We continued direct morphological studies of the canid coxofemoral joint, considering early-life spatial relationships around the locus of the proximocaudal joint capsule insertion. Our primary goal was to elucidate the postnatal developmental gross anatomy of the proximocaudal femur, among juveniles across Canidae. From an original database of 267 independent (museum) specimens from 11 canid taxa and 1 hybrid taxon, we identified 29 ancient or modern candidate juvenile specimens (nine taxa and one hybrid taxon). Based on optimal ability to recognize landmarks, the best photographic data were categorized into five groups of four each (n = 20). The data groups approximated early juvenile, early-mid juvenile, mid-juvenile, mid-late juvenile; and young adult stages. In this descriptive photographic essay, we demonstrate the developmental spatial proximity among (a) the dorsal meeting of the respective lateral and medial extensions from the growth centers of the femoral head and greater trochanter; (b) the caudodorsal aspect of the coxofemoral joint capsule attachment; (c) a segment of the proximocaudal femoral shaft physis; and (d) an eventual associated mineralized prominence. The latter occurs frequently but not universally, suggesting natural population variability across taxa. Across taxa and juvenile age categories, the morphology thus supports developmental conservation among ancient and modern Canidae. The biomechanical and biological cause-effect implications are not yet clear. For zoological purposes, we apply the term postdevelopmental mineralized prominence to the residual caudolateral surface feature. We extend the original anatomical work of Morgan in zoological and phylogenic arenas, using direct observation of cleared skeletal specimens.

In paleopathology, few other diseases have received more attention than leprosy and studies of skeletal remains from medieval Denmark have primarily focused on urban and leprosarium cemeteries in order to construct diagnostic criteria and disease frequencies of past communities. This project presents data from the rural monastic site of Øm Kloster in the Central Jutland region of Denmark in order to establish disease frequencies between demographic subgroups and general disease prevalence in a regionally representative site. With a sample of 311 adult individuals, cranial and postcranial diagnostic criteria were utilized in order to determine the presence or absence of leprosy on individual skeletons. Each individual was analyzed and categorized by sex, age group, and social status based on burial location and this data was used to yield results on the demographic makeup of the sample and disease frequencies. Lastly, chi-square tests of independence were conducted to determine if there were statistically significant relationships between sex, age, social status, and leprosy. The results indicated that there were no statically strong relationships between these variables; however, it was evident that disease prevalence did increase with age and that there were significantly more males and lay people with leprotic lesions than females and high status individuals. The results suggested that each individual had most likely carried the bacterium, but that there were no significant numbers of individuals affected at any one time. Lastly, the results from the Øm Kloster analysis were compared to those of the rural village cemetery at Tirup and were found to be compatible. Ultimately, this study reflects that disease may have been much more prevalent than was osteologically visible and that this rural community illustrated comparable data with other regional sites. This study shows that lesion frequencies do present evidence to determine general disease prevalence in past populations and to gain data on the overall health of a regionally representative, non-leprosarium cemetery site.

No description available.

Fractures, one of the most common findings in paleopathology, can reveal information about behaviour and social identity in the past. A new methodology for assessing the healing stages of fractures has recently been proposed, which could allow for additional data to be gathered from the study of fractures. Trauma, post-traumatic time interval, and injury recidivism were studied in five late Roman (c. 3rd – 4th centuries AD) British and Spanish skeletal samples. The aims of this thesis are: 1) record fractures and their healing stage using new post-traumatic time interval estimation methods; 2) determine how trauma profiles vary in the Romano-British and Spanish samples; 3) employ biocultural and life course approaches in the analysis of the results to reveal information about the culture, social identities, and environmental circumstances in the two Roman provinces under study. The remains of 214 adults from two Romano-British and three Romano-Spanish sites were examined for the presence of long bone and rib fractures. Fracture data was analyzed by age, sex, site, bone element, and fracture type to build a profile of trauma at each of the sites. In addition, cases of multiple injury were assessed using new post-traumatic time interval methods in order to discern cases of injury recidivism. A total of 44 individuals were identified as having 89 fractures across all the skeletal samples. Sixteen individuals had multiple fractures, eight of which were determined to have fractures of different ages using methods for determining post-traumatic time interval. Males and females had similar rates of fractures and multiple injuries. Fractures peaked among economically active young and middle-aged adults. A number of differences between the Romano-British and Spanish sample were observed with regards to trauma patterns and fracture prevalence. The results of this research contribute to our understandings of trauma profiles and injury recidivism in Roman populations, and provide the first comprehensive trauma study of a Romano-Spanish skeletal sample. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

Vitamin D deficiency at Middenbeemster and Hattem is the result of cultural variables that limit an individual’s exposure to sunlight. During growth spurts, such as the pubertal growth spurt, high demand for vitamin D puts individuals at an increased risk for developing conditions such as rickets. This thesis aims to determine whether adolescent rickets can be identified in archaeological skeletal remains, and how to quantify the observed changes. The current work also aims to use the prevalence of adolescent rickets to understand the underlying social changes affecting individuals in the Netherlands in the 17th to 19th centuries. Two collections of archaeological human remains from the 17th to 19th century Dutch sites of Middenbeemster (n=246) and Hattem (n=117) were evaluated using macroscopic, metric, radiographic, and micro-CT analysis of skeletal remains. Adolescent individuals were evaluated for signs of active adolescent rickets, and adults were evaluated for signs of residual adolescent rickets. Statistical analysis found that measurements quantifying shape changes at the distal ulna, medial clavicle, and sacral angle can be used to identify adolescent rickets in a skeletal sample. Adolescent rickets at Middenbeemster and Hattem was found to be distributed equally amongst males and females and was found to occur less frequently than rickets in infants and children from the same population. Rickets in adolescents was most likely caused by the onset of new jobs or roles resulting in individuals remaining indoors for long periods of time. Rickets may have also been caused by illness. By identifying rickets in adolescents, this thesis provides a window to view the changing roles of individuals as they begin to occupy new spaces in their transition from children into adults, thus providing a novel way to investigate the lives of adolescents. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

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.

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.

This thesis is a paleopathological survey of ancient Peruvian crania housed at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Chapter one discusses the significance of this research, work prior to this thesis’s formulation, and defines paleopathological and bioarchaeological terms relevant to this thesis. Chapter two presents this thesis’s materials and methods. Of the 196 Peruvian crania in this study sample, 11 case studies are presented. Chapter three reports a case of probable scurvy and likely anemia comorbidity. This case study is accompanied by a critical analysis and review of the literature surrounding scurvy, a detailed macroscopic examination, and a rigorous differential diagnosis process. Chapter four offers cases representing pseudopathology, hematopoietic disease, infectious disease, joint disease, neoplastic disease, trauma, and trauma-induced disease. Chapter five presents a summary of this thesis. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Este trabalho avalia, desde uma perspectiva bioarqueológica, diversos indicadores ósseos de estresse e de violência física nas populações que foram sepultadas na península de Paracas, costa sul do Peru, durante o final do Horizonte Temprano (400 a.C - 100 d.C). Tal período é essencial na história da complexificação social dos Andes Centrais, porque coincide com o colapso da tradição Chavín que previamente integrava diversas organizações políticas, causando fragmentação regional e surgimento de sociedades diversificadas com elites disputando o poder. Durante o final do Horizonte Temprano várias regiões andinas exibiram arquitetura defensiva, altas frequências de traumas violentos e iconografia que incluía cenas de violência e de possível conflito. Além disso, dados publicados para outros sítios contemporâneos da região sugerem a existência de um período de crise com profundas mudanças sociopolíticas. Para nos aproximarmos do impacto que teve esse processo na qualidade de vida das pessoas sepultadas na península de Paracas, foram estimadas a estatura adulta, prevalências de hipoplasias do esmalte dentário, cribra orbitalia, hiperostose porótica, lesões do periósteo, traumas, trepanações cranianas e modificação intencional do crânio, numa coleção de 307 esqueletos escavados por J.C Tello entre 1925-1930. Esses indivíduos foram sepultados durante duas fases consecutivas: Cavernas (sítio Cerro Colorado) e Necrópolis (sítios Warikayán e Arena Blanca). Durante o período Cavernas observamos menor estatura adulta masculina e maiores prevalências nos indicadores de estresse e de traumas cranianos em comparação ao período Necrópolis. Nesta última fase, que coincide com o aparecimento de grupos associados à tradição Topará, observamos variação no tipo geral de modificação craniana, menor exposição aos traumas cranianos, aumento da estatura masculina e redução na prevalência de indicadores ósseos de estresse, sugerindo melhoras nas condições gerais de vida. Esta pesquisa fornece novos dados para compreender o impacto das mudanças nos processos de complexificação social sobre a qualidade de vida que aconteceram nos Andes Centrais / This research uses a bioarchaeological perspective to analyze various skeletal stress markers and violence-related trauma in the populations buried on the Paracas peninsula, south coast of Peru, during the final Early Horizon period (400 B.C - AD.100). This period, in the complex social history of Andean population is transformative because of the decline of the highland Chavin culture that previously integrated various socio-political organizations, which led to regional fragmentation and local elites vying for political control. During this period were found, defensive architecture, high prevalence of cranial trauma, and warrior iconography in various Andean archaeological sites. In addition, published data for contemporaneous sites suggests a crises period that lead to major sociopolitical changes. To assess the impact this process had on the quality of life, this study estimates the adult stature and prevalences of enamel hypoplasia, cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis, periosteal lesions, skeletal trauma, cranial trepanation, and cranial vault modification in 307 skeletons from the J.C Tello collection, excavated between 1925 and 1930 on the Paracas peninsula. Those individuals were buried in two successive cultural periods: Cavernas (Cerro Colorado site) and Necrópolis (Warikayán and Arena Blanca sites). In the Cavernas period a shorter male stature and a higher prevalence in the stress markers and cranial trauma were observed. The subsequent Necropolis period, influenced by Topará groups, showed differences in cranial vault modification types, significant reduction of cranial trauma, increases in male stature, and lower prevalence of skeletal stress markers. This findings suggest a more stable period with better life conditions. These results provide new insight into the impact of social complexity on the development of Andean population\'s quality of life

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