bio archaeology

Bioarchaeology:

The study of human skeletal remains within their archaeological and mortuary contexts

-Includes a variety of human remains typically found by archaeologists

-Complete skeletons, skulls, bone fragments, and traces of the human body (hair and cremated remains)


The field of bioarchaeology

-In other countries: osteoarchaeology, osteology or paleo-osteology

-Developed with processual archaeology (Lewis Binford)

-Bioarchaeology term coined by Jane Buikstra


Which biological categories are represented?

  • Sex

  • How long did they live?

  • What did they look like?

  • Where did they come from?



Useful bones for sex determination

  • Pelvis (round for female)

  • Greater sciatic notch in females (rule of thumb)

  • Parity scars on female pubic bones

  • Ventral arc front of pubis male is thinner sloping female thicker angular

  • Skull: occipital bun male more pronounced ledge on back of head



Case study from iceland

Late viking age early medieval christian cemetery

Beginning of 11th century AD to turn of 12th century

Keldudalur cemetery

Separation of burials based on sex

High mortality rate for this population

Religious reason for separation?

Men buried in front of church women behind the church


Ways of acessing skeletal age

  • Bone ossification

  • Bone fusion

  • Dental development

  • Bone degeneration

(not the same for everyone)




Methods of aging 

Fetal age

-bone ossification

-dental development

Juveniles

-epiphyseal fusion

Adults

-cranial suture closure

Very old

-degenerative changes 


Centers of ossification

Very young specks of bone

Juveniles long piece shaft of long bone

As grow older will fuse together


Epiphyseal fusion sequence

Every Healthy Archaeologist Knows Which Shovel

E- elbow 11-13

H- hip 13-14

A- ankle 14-16

K- knee 14-16

W- wrist 16-18

S- shoulder 18-21 

Cranium last to fuse around 26


Dental development 

Most accurate age indicator in subadults 

Controlled by genetic factors


Dental development

Evidence points to 13-15 years as the age of “adulthood” in the Byzantine Near East

Historical documents indicate this was the common age of marriage

Would be labeled as sub-adults based on dental developments 


Very aged changes

Pronounced granulators

Thinning of parietals

Alveolar resorption

Bone buildup


Thinning parietals (sides of cranium)

Mummy of the lady Tjes-Mut-peret

Parietals thin as people age


Alveolar resorption

Progressive deterioration of alveolar region

Tooth loss correspond to most advanced stage of periodontal disease

Can be caused by age but also diets

Penguin catholithic period palestine


Burials at mycenaean pylos

13th century BCE

“Griffin warrior tomb”

Chamber tombs/tholos tombs

Female diet less nitrogen enriched

Gender based social inequalities in this society

Strong family relationships buried together