weaning for most of the individuals in this sample was between 10 and 14 months of age. The age at which breastmilk consumption stopped entirely was more difficult to estimate, however, in individuals that did show evidence of completed weaning, it was estimated to occur around the age of three. These ages are slightly higher than those discussed in historical sources for nineteenth century Spain. When these results are compared to contemporaneous, more industrialized, European countries the comparison shows that the initialization of weaning occurred slightly later and was a more gradual process in this Spanish sample. The results also demonstrate that there is no direct relationship between weaning patterns and the occurrence of skeletal vitamin D deficiency. It may be that the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is linked with the nuances of breastfeeding and other biocultural variables, such as a lack of sun exposure, an inadequate weaning diet, or childcare practices. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

Embora estudadas há décadas, a origem e dispersão de treponematoses permanecem como questões das mais acirradamente discutidas. No intuito de enriquecer esta discussão, a presente tese avalia sistematicamente 45 coleções osteológicas de populações costeiras do sul-sudeste do Brasil datadas entre 5000 anos AP e 1500 AD. Foram combinadas três metodologias numa abordagem conservadora para estabelecer o diagnóstico diferencial entre sífilis venérea, congênita, endêmica (bejel) e framboesia (yaws). Dentre os 768 indivíduos estudados foram encontrados 22 casos suspeitos de treponematose, inclusive com lesões tipo Caries sicca e tíbia em forma de sabre (sinais patognomônicos). A frequência geral resultante (22/768=2,86%) é certamente uma subestimativa. Houve 4 casos claros de sífilis venérea e 9 de framboesia, sendo os demais inconclusivos. Não foi observado nenhum caso claro de bejel e nos sítios com mais de um tipo suspeito, os diagnósticos eram iguais ou inconclusivos. Não houve tampouco um padrão geográfico ou temporal claro na distribuição dos casos de treponematose. Algumas outras paleopatologias (Cribra orbitalia, hiperostose porotica, periostite e osteomielite) foram estudadas no intuito de testar se os grupos acometidos por treponematose apresentam maior estresse fisiológico. Esta hipótese foi confirmada; embora as causas para maior susceptibilidade à estresse fisiológico e treponematoses em alguns sítios em comparação com outros permaneçam em aberto. Algumas tendências temporais foram observadas, porém necessitam de confirmação. Ao longo dos milênios parece ter havido uma frequência decrescente de Cribra orbitalia, osteomielite, periostite e remodelação óssea. Por outro lado, parece ter havido uma frequência crescente nos aumentos de porosidades cranianas (Hiperostose porótica, porosidade serpentinosa craniana) e de treponematoses de 5000 anos AP a 1500 AD. Se os diagnósticos aqui apresentados forem confirmados, corrobora-se a hipótese pré-Colombiana. Por outro lado, a hipótese Colombiana da origem da sífilis há somente 500 anos, assim como a Unitária (de acordo com a qual a treponematose é uma doença com manifestações moduladas por fatores climáticos e bioculturais) não explicariam a distribuição das treponematoses aqui encontradas. / Although studied for decades, origin and dispersal of treponemal diseases remain one of the most discussed issues in paleopathology. Aiming to enrich this discussion, the present study systematically evaluates 45 osteological collections from coastal groups aged 5000 BP to 1500 AD, exumed from sites in south-southeastern Brazil. Three different methods were combined and used in a conservative approach to establish differential diagnosis between venereal syphilis, yaws and bejel. Amongst the 768 individuals studied there are 22 cases with possible treponematosis, including some with Caries sicca and saber shin tibiae (patognomonic signs). The final frequency (22/768=2,86%) is certainly an underestimation. There are 4 cases affected with venereal syphilis and 9 with yaws. The remaining 9 cases are inconclusive. No clear case of bejel was found and in those sites were more than one individual was affected, the diagnoses were either the same or were inconclusive. No clear temporal nor geographic pattern of distribution was found. Some other paleopathologies were also studied (cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis, periostitis and osteomyelite) in order to test if those groups affected with treponematoses also showed more physiological stress. Although this hypothesis was confirmed, the reasons that some groups were more susceptible to physiologial stress and treponemal diseases than other remains open. Some temporal tendencies were observed but need confirmation. There seems to have been a decrease in frequency of cribra orbitalia, osteomyelitis, periostitis and bone remodellling across time. On the other hand, there is also a upward shift in the frequency of porotic hyperostosis and treponematoses from 5000BP to 1500AD. If the candidate cases presented here would be confirmed, the pre-Columbian hypothesis seems more plausible. On the other hand, the Columbian hypothesis on the recent origin of syphilis, as well as the Unitarian hypothesis (according to which treponematosis is one disease with clinical manifestations influenced by climatic as well as bio-cultural factors) does not explain the distribution of treponematoses found herein.

Cusirisna Cave was discovered in the 1870s by Dr. Earl Flint, an explorer for the Harvard Peabody Musuem. The human remains and artifacts found in the cave were collected and sent to the museum, where they have remained since, unanalyzed. In December 2011, Dr. Clifford T. Brown and I analyzed the osteological material and artifacts because we thought they might be related to the Preclassic cave complexes of neighboring Honduras, an idea originally suggested by Dr. James Brady. I analyzed the human remains while Dr. Brown studied the artifacts. This thesis presents the results of the analyses and compare the findings to other mortuary complexes in Mesoamerica. Despite the paucity of material culture, information regarding context, and the small sample size, I propose Cusirisna as a place of exceptional ritual importance. This project adds to our understanding of cave bioarchaeology, mortuary practices in Mesoamerica, and the prehistory of Nicaragua. / by Kendra L. Philmon. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Anthropology, March 1999. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

The Mycenaean cemetery at Kallithea Laganidia is the first comprehensive study of a cemetery sample from the periphery of the Mycenaean world. Previous studies have focused primarily on remains from palace centers. Even though it is known that the Mycenaeans populated Achaea , very little is known about this more rural population. Archaeologically and bioarchaeologically the region of Achaea has been neglected by formal and organized research, and as a result almost nothing is known about the population. This project has three aims. First, to provide new demographic data about sex, age, health, and the culture of these Mycenaeans. Secondly, via osteological analysis, to examine the hypothesis that the social stratification indicated by the associated grave goods in the tombs is reflected in the spatial orientation of each tomb and the health status of the individuals buried in the graves. Finally, to address the issue of “orphaned” archaeological collections, excavated in rescue operations, which then languish in storage for years or decades. The Kallithea Laganidia cemetery was in use from LHIIIA to LHIIIC and consists of one tholos and 23 chamber tombs. The tholos is a monumental high status tomb, and was in use both before and after the construction and use of the chamber tombs. Five of the chamber tombs were selected as a representative sample of the cemetery for this thesis. The tombs contained both men and women, and adults and children were represented among the tombs, indicating that they should provide a reasonable cross section of the population that buried their dead at Kallithea Laganidia. This osteological data showed and confirmed that the status differences seen in the grave goods from the tombs are also reflected in the tombs according to spatial distribution. The varying quality of burial offerings among the tombs of Kallithea Laganidia suggest that the tombs closer to the tholos contain burials of the socially elite, and the tombs farther away from the tholos contain burials of lower social classes. The pathology data collected, and more specifically the dental pathology data, do reflect social stratification among the sample’s five tombs, particularly when looking at antemortem tooth loss and severe dental wear. In addition, there are indications of status or behaviour differences between the sexes. Kallithean women seem to have been exposed to infection during life more often than men. Women have higher rates of infectious disease, and indications of more antemortem cranial trauma than men. Also, the presence of men, women, and children among secondary burials within these tombs suggested that there is a familial or linear tie within each tomb. The Kallithea Laganidia cemetery has the potential to yield new and informative data about the Achaean Mycenaean population. From this small sampling of 38 burials from five tombs, already the demography and paleopathology of this peripheral group is beginning to be deciphered.