Search

Bioarchaeological research of bone growth patterns provides information on the health status and disease of past populations. Recent studies have pointed out the potential of metric analysis of nonadult vertebrae as indicators of stress during different stages of ontogeny, highlighting that most vertebral measurements present low sexual dimorphism, a stable and known pattern of growth and give useful information even in incomplete spines. The aims of this paper are first, to construct a vertebral growth profile for nonadults of a skeletal series of Patagonian Late Holocene hunter‐gatherers from Salitroso Lake (SAC); second, to compare it to the ones obtained in other archaeological and modern populations with different stress experiences; and third, building on this, to assess whether individuals with evidence of stress experienced in early development demonstrate different patterns in vertebral growth than those without. Two spinal dimensions are used: vertebral body height (VBH) and transverse diameter of the neural canal (TDNC) in a sample of 23 nonadult skeletons with ages previously estimated from dental and bone indicators. The vertebral dimensions of 20 adults between 18 and 35 years of age were also measured as reference information. Results show that the growth of the VBH is steady over the years and reaches adulthood size by approximately 16 years of age whereas TDNC dimensions do not experience marked fluctuations in size throughout life and adult dimensions are reached at approximately 4 years of age as expected. The vertebral growth pattern observed in SAC is similar to that obtained in other archaeological samples from very different settings but experiencing relatively high nutritional or pathological stress in early stages of life. However, it is markedly different, and systematically smaller, to the 20th century sample pattern, probably responding to a secular trend in the modern population with a more stable access to resources and medical treatment. Finally, SAC individuals with systemic stress markers do not tend to exhibit smaller vertebral dimensions than those without them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fallow deer (Dama dama Linnaeus, 1758) has a long history of interaction with prehistoric humans. Beginning in the Neolithic, humans introduced fallow deer to several areas of the eastern Mediterranean and mainland Europe, with later additional importing happening in the Bronze and Iron Ages. However, in some parts of southeastern Europe, autochthonous populations of extant fallow deer may have survived through the end of the Pleistocene and into the early Holocene, making them available for exploitation by Neolithic and Chalcolithic communities. Climatic and vegetational regimes favourable to fallow deer covered nearly all of Bulgaria during this period; yet, the heavy use of the species by human communities was restricted to a very small area around southeastern Bulgaria. Eventually, climate deterioration, habitat change and overhunting led to the decline of fallow deer in later prehistory in Bulgaria. This paper offers a discussion of the environmental and cultural background of human‐fallow deer interactions from the sixth to fourth millennium BCE in Bulgaria. Using bivariate scatterplots and log ratio techniques, we demonstrate that Neolithic and Chalcolithic communities exploited a large extant fallow‐deer population, appearing to target both males and females equally. Our results are the first step in a larger archaeological investigation of human‐fallow deer relations that unfolded over several millennia, touching upon issues of settlement, migration and perhaps even taming or domestication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A biogeographic model used to describe human peopling of southern Mendoza, central western Argentina, proposed an intensification process activated by an increase in population growth rate during the Late Holocene. During this process, high‐ranked resources at the surroundings of residential camps were depleted, and hunter–gatherers broadened their diet by incorporating a larger number of low‐ranked prey and domesticated plant resources. In this paper, we evaluate an alternative hypothesis, focusing on zooarchaeological data from the Diamante River basin. The results show that faunal resource intensification does not appear to have occurred in the Diamante River basin during the Late Holocene. Faunal consumption in Diamante River basin mainly reflects the local fauna in each ecological zone. The data do not show a lack of higher ranked resources. We suggest it is more likely that the demographic increase was not significant enough to cause an impact on the faunal resources. The archaeological evidence should be improved and analysed in smaller scales to continue with the intensification debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to provide information on the analysis of stable isotopes obtained from bones of marine and terrestrial fauna used as potential food by hunter‐gatherers on the northern coast of Santa Cruz province (Argentine Patagonia). The results from the isotopic ecology are analysed to contribute to dietary interpretations of the human populations who lived in this area. The mean of terrestrial resources is −19.1‰ ± 1.8‰ and 9.2‰ ± 2.6‰ for δ13C and δ15N, respectively. Meanwhile, marine resources recorded a mean of δ13C −12.5‰ ± 1.2‰ and δ15N of 19.4‰ ± 2.4‰. The analysed human samples come from different types of burials dated mainly in the Late Holocene. The δ13C and δ15N isotopic values on human remains suggest the existence of different diets during the Late Holocene, including people who consumed mainly marine, terrestrial, and mixed proteins, with a range between −18‰ to −10.4‰ and 12.4‰ to 23.4‰ for δ13C and δ15N, respectively. Some of these isotopic values, which indicate marine diets, are the highest recorded for Patagonia. The influence of the marine spray on the terrestrial trophic chains is suggested for the Patagonian Atlantic coast, evidenced by higher values in the δ15N of guanacos from the coast in relation to others studied from the hinterland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate population‐specific sex estimation standards do not exist for southern African Holocene San and Khoekhoe populations. Due to markedly small stature, skeletal gracility, and physically active lifestyle, this population exhibits reduced sexual dimorphism, complicating application of standards developed elsewhere. The effectiveness of common sex estimation approaches were assessed and optimized for San and Khoekhoe populations. One‐hundred seventy‐five adult archaeological San and Khoekhoe skeletons were studied. Sex estimates from seven morphological traits (cranial and mandibular) and six metrical parameters (mandibular, humeral, and femoral) were compared with pelvic (Phenice) sex estimates to assess agreement. Results were analyzed using chi‐squared tests, univariate statistics, and cross‐validated discriminant function analysis. The effectiveness of individual cranial and mandibular traits varied: The mastoid process and mandibular shape produced the highest agreement rates with pelvic sex estimates (73% and 72%, respectively), while mental eminence and nuchal crest produced the lowest (both 53%). The nuchal crest exhibited a strong sex bias. All mandibular and long‐bone metrical parameters were sexually dimorphic; femoral and humeral vertical head diameter (FHD and HVHD) were the most discriminatory. The discriminant function equations showing the highest agreement with pelvic sex estimates were direct multivariate bicondylar breadth, FHD and HVHD (77%), univariate FHD (75%), and stepwise multivariate FHD and HVHD (73%). All variables were sexually dimorphic, but the reduced sexual dimorphism in this population necessitates careful choice of traits. Trait scores considered diagnostic of males and females may require adjustment to improve discriminating power. This study identified the most accurate areas to target for sex estimation and generated the first discriminant functions specific to archaeological San and Khoekhoe people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ocean has always been a source of inspiration for past and present civilizations, especially for those involved in fishing activities. The regular fishing of large pelagic fish by past societies using harpoons has been demonstrated, with several studies reporting the discovery of an important fishery of large pelagic fish (including swordfish) dating from as early as the sixth millennium BCE on the North Chilean Pacific Coast. The swordfish (Xiphias gladius) is a cosmopolitan, highly migratory species found in all warm and temperate oceans and seas, and mercury is known to bioamplify along food webs, increasing with the trophic level of organisms up to these top predators. This study, therefore, analyzes and compares the mercury levels of archeological and modern vertebrae in swordfish. The archeological fish remains were recovered during excavation of the Zapatero archeological site on the northern coast of Chile, and the modern vertebrae were collected from specimens caught in the Pacific Ocean. The archeological vertebrae showed lower levels of mercury in comparison with those of current individuals, despite their larger size. However, the elevated Hg levels in archeological vertebrae proved the presence of naturally occurring mercury in the mid‐Holocene. Analyses on modern vertebrae confirmed the anthropic origin of mercury in the marine food web. Mercury biomagnifies through the marine food chain to swordfish (and humans) and did so even during the Holocene (bioaccumulation phenomenon). This study evidences that vertebrae and bones are potentially good biomarkers of mercury, including for archeological fish remains, and that the possible harmful effects on the health of past human communities can be analyzed and explained by the high consumption of fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foetal animal remains present the opportunity to investigate seasonal prey mortality in archaeological contexts. Mortality seasons may be inferred by adding a gestation age, as estimated from foetal skeletal growth curves, to a known conception period. For example, given an October conception period, the remains of a 6‐month‐old foetal animal suggest deposition in April. However, three problems complicate these investigations: (1) Conception periods in animal populations are generally not discrete windows or dates but rather distributions of events though a calendar year; (2) variation in foetal development implies that any given skeletal state corresponds to a range of gestation ages, and (3) evolutionary changes in a taxon's foetal growth may make modern growth curves poor analogues for past populations. We develop a probabilistic method to address the first two problems and partially address the third problem. The method is specific to early Holocene bison in North America (~10 000 to 8000 cal. BP), and we provide example applications: the Horner II Site, with one foetal humerus, and the Casper Site, with five foetal elements. Results for Horner II indicate that the foetal humerus is consistent with the fall or winter mortality season inferred from bison dentitions at the site, whereas results for Casper suggest a spring mortality event or events distinct from most of the site's adult bison specimens. This may reflect real seasonality variability at Casper, although methodological assumptions warrant caution for this interpretation; Future work should focus on testing these assumptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is assumed that the hunter‐gatherers of the Sabana de Bogotá focused their subsistence strategies on white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) hunting. The deer was their main prey because it was one of the largest animals in the area. However, there are differences between the early, middle, and late Holocene hunter‐gatherers in terms of their ways of life. The aim of this article is to contribute to a better understanding of animal resource exploitation and management particularly of white‐tailed deer using archaeofaunal remains from Aguazuque site at the Sabana de Bogotá, Colombia dated between 5,025 ± 40 BP (3,925–3,770 cal BP) and 2,725 ± 35 BP (900–825 cal BP). This is a key site for understanding social change in the middle and late Holocene at the Sabana de Bogotá. To describe the faunal set, two indexes were used: number of identified specimens and minimal number of individuals. Contra to models proposing the specialised hunting of big game for hunter‐gatherers in this region, the inhabitants of Aguazuque did not exclusively focus their diet on white‐tailed deer hunting; they used other animal species, such as guinea pigs, and plants played an important role in the human diet of Aguazuque. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The guanaco (Lama guanicoe) was the most relevant species in hunter‐gatherer subsistence of the Argentine Pampas during the Quaternary. An early Late Holocene (3,184 ± 50 14C years bp) guanaco assemblage with evidence of exploitation, coming from Cerro del Águila site, Buenos Aires Province, is analysed herein. The assemblage is composed by three perinatal individuals; the estimated age at the moment of death ranges from a few weeks before birth to a few weeks old. Cerro del Águila is interpreted as a site where activities of procurement and processing of perinatal individuals were performed. The available information allows raising a discussion on the hunting and exploitation strategies of guanaco in a regional context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this work are to present a set of methodological procedures to analyse commingled bone assemblages (e.g. secondary burials), in order to build the mortality profile of the Paso Alsina 1 site and discuss the obtained age at death distribution in a context of hunter-gatherer populations that inhabited the eastern Pampa-Patagonia transition (Argentina) during the Final Late Holocene. The Paso Alsina 1 site is a formal disposal area of inhumations composed by multiple secondary burials dated at ca. 500 14C years BP. The site is comprised of a minimum number of 77 individuals, represented by both sexes and all age categories. The mortality profile is characterized by a bimodal pattern with a peak of greater representation of individuals younger than 3 years and another comprising the range between 20 and 34.9 years old. These results are discussed in relation to the paleopathological information available for the site, indicating that individuals suffered mainly disruptions in growth and development by systemic stress. The mortality profile obtained suggests that this skeletal series would not have formed as a result of a catastrophic event. On the contrary, it is an atricionalmortality profile, consisting of individuals who died at different times and places and for varied reasons. Later, skeletal remains were grouped into secondary bundles and simultaneously buried at the site. Bodymanipulation and secondary burials are common in the context of a social reorganization that occurred in the area and in neighbouring regions during the Final Late Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents bioarchaeological patterns of interpersonal violence inferred for Northeastern Patagonia (Argentina) during the late Holocene. The main goal is to evaluate if there is a significant increase in the frequency of indicators of violence during the final late Holocene, prior to colonial times, in possible concordance with the Medieval Climatic Anomaly ( ca. 1150-600 years BP). A sample of skulls (n = 797) was studied through a series of methodological steps that included the evaluation of their state of preservation and the study of potential injuries, taking into account the degree of ambiguity of the diagnosis. The sample was divided into three chronological groups: early ( ca. 3500-2500 years BP), middle ( ca. 2500-1500 years BP) and late ( ca. 1500-400 years BP). The individuals were also separated according to sex, age category and geographical distribution. Although a temporal trend toward increased violence was detected, it was not statistically significant. There was also a higher percentage of positive cases in Northern individuals compared to the Southern ones, and between males compared to females, but neither case had statistically significant differences. Alternative mechanisms, such as population dispersals, exchange and use of buffer areas, that may have functioned to dispel social tensions, are proposed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fragments of a single human skeleton recovered from a discrete archaeological context and dating to the Early Holocene from Ille Site, Palawan, Philippines, provided a unique opportunity to utilise anthropogenic bone modifications to reconstruct the postmortem history of a body prior to its deposition. Aside from being burnt, the remains were found to exhibit a combination of cutmarks, scrape marks, and impact scars indicative of disarticulation, defleshing, and hammerstone percussion. The results clearly demonstrate a complex ritualistic treatment of the body prior to interment that, so far, has not been recorded in Southeast Asia. This thus adds to the growing data of varying burial traditions during the early Holocene across the region. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work is to study, from a bioarchaeological perspective, the diet and oral health of the populations that inhabited Central Argentina in two periods which would reflect changes in subsistence strategies: earlier late Holocene (ca. 2500-1500 years BP) and later late Holocene (ca.1500-400 years BP). The sample is composed by 83 adult individuals from 47 archaeological sites. We considered five non-specific indicators of stress, infectious and degenerative diseases: hypoplasia of dental enamel, dental caries, abscesses, antemortem teeth loss, and calculus. We also considered hypercementosis, dens in dens, and agenesis. We test intraobserver error by means of intraclass correlation coefficient and analysis of variance of repeated measures. We calculated prevalence by sex, age, geographic subregion, and chronological period. We applied Chi-square (X2) to test statistical significance of observed differences. Considering the sample as a whole, low prevalence of dental caries (10.27%), abscesses (16.52%), and hypoplasia (10.84%) are coincident with values observed for populations with mixed or hunter-gathering subsistence strategy. In later late Holocene, high incidence of caries should be considered as indicator of consumption of C4 vegetables or other carbohydrate-rich vegetables, such as legumes of Prosopis sp. Also, moderate values of dental enamel hypoplasia should be related with metabolic-systemic stress episodes. Summarizing, these results are coincident with isotopic, archaeological, and ethnohistorical evidences which suggest climatic, social, and demographic pressures that might have affected the lifestyle of these populations before the Spanish conquest. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]