Osteoarchaeology: Bones, Bodies, and Human Growth and Development

Lecture Outline and Objectives

  • Understanding human growth and development across the life course.
  • Investigating how human osteoarchaeology can study different life stages from skeletal remains.

Key Definitions

  • Auxology: The science focusing on human growth and development.
  • Human Growth: The process of increasing in size; characterized as a nonlinear, episodic biological pattern (Lampl, 1993).
  • Ontogeny: The complete development of an individual from the earliest stage to maturity.
  • Human Development: The scientific study of age-related changes encompassing behavior, thinking, emotion, and personality (Boyd & Bee, 2005).
  • Life Cycle: A sequence of life stages that span from birth to death (O'Brien, 2008).

Phases of Human Development

Age Categories and Corresponding Life Phases:

  1. Prenatal: Prior to birth
  2. Infancy: Birth to 1 year
  3. Early Childhood: 1-5 years
  4. Middle and Late Childhood: 6-11 years
  5. Adolescence: 12-19 years
  6. Early Adulthood: 20-30 years
  7. Middle Adulthood: 31-50 years
  8. Late Adulthood: 51-64 years
  9. Old Age: 65 years and over

Theories of Development

Psychosocial Theorists:

  • Sigmund Freud: Focused on the role of unconscious processes.
  • Erik Erikson: Emphasized psychosocial stages of development.

Cognitive Theorists:

  • Jean Piaget: Proposed stages of cognitive development.
  • Lev Vygotsky: Examined social influences on learning.

Ecological Theorists:

  • Urie Bronfenbrenner: Highlighted the impact of environmental systems on development.
  • Glen H. Elder Jr.: Studied life course and human development.

Osteoarchaeology: Ageing the Human Skeleton

Methods of Age Estimation:

  • Non-Adults:
    • Dental eruption stages.
    • Ossification patterns (epiphyseal fusion).
  • Adults:
    • Assessing dental wear.
    • Evaluating degenerative changes in joints.

Types of Age:

  • Chronological Age: Time since birth.
  • Biological Age: Physiological condition of skeletal remains.
  • Social Age: Sociocultural perceptions of adulthood or elderly roles.

Importance of Age Estimation in Archaeology

  • Significant for understanding demographic patterns such as high infant mortality (ex: Roman Italy).
  • Assessing the presence and health of children and elders provides insights into community health and living conditions.

Life Cycle Overview

  • Phases of Development:
    • Organism begins at conception and progresses through various stages (prenatal, infant, child, adolescent, adult, elderly, to death).

Detailed Phases

Phase I: Conception and Prenatal Development

  • Fertilization: Zygote formation, continuous cell division.
  • Development Stages:
    • Germinal Stage: <2 weeks.
    • Embryonic Stage: <8 weeks.
    • Fetal Stage: 9 weeks to birth (~42 weeks).
  • Paleopathology: Study of congenital diseases such as spina bifida, cystic fibrosis.

Phase II: The Newborn Baby

  • Physical Aspects: Development of reflexes, sensory perceptions (smell, hearing, sight).
  • Communication: Eye contact, crying, and imitation behaviors.

Phase III: Infancy

  • Physical Development: Cephalo-caudal and proximo-distal growth patterns.
  • Cognitive Development: Learning through senses and movements.
  • Socio-Emotional Development: Self-awareness, emotional expression.

Phase IV: Early Childhood

  • Growth Patterns: Synchronization of growth, emergence of sex differences.
  • Cognitive Development: Language skills, egocentric thinking.
  • Socio-Emotional Development: Identity formation.

Phase V: Middle Childhood

  • Physical Development: Mastery of motor skills.
  • Cognitive Development: Understanding complex concepts; reduced egocentrism.
  • Socio-Emotional Development: Impact of social environment on development.

Phase VI: Adolescence

  • Physical Development: Asynchronous growth; onset of puberty.
  • Cognitive Development: Development of abstract thought, self-consciousness.
  • Assessment: Estimation of skeletal development marks (ex: ossification) to evaluate puberty.

Phases VII-IX: Adulthood to Death

  • Early Adulthood: Brain development continues; post-formal thought develops.
  • Middle Adulthood: Physical changes (menopause); cognitive and emotional responsibilities emerge.
  • Late Adulthood: Increased frailty; reflective thinking occurs.
  • Death: Phases leading to clinical and biological death.