In modern populations, adolescence is recognized as a pivotal part of the life course, but bioarchaeologists have not yet widely considered the experiences of adolescents in the past. This research investigates the biological and social changes during Roman adulescentia for individuals buried at Isola Sacra (1st-4th centuries CE; Italy) and Lisieux-Michelet (4-5th centuries CE; France). To investigate biological changes, this thesis identifies osteological indicators of pubertal timing and peptide analysis to assess biological sex for pre-pubertal individuals (n=264). Results demonstrate that adulescentia experienced an extended period of puberty, from nine to 20 years of age; menarche occurred around 15 years of age. Comparisons between the two archaeological sites demonstrate similar patterns of pubertal timing, suggesting similar exposure to Early Life Stress. To investigate the social changes, this research uses stable isotope analysis of incremental dentine sections in teeth, to investigate dietary change between childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Incorporating literary sources, observed changes in diet are contextualized in relation to expected social age changes for middle-class individuals within the Roman Empire. At both sites, females exhibit a gradual dietary transition, reflecting a gradual social age change, or that diet is not an appropriate proxy for social age changes for women. For males, changing dietary patterns correspond with the beginning of adulescentia, when these young men took on new roles within their communities and underwent pubertal development. This research demonstrates that adulescentia was an extended period of biological and social change for males and females, which took on different forms depending on one’s sex/gender and social position. This research also demonstrates how investigations of adolescence can permit a more holistic interpretation of this transitional period of the life course and exposes the transitional experiences of these individuals as they come of age in the Roman Empire. / Dissertation / Candidate in Philosophy / There are kids, and there are adults, but what about those in-between? When does one become the other? These are the questions driving this doctoral research, and in applying them to the Roman Empire, I examine patterns of puberty and changes in diet, to better understand when children started to look like and eat like adults in their communities. This research demonstrates that adulescentia (i.e., adolescence) was a period of extended biological development, with puberty occurring between 9 and 20 years of age. Changes in diet, however, occurred in different ways for males and females, and across space and time within the Roman Empire, suggesting that there was not a singular experience or definition of adulescentia, but that lived experiences were more variable and nuanced than ancient literary sources suggest.

This study analyses social age as a phenomenon and if unaccompanied refugee children has a social age that, according to the Swedish culture, do not correspond with their biological age and if so is, the reason for that. Furthermore, our study has discussed the potential consequences of the effects for the unaccompanied refugee children and the social age when interacting with Swedish society. According to our study, the social age is effected by other factors besides cultural norms, values and role expectations that a society has on a specific biological age. The results in this study shows that social age is a vital component to someone’s identity. Therefore, the social age is an important factor for individuals when it comes to meeting and handling new social environments such as new countries.

<p>This dissertation employs a multiscalar, life course approach to examine health in the ancient Nile Valley (<i>c</i>. 2000- 660 BCE) by analyzing population- and individual-level data of skeletal indicators of stress, health, and pathological conditions. Specifically, this dissertation explores a more detailed reconstruction of health under a life course approach through the inclusion of individuals of all ages, a contextualization of social and biological age categories, the examination of multiple non-specific indicators of general health/stress, and the timing and development of specific conditions. Results of the population-level data are expanded and highlighted through the examination of individual experiences of health, specifically those related to growing old, impairment, and disability. Population-level data examining cribra orbitalia and LEH demonstrated a significant difference between individuals that survived periods of childhood stress (adults) and non-survivors (juveniles) when examining cribra orbitalia. More specifically, there are relatively high frequencies of cribra orbitalia in individuals in the late juvenile social age category (7 – 14 years) and the transition adult social age category (14 - 20 years). A broad examination of old age at Tombos reveals that many individuals were living into their 60s, 70s, and 80s. Individuals at Tombos do not have many indicators of osteoarthritis or entheseal changes, indicating that the inhabitants of Tombos were not subjected to strenuous physical activities throughout their life. Individuals throughout the Tombos cemetery display oral health issues; it is common for members of this community to have significant dental wear, carious lesions, abscesses, and antemortem tooth loss. A case study of an older Tombos adult (U34.B1) investigates the intersection of old age, impairment, and disability through the consideration of the physical changes related to degenerative joint disease and oral health and the impact to U34.B1’s mobility, pain level, and daily life. Acute care related to a severe, non-union femoral neck fracture at the end of life is also considered for U34.B1. Finally, impairment and disability are considered in another individual (U35.Sh2.B10) with Léri-Weill dyschondrosteosis by utilizing the bioarchaeology of care approach. Overall, this dissertation demonstrates that population-level and individual-level analysis can incorporate various types of contextual data gathered using a culturally specific lens to create a rich narrative of health in the past. </p>

yes / Context: Adult age-at-death is presented in a number of different ways by anthropologists. Ordinal categories predominate in osteoarchaeology, but do not reflect individual variation in ageing, with too many adults being classified as ‘middle adults’. In addition, mean ages (derived from reference samples) are overly-relied upon when developing and testing methods. In both cases, ‘age mimicry’ is not adequately accounted for. Objectives: To highlight the many inherent biases created when developing, testing and applying age-estimation methods without fully considering the impact of ‘age mimicry’ and individual variation. Methods: The paper draws on previously published research (Web of Science, Pub Med, Google Scholar) on age estimation methods and their use in anthropology. Results and Conclusions: There is a lack of consistency in the methods used to estimate age, and for the mode of combining them. Ordinal categories are frequently used in osteoarchaeology, whereas forensic anthropologists are more likely to produce case-specific age ranges. Mean ages reflect the age structure of reference samples, and should not be used to estimate age for individuals from populations with a different age-at-death structure. Individual-specific age ranges and/or probability densities should be used to report individual age. Further research should be undertaken on how to create unbiased, combined method age estimates.

No

The aim of this thesis is to interpret and discuss the weapon-graves of Viking Age Birka. The weapon-grave phenomenon is deemed differential in relation to the rest of the grave-material of the site, and thus the questions that motivate the thesis is: who was buried with weapons and why? Further questions arise regarding the social aspects of individuals who were buriedalong with weapons. The theoretical approach will be to evaluate any differences in 'social class', 'social age' and 'gender' between the weapon-grave contexts. By conducting qualitativeand quantified analysis of the grave-goods, this thesis adresses both overall and detailed patterns in correlation and constellations between weapons, other grave-goods and terms of burial.