Publications by Celeste Marie Gagnon
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology , 2020
The analysis of traumatic injuries provides bioarchaeologists with unique insight into
patterns o... more The analysis of traumatic injuries provides bioarchaeologists with unique insight into
patterns of violence among past human societies. This analysis explores antemortem
and perimortem skeletal trauma and what it suggests about the experiences of violence
among the Moche of north coastal Peru (A.D. 200–900). Violence among the
Moche has been well documented, both by the Moche themselves in their iconographic
communications and through the analysis of the skeletal remains of those
they sacrificed. These sources provided us with an incomplete view. What has not
been studied are the patterns of traumatic injury that affect those who were not
among the sacrificed and what these patterns can tell us about the risk of violence
among other Moche dead. To this end, the skeletal remains of 96 individuals interred
in the Huacas de Moche site were examined. Excavations at this paramount urban
centre have recovered remains from tombs located in two distinct contexts, Huaca
de la Luna and the urban sector. Given the material investment made into the construction
of Huaca de la Luna and its ritual importance particularly as a space where
violence was enacted and memorialized, it is hypothesized that those buried within
its precincts would have different lived experiences of skeletal trauma than those
buried throughout the urban sector. This work finds that although both groups experienced
very little accidental trauma, individuals buried in Huaca de la Luna experienced
significantly more trauma resulting from interpersonal violence than did those
interred in the urban sector. This may suggest that variation in risk of violence was
among the biosocial distinctions that defined these groups.
KEYWORDS
iconography, interpersonal violence, Moche, skeletal trauma
1 | INTRODUCTION
Violence is a significant part of human social interactions, but its specific
nature, meanings and contexts are highly variable. The goal of
bioarchaeological analyses of violence is to understand its specificity
and thus connect the lived experience of violence to cultural processes
in the past (e.g., Martin, Harrod, & Pérez, 2012; Walker, 2001).
In order to make these links, bioarchaeologists examine human skeletal
remains for
Historical Archaeology, 2020
The experiences of Susquehannock Indians during the early period of European colonialism (1575–1... more The experiences of Susquehannock Indians during the early period of European colonialism (1575–1675) included changes in subsistence, health, and violence, creating stressors that affected their lived experience. To begin to understand the embodied effects of these pressures, the skeletal remains of a number of Susquehannocks,
recovered from sites in Pennsylvania and Maryland, were examined for evidence of oral health (dental caries, antemortem tooth loss, and dental
abscess), skeletal trauma, growth disruption, and anemia. Our approach, informed by the “Osteological Paradox,” finds a trend of improvement in
Susquehannock living conditions during that period that correlates well with the signing of a “Treaty of Friendship” with the colonial Maryland government in 1652. The treaty created an alliance and a southern “safe zone” for food procurement, and helped limit warfare to one front with the Iroquois to the north. This reprieve was short lived, as colonial relationships deteriorated by 1675, and Susquehannocks fled after the siege of their fort, which helped to trigger Bacon’s Rebellion in colonial Virginia.
International Journal of Paleopathology, 2019
This targeted review of oral paleopathology in the Central Andes explores research that focuses o... more This targeted review of oral paleopathology in the Central Andes explores research that focuses on a set of interrelated, multifactorial processes: dental caries, macrowear, alveolar abscess, antemortem tooth loss (AMTL), periodontal disease, and the presence of dental calculus. These conditions help characterize oral health because they result from the culturally mediated interaction of individuals’ oral cavity with their external environment. To better understand how osteologists working in the Central Andes have interpreted the frequencies of these conditions, I review the etiology of each, as well as discuss the important issues in their analyses. I then highlight studies that integrate of a number of oral paleopathological conditions, that examine associations between oral conditions and other skeletal indicators of health, or that use multivariate statistical techniques to analyze conditions. In the Central Andes, these proxies for oral health have generally focused on several key research themes including the introduction of domesticated foods may have occurred earlier than expected, but that populations may have maintained mixed subsistence strategies for a significant period. Researchers have also identified that changes accompanying Inca imperialism were likely not as detrimental to local populations as was Spanish colonialism. Finally, the long-practiced, culturally important, activity of chewing coca has been shown to create an identifiable pattern of oral paleopathological conditions.
Bioarchaeology International, 2018
Past and present Andean feasts regularly involve the consumption of chicha de maíz (corn beer). A... more Past and present Andean feasts regularly involve the consumption of chicha de maíz (corn beer). Archaeologically, the presence and distribution of brewing and drinking vessels, iconographic representations, and paleoethnobotanical remains have been used to identify the preparation and consumption of chicha at the site level. However, these data cannot tell us if everyone imbibed. Given the social and political importance of chicha, gender, age, status, ethnicity, or other social distinctions in consumption were likely important in the construction of networks and the practices of power. In this article, we theorize a model for investigating chicha consumption at the individual level using a suite of bioarchaeological methods. We suggest that data generated using this model and analyzed in conjunction with traditional archaeological data can help us better understand the social, political, and economic role of chicha. The “chicha signature” we propose includes co-patterning of oral health indicators, isotopic signatures, and the presence of diagnostic microfossils in dental calculus. The intent of this article is to call bioarchaeologists working throughout the Andes and in other regions where beer was culturally important to collect these data with the explicit goal of testing this approach.
In this “Just Environments” essay, Celeste Gagnon, Alicia Boswell, and Patrick Mullins examine th... more In this “Just Environments” essay, Celeste Gagnon, Alicia Boswell, and Patrick Mullins examine the impact of devastating El Niño storms on small, rural communities in the Peruvian Andes. Largely overlooked by the federal government, these communities have relied on grassroots responses to the rains, in effect building new social structures of resilience. As climate change increases the potential for more frequent and intense rains, it is clear that new forms of resilience will become ever more essential to the well-being of these communities.
The Moche of north coastal Peru were one of the earliest New World societies to develop a state s... more The Moche of north coastal Peru were one of the earliest New World societies to develop a state socio-political organization. The Southern Moche State (A.D. 200-800) was a centralized hierarchical society that controlled the Moche Valley as well as valleys to the north and south. Prior to the establishment of the state, a series of less hierarchical organizations were present in the valley. Irrigation agriculture has often been cited as central to the development of the Moche State. To test this assertion, I examined 751 individuals recovered from the largest cemetery at the site of Cerro Oreja. Although the most important occupation of Cerro Oreja was during the Gallinazo period (A.D. 1-200), many individuals were interred here during the earlier Salinar period (400 -1 B.C.). Consequently, the Cerro Oreja collection holds the key to understanding the development of one of the earliest and most extensive states in the Americas. Of the 751 individuals I examined, this analysis is bas...
Oxygen isotope data (expressed as δ18O values) recovered from human skeletal remains have been th... more Oxygen isotope data (expressed as δ18O values) recovered from human skeletal remains have been the central focus of a number of archaeological analyses tracking human migration. However, in the Andes the use of oxygen isotopes to investigate residential mobility is subject to two issues addressed in this study: 1) local variation in water sources and 2) pre-consumption processing of water. To explore these factors we sampled a wide variety of water sources in the Moche watershed of north coastal Peru and experimentally and ethnographically produced chicha de maíz, a traditional brewed beverage. Our data indicate an unexpected spatial pattern in Moche valley water source δ18O values, and identify springs as an important influence on river water. Using chicha de maíz as an example of pre-consumption processing of water, we find that brewed beverages may impact human δ18O values. Together these data indicate that in the Andes the consumption of chicha de maíz has the potential to swamp spatial variation in water source δ18O values. Therefore, we cannot assume that the identification of different δ18O values in the remains of Andean groups necessarily indicates the presence of migrants
In this paper we explore the use of coca in the Moche valley of north costal Perú during the Earl... more In this paper we explore the use of coca in the Moche valley of north costal Perú during the Early Intermediate period. To do so we examined the dental remains of 173 residents of Cerro Oreja. These remains date to the Salinar and Gallinazo phases and thus provide us with a picture of coca use before the emergence of the Southern Moche state. We find that patterns of oral health and micro-plant remains recovered from dental calculus suggest shifting use of coca during this period. These data suggest that coca was an important resource in the emergence of social inequality in the Moche valley.
In this paper we test the hypothesis that an intensification of maize production preceded the dev... more In this paper we test the hypothesis that an intensification of maize production preceded the development of a regional Moche political economy in the Moche Valley of north coastal Peru during the Early Intermediate period (400 B.C.-A.D. 600). To do so we analyze stable isotopic signatures of 48 bone apatite and 17 tooth enamel samples from human remains recovered from the site of Cerro Oreja, a large urban and ceremonial center in the Moche Valley. These remains date to the Guañape, Salinar, or Gallinazo phases and provide a diachronic picture of subsistence before the appearance of the Southern Moche state. The most notable patterns identified in the study include a lack of significant change in δ13Capatite values from the Guañape to Salinar phases, followed by a significant enrichment in δ13Capatite values from the Salinar to Gallinazo phases. Several lines of evidence, including archaeological context, dental data, and comparative carbon stable isotope data from experimental animal studies and studies of archaeological human remains support the interpretation that the observed 13C enrichment in stable isotope values in the Gallinazo phase primarily reflects maize intensification. The stable isotope data from Cerro Oreja thus suggest that a shift in subsistence toward a highly productive and storable crop may have served as an important precursor to state development during the Early Intermediate period in the Moche Valley.
This study introduces a new method for analyzing oral health indicators and thus reconstructing d... more This study introduces a new method for analyzing oral health indicators and thus reconstructing diet. To this end, we examined the dental remains of 173 individuals recovered from the site of Cerro Oreja in the Moche Valley of Perú, who lived during the Salinar (400–1 BC) or Gallinazo (AD 1–200) phases. The infectious and degenerative conditions analyzed include: dental caries, dental wear, dental abscess, antemortem tooth loss and dental calculus, all of which have been used to track dietary and thus subsistence-related economic and sociopolitical changes. Data were analyzed using generalized estimating equations, an extension of generalized linear models. Significant changes in the frequency of occurrence of most dental conditions suggest that during the period of study, there was an increase in the consumption of agricultural products. However, these changes in oral health did not equally affect females and males. By the end of the Gallinazo phase, significant sex differences developed, with females more often affected by dental caries and males displaying greater mean molar wear scores.
Arqueologıa mochica: nuevos …, Jan 1, 2008
The Moche of north coastal Peru were one of the earliest New World societies to develop a state s... more The Moche of north coastal Peru were one of the earliest New World societies to develop a state socio-political organization. The Southern Moche State (A.D. 200-800) was a centralized hierarchical society that controlled the Moche Valley as well as valleys to the north and south. Prior to the establishment of the state, a series of less hierarchical organizations were present in the valley. Irrigation agriculture has often been cited as central to the development of the Moche State. To test this assertion, I examined 751 individuals recovered from the largest cemetery at the site of Cerro Oreja. Although the most important occupation of Cerro Oreja was during the
Gallinazo period (A.D. 1-200), many individuals were interred here during the earlier Salinar period (400 -1 B.C.). Consequently, the Cerro Oreja collection holds the key to understanding the development of one of the earliest and most extensive states in the Americas. Of the 751 individuals I examined, this analysis is based on 61 Salinar and 320 Gallinazo individuals. Site stratigraphy allowed for the Gallinazo burials to be divided into three sub-phases: Pre-Structural (n = 142), Structural (n = 109), and Post-
Structural (n = 69). Each individual was examined for the presence of dental caries, periodontal disease, abscesses, and ante-mortem tooth loss, as an increase in the prevalence of these dental conditions indicates an increase in the consumption of staple agricultural crops. My analysis shows that, while increased agricultural production and access to coca were important loci of pre-state social and political change, gender was the central axis along which these changes occurred. By expanding existing gender differences, Moche elites created the social hierarchies that came to characterize the state.
"In this dissertation the author explores what could be learned about the development of social i... more "In this dissertation the author explores what could be learned about the development of social inequality from a small-scale analysis. The people on whom the author focuses inhabited the Moche valley of north coastal of Perú and were one of the earliest New World groups to develop a state-level political organization (Bawden 1996; Billman 1996; Moseley 1992). Prior to this development, Moche valley residents lived in societies that were far less politically centralized and socially differentiated. The author uses bioarchaeological data to investigate changes in the activities of prehistoric, north coastal Peruvians. The author interprets patterns of change in daily activities within the wider archaeological context and in light of other studies of state societies to explore how people, through their daily actions, effected and reflected large-scale economic, social, and political change.
To address these issues, the remains of 750 individuals recovered from Cerro Oreja, a large prehistoric urban center in the Moche valley of Perú were examined. Cerro Oreja was continuously occupied from the beginning of irrigation agriculture through the formation of the Southern Moche state (1800 BC–AD 400), and residents buried their dead in the site’s cemeteries throughout this period (Carcelen personal comm 1999). The remains of the individuals who are the subject of this study represent women, men, and children of both high and low status.
The author examined each of these individual for dental caries, wear, abscesses, periodontal disease, antemortem tooth loss, and dental trauma. Additionally, the bones and teeth of several individuals were sampled for stable isotopic and dental calculus analyses. These data provide evidence to reconstruct diet and non-dietary tooth use at Cerro Oreja. However, these data are combined with the age-at-death and sex estimations and social status assessments, to trace agricultural intensification, chicha consumption, craft specialization, and coca use in the Moche valley. These findings revealed that although increased agricultural production, chicha consumption, and access to coca were important loci of pre-state social and political change, gender was the central axis along which these changes occurred. By expanding existing gender differences, elites created the social hierarchies that came to characterize the Southern Moche state."
Dent Anthropol, Jan 1, 2004
The Moche of north coastal Perú were among the earliest New World societies to develop state soci... more The Moche of north coastal Perú were among the earliest New World societies to develop state socio-political organization. The Moche State (AD 200-800) was a centralized hierarchical society that controlled the Moche Valley as well as valleys to the north and south. Prior to the establishment of the state, a series of less hierarchical organizations were present in the valley. Irrigation agriculture has often been cited as central to development of the Moche State. To test this assertion I examined 750 individuals recovered from the largest cemetery at the site of Cerro Oreja. Although the most
important occupation of Cerro Oreja was during the Gallinazo phase (AD 1-200), many individuals were interred here during the earlier Salinar period (400 -1 BC). Consequently, the Cerro Oreja collection holds a key to
understanding the development of one of the earliest and most extensive states in the Americas. The teeth and/or alveoli of each individual were examined for the presence of dental caries, periodontal disease, abscesses, and antemortem tooth loss. My analysis suggests women and children did increasingly focus their diet on agricultural products. These findings seem to support the hypothesis that increased irrigation and reliance on agricultural
production was fundamental to the development of the Moche state. However, men’s diets remained consistent through time. Status seems to have been of little import in determining diet before and during early periods of
state development, in dramatic contrast to what we know of its importance during the zenith of the state’s power. I suggest that increasing differentiation of gender roles was important to the development of the state, and that
gender differences may have been the most salient force in the transition to political hierarchy and social stratification in the Moche valley. Dental Anthropology 2004;17(2):45-54.
Archaeology of Eastern North …, Jan 1, 2004
The period of European contact was one of dramatic change for Native Americans. Although there ha... more The period of European contact was one of dramatic change for Native Americans. Although there have been many studies of the health changes that occurred during this period, most have focused on the Spanish Borderlands. To begin understanding the effects of European contact on Native Americans who inhabited the Northeast, I examined the skeletal remains of 82 individuals recovered from sites in the Lower Susquehanna Valley. The remains of these individuals were drawn from three periods, the prehistoric (n = 22), the protohistoric (n = 30) and the historic (n = 30). I examined each individual for evidence of physiological stress, as evidenced by the presence of anemic responses, periosteal reaction of bone, radiopaque transverse lines, enamel hypoplasia, periodontal disease, dental caries, abscesses, and antemortem tooth loss.
Frequency analysis and statistical comparisons revealed no temporal patterns of change in the occurrence of pathological conditions. My study suggests that neither indirect nor direct European contact had a measurable effect on the health of Native Americans of the Lower Susquehanna Valley prior to A.D. 1645. This apparent stability of Native American health in the Lower Susquehanna Valley can be understood in terms of the pre-existing health status of the Shenks Ferry people and the Susquehannock, as well as the peripheral nature of Dutch, English, and Swedish influences during this period.
In order to chart the effects of European contact on Native American health in the Lower Susqueha... more In order to chart the effects of European contact on Native American health in the Lower Susquehanna Valley, the skeletal remains of 82 individuals, including 35 associated with the Shenk's Ferry complex, 45 Susquehannocks, and 2 individuals of unknown cultural affiliation were examined. These individuals were drawn from three periods, the Prehistoric (N = 22), the Protohistoric (N = 30) and the Historic (N = 30). The skeletal remains of each individual were examined for evidence of stress. The particular indicators of general stress utilized in this study were: anemic responses, periosteal reaction of bone, radiopaque transverse lines and enamel hypoplasia. In addition, all individuals were assessed for periodontal disease, caries, abscesses and antemortem tooth loss.
Several statistical techniques were utilized to compare the incidence of each pathology in each of the three time periods. No statistically significant differences (a = .05) were found among the three time periods in the occurrence of pathological conditions.
The results of this study suggest that neither indirect nor direct European contact, pre-dating A.D. 1645, had a statistically significant effect on the health of the Native Americans of the Lower Susquehanna Valley. The pre-existing health status of the Shenk's Ferry people and the Susquehannocks as well as the peripheral nature of Dutch, English and Swedish influences, explain the stability of native health in the Lower Susquehanna Valley.
Conference presentations by Celeste Marie Gagnon
Emerging from the Moche Valley of Peru, the Chimú were the second largest Andean empire (AD 900-1... more Emerging from the Moche Valley of Peru, the Chimú were the second largest Andean empire (AD 900-1470). Near modern day Trujillo, the empire built their capital city of Chan Chan, and expanded their territory from the northern border of Ecuador, south to the Chillón valley of Peru. While on the Moche Valley, the Chimú interacted with the abandoned capital of the Southern Moche State- Huaca de la Luna. This research presents preliminary findings of 32 burials excavated from Huaca de la Luna or the urban center. We analyzed stress indicators of nutrition and diet.
Children’s lives were mostly largely excluded from bioarchaeology analyses before the 1990s. Sinc... more Children’s lives were mostly largely excluded from bioarchaeology analyses before the 1990s. Since then, a new focus on the bioarchaeology of children has illuminated the importance of the lived experiences of childhood for understanding past societies. In this research, we examined the remains of 270 children who died before they were six years old, who were recovered from four Early Intermediate Period archaeological sites in the Moche Valley. Representing the Salinar and Gallinazo phases are children recovered from Pampa la Cruz and La Iglesia on the coast and Cerro Oreja in the middle valley. Children from these sites are compared to later Middle Moche period children from the Huacas de Moche in the lower valley. Among the most common paleopathological conditions identified was endocranial lesions. Such lesions can be caused by vitamin deficiencies, infection of the meninges, and trauma. The examination of the features of these lesions, their co-occurrence with other paleopathological conditions, and the age, temporal and spatial distributions of pathologies, allows us to propose a diagnosis as well provide us with an insight into the daily struggles of children on the north coast of Peru.
The Moche of the North Coast of Peru, are well known for their ritualized culture of violence. Wa... more The Moche of the North Coast of Peru, are well known for their ritualized culture of violence. Warriors, prisoners, weapon bundles, and sacrifice are commonly depicted in a variety of Moche media, and archaeological evidence from urban centers suggests such acts were practiced. What is not known is if the Early Intermediate Period ancestors of the Moche also engaged in such acts of violence. Pre-Moche, Gallinazo phase urban sites were often located in defensible settings and some show evidence of fortification. However, until now the archaeological record of the Moche Valley has not yielded bioarchaeological evidence of Gallinazo violence. We present the case of a multiple burial recovered from the rural fishing village of Pampa La Cruz, Huanchaco (50 BC/AD100-AD 500). The remains recovered show evidence of severe trauma. These individuals provide us with insight into the practices of violence during this time and allow us to explore the role that violence may have played both in Gallinazo society and in the rise of Moche hegemony.
Much sweat and ink has been shed investigating the Moche of north coastal Peru. But what of those... more Much sweat and ink has been shed investigating the Moche of north coastal Peru. But what of those who came before? In order to understand the Moche world, we must explore their history. To address this issue, the skeletal remains of over 850 individuals who lived in the Moche valley during the Guañape, Salinar or Gallinazo phases were examined. The collected bioarchaeological data including demographic patterns, oral health indicators, light and heavy isotopes, and pathological conditions allow us to investigate the lived experience of these Moche ancestors. Bioarchaeological evidence of individuals lives are integrated within phases and used to examine population-level phenomena. What we find are indications of the development of a regional political economy, changing patterns of population movement, and varying levels of stress. These patterns shed light on people’s daily experience of archaeologically identified changing settlement patterns and growth of agricultural infrastructure
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Publications by Celeste Marie Gagnon
patterns of violence among past human societies. This analysis explores antemortem
and perimortem skeletal trauma and what it suggests about the experiences of violence
among the Moche of north coastal Peru (A.D. 200–900). Violence among the
Moche has been well documented, both by the Moche themselves in their iconographic
communications and through the analysis of the skeletal remains of those
they sacrificed. These sources provided us with an incomplete view. What has not
been studied are the patterns of traumatic injury that affect those who were not
among the sacrificed and what these patterns can tell us about the risk of violence
among other Moche dead. To this end, the skeletal remains of 96 individuals interred
in the Huacas de Moche site were examined. Excavations at this paramount urban
centre have recovered remains from tombs located in two distinct contexts, Huaca
de la Luna and the urban sector. Given the material investment made into the construction
of Huaca de la Luna and its ritual importance particularly as a space where
violence was enacted and memorialized, it is hypothesized that those buried within
its precincts would have different lived experiences of skeletal trauma than those
buried throughout the urban sector. This work finds that although both groups experienced
very little accidental trauma, individuals buried in Huaca de la Luna experienced
significantly more trauma resulting from interpersonal violence than did those
interred in the urban sector. This may suggest that variation in risk of violence was
among the biosocial distinctions that defined these groups.
KEYWORDS
iconography, interpersonal violence, Moche, skeletal trauma
1 | INTRODUCTION
Violence is a significant part of human social interactions, but its specific
nature, meanings and contexts are highly variable. The goal of
bioarchaeological analyses of violence is to understand its specificity
and thus connect the lived experience of violence to cultural processes
in the past (e.g., Martin, Harrod, & Pérez, 2012; Walker, 2001).
In order to make these links, bioarchaeologists examine human skeletal
remains for
recovered from sites in Pennsylvania and Maryland, were examined for evidence of oral health (dental caries, antemortem tooth loss, and dental
abscess), skeletal trauma, growth disruption, and anemia. Our approach, informed by the “Osteological Paradox,” finds a trend of improvement in
Susquehannock living conditions during that period that correlates well with the signing of a “Treaty of Friendship” with the colonial Maryland government in 1652. The treaty created an alliance and a southern “safe zone” for food procurement, and helped limit warfare to one front with the Iroquois to the north. This reprieve was short lived, as colonial relationships deteriorated by 1675, and Susquehannocks fled after the siege of their fort, which helped to trigger Bacon’s Rebellion in colonial Virginia.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinakillgrove/2017/05/12/micro-fossils-show-moche-munched-on-marine-meals/#58a5279433d3
Gallinazo period (A.D. 1-200), many individuals were interred here during the earlier Salinar period (400 -1 B.C.). Consequently, the Cerro Oreja collection holds the key to understanding the development of one of the earliest and most extensive states in the Americas. Of the 751 individuals I examined, this analysis is based on 61 Salinar and 320 Gallinazo individuals. Site stratigraphy allowed for the Gallinazo burials to be divided into three sub-phases: Pre-Structural (n = 142), Structural (n = 109), and Post-
Structural (n = 69). Each individual was examined for the presence of dental caries, periodontal disease, abscesses, and ante-mortem tooth loss, as an increase in the prevalence of these dental conditions indicates an increase in the consumption of staple agricultural crops. My analysis shows that, while increased agricultural production and access to coca were important loci of pre-state social and political change, gender was the central axis along which these changes occurred. By expanding existing gender differences, Moche elites created the social hierarchies that came to characterize the state.
To address these issues, the remains of 750 individuals recovered from Cerro Oreja, a large prehistoric urban center in the Moche valley of Perú were examined. Cerro Oreja was continuously occupied from the beginning of irrigation agriculture through the formation of the Southern Moche state (1800 BC–AD 400), and residents buried their dead in the site’s cemeteries throughout this period (Carcelen personal comm 1999). The remains of the individuals who are the subject of this study represent women, men, and children of both high and low status.
The author examined each of these individual for dental caries, wear, abscesses, periodontal disease, antemortem tooth loss, and dental trauma. Additionally, the bones and teeth of several individuals were sampled for stable isotopic and dental calculus analyses. These data provide evidence to reconstruct diet and non-dietary tooth use at Cerro Oreja. However, these data are combined with the age-at-death and sex estimations and social status assessments, to trace agricultural intensification, chicha consumption, craft specialization, and coca use in the Moche valley. These findings revealed that although increased agricultural production, chicha consumption, and access to coca were important loci of pre-state social and political change, gender was the central axis along which these changes occurred. By expanding existing gender differences, elites created the social hierarchies that came to characterize the Southern Moche state."
important occupation of Cerro Oreja was during the Gallinazo phase (AD 1-200), many individuals were interred here during the earlier Salinar period (400 -1 BC). Consequently, the Cerro Oreja collection holds a key to
understanding the development of one of the earliest and most extensive states in the Americas. The teeth and/or alveoli of each individual were examined for the presence of dental caries, periodontal disease, abscesses, and antemortem tooth loss. My analysis suggests women and children did increasingly focus their diet on agricultural products. These findings seem to support the hypothesis that increased irrigation and reliance on agricultural
production was fundamental to the development of the Moche state. However, men’s diets remained consistent through time. Status seems to have been of little import in determining diet before and during early periods of
state development, in dramatic contrast to what we know of its importance during the zenith of the state’s power. I suggest that increasing differentiation of gender roles was important to the development of the state, and that
gender differences may have been the most salient force in the transition to political hierarchy and social stratification in the Moche valley. Dental Anthropology 2004;17(2):45-54.
Frequency analysis and statistical comparisons revealed no temporal patterns of change in the occurrence of pathological conditions. My study suggests that neither indirect nor direct European contact had a measurable effect on the health of Native Americans of the Lower Susquehanna Valley prior to A.D. 1645. This apparent stability of Native American health in the Lower Susquehanna Valley can be understood in terms of the pre-existing health status of the Shenks Ferry people and the Susquehannock, as well as the peripheral nature of Dutch, English, and Swedish influences during this period.
Several statistical techniques were utilized to compare the incidence of each pathology in each of the three time periods. No statistically significant differences (a = .05) were found among the three time periods in the occurrence of pathological conditions.
The results of this study suggest that neither indirect nor direct European contact, pre-dating A.D. 1645, had a statistically significant effect on the health of the Native Americans of the Lower Susquehanna Valley. The pre-existing health status of the Shenk's Ferry people and the Susquehannocks as well as the peripheral nature of Dutch, English and Swedish influences, explain the stability of native health in the Lower Susquehanna Valley.
Conference presentations by Celeste Marie Gagnon
patterns of violence among past human societies. This analysis explores antemortem
and perimortem skeletal trauma and what it suggests about the experiences of violence
among the Moche of north coastal Peru (A.D. 200–900). Violence among the
Moche has been well documented, both by the Moche themselves in their iconographic
communications and through the analysis of the skeletal remains of those
they sacrificed. These sources provided us with an incomplete view. What has not
been studied are the patterns of traumatic injury that affect those who were not
among the sacrificed and what these patterns can tell us about the risk of violence
among other Moche dead. To this end, the skeletal remains of 96 individuals interred
in the Huacas de Moche site were examined. Excavations at this paramount urban
centre have recovered remains from tombs located in two distinct contexts, Huaca
de la Luna and the urban sector. Given the material investment made into the construction
of Huaca de la Luna and its ritual importance particularly as a space where
violence was enacted and memorialized, it is hypothesized that those buried within
its precincts would have different lived experiences of skeletal trauma than those
buried throughout the urban sector. This work finds that although both groups experienced
very little accidental trauma, individuals buried in Huaca de la Luna experienced
significantly more trauma resulting from interpersonal violence than did those
interred in the urban sector. This may suggest that variation in risk of violence was
among the biosocial distinctions that defined these groups.
KEYWORDS
iconography, interpersonal violence, Moche, skeletal trauma
1 | INTRODUCTION
Violence is a significant part of human social interactions, but its specific
nature, meanings and contexts are highly variable. The goal of
bioarchaeological analyses of violence is to understand its specificity
and thus connect the lived experience of violence to cultural processes
in the past (e.g., Martin, Harrod, & Pérez, 2012; Walker, 2001).
In order to make these links, bioarchaeologists examine human skeletal
remains for
recovered from sites in Pennsylvania and Maryland, were examined for evidence of oral health (dental caries, antemortem tooth loss, and dental
abscess), skeletal trauma, growth disruption, and anemia. Our approach, informed by the “Osteological Paradox,” finds a trend of improvement in
Susquehannock living conditions during that period that correlates well with the signing of a “Treaty of Friendship” with the colonial Maryland government in 1652. The treaty created an alliance and a southern “safe zone” for food procurement, and helped limit warfare to one front with the Iroquois to the north. This reprieve was short lived, as colonial relationships deteriorated by 1675, and Susquehannocks fled after the siege of their fort, which helped to trigger Bacon’s Rebellion in colonial Virginia.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinakillgrove/2017/05/12/micro-fossils-show-moche-munched-on-marine-meals/#58a5279433d3
Gallinazo period (A.D. 1-200), many individuals were interred here during the earlier Salinar period (400 -1 B.C.). Consequently, the Cerro Oreja collection holds the key to understanding the development of one of the earliest and most extensive states in the Americas. Of the 751 individuals I examined, this analysis is based on 61 Salinar and 320 Gallinazo individuals. Site stratigraphy allowed for the Gallinazo burials to be divided into three sub-phases: Pre-Structural (n = 142), Structural (n = 109), and Post-
Structural (n = 69). Each individual was examined for the presence of dental caries, periodontal disease, abscesses, and ante-mortem tooth loss, as an increase in the prevalence of these dental conditions indicates an increase in the consumption of staple agricultural crops. My analysis shows that, while increased agricultural production and access to coca were important loci of pre-state social and political change, gender was the central axis along which these changes occurred. By expanding existing gender differences, Moche elites created the social hierarchies that came to characterize the state.
To address these issues, the remains of 750 individuals recovered from Cerro Oreja, a large prehistoric urban center in the Moche valley of Perú were examined. Cerro Oreja was continuously occupied from the beginning of irrigation agriculture through the formation of the Southern Moche state (1800 BC–AD 400), and residents buried their dead in the site’s cemeteries throughout this period (Carcelen personal comm 1999). The remains of the individuals who are the subject of this study represent women, men, and children of both high and low status.
The author examined each of these individual for dental caries, wear, abscesses, periodontal disease, antemortem tooth loss, and dental trauma. Additionally, the bones and teeth of several individuals were sampled for stable isotopic and dental calculus analyses. These data provide evidence to reconstruct diet and non-dietary tooth use at Cerro Oreja. However, these data are combined with the age-at-death and sex estimations and social status assessments, to trace agricultural intensification, chicha consumption, craft specialization, and coca use in the Moche valley. These findings revealed that although increased agricultural production, chicha consumption, and access to coca were important loci of pre-state social and political change, gender was the central axis along which these changes occurred. By expanding existing gender differences, elites created the social hierarchies that came to characterize the Southern Moche state."
important occupation of Cerro Oreja was during the Gallinazo phase (AD 1-200), many individuals were interred here during the earlier Salinar period (400 -1 BC). Consequently, the Cerro Oreja collection holds a key to
understanding the development of one of the earliest and most extensive states in the Americas. The teeth and/or alveoli of each individual were examined for the presence of dental caries, periodontal disease, abscesses, and antemortem tooth loss. My analysis suggests women and children did increasingly focus their diet on agricultural products. These findings seem to support the hypothesis that increased irrigation and reliance on agricultural
production was fundamental to the development of the Moche state. However, men’s diets remained consistent through time. Status seems to have been of little import in determining diet before and during early periods of
state development, in dramatic contrast to what we know of its importance during the zenith of the state’s power. I suggest that increasing differentiation of gender roles was important to the development of the state, and that
gender differences may have been the most salient force in the transition to political hierarchy and social stratification in the Moche valley. Dental Anthropology 2004;17(2):45-54.
Frequency analysis and statistical comparisons revealed no temporal patterns of change in the occurrence of pathological conditions. My study suggests that neither indirect nor direct European contact had a measurable effect on the health of Native Americans of the Lower Susquehanna Valley prior to A.D. 1645. This apparent stability of Native American health in the Lower Susquehanna Valley can be understood in terms of the pre-existing health status of the Shenks Ferry people and the Susquehannock, as well as the peripheral nature of Dutch, English, and Swedish influences during this period.
Several statistical techniques were utilized to compare the incidence of each pathology in each of the three time periods. No statistically significant differences (a = .05) were found among the three time periods in the occurrence of pathological conditions.
The results of this study suggest that neither indirect nor direct European contact, pre-dating A.D. 1645, had a statistically significant effect on the health of the Native Americans of the Lower Susquehanna Valley. The pre-existing health status of the Shenk's Ferry people and the Susquehannocks as well as the peripheral nature of Dutch, English and Swedish influences, explain the stability of native health in the Lower Susquehanna Valley.
Research was supported by the Wagner College Faculty Research Grant and Anonymous Donor Grant and Student Support.