Bioarchaeology of Childhood

We studied an osteological sample from the pre-Roman/Celtic necropolis of Seminario Vescovile of Verona (Italy), dated to the 3rd to 1st century BCE and attributed to the Cenomani Gauls population. The sample is mostly composed of well-preserved infants in their first months and years of life. In this study we combined isotopic (δ 15 N and δ 13 C) and anthropological evidence with the aim of investigating infant feeding practices in non-adult samples. 36 non-adults were selected and divided into seven age phases. The isotopic composition of their rib bone collagen was determined and related to the mean values of adults (n = 54) and animals (n = 7). δ 15 N values ranged between 7.1‰ and 12.9‰ (AIR), with a mean of 10.2‰ ( ± 1.5‰), while δ 13 C values ranged between -20.2‰ and -9.7‰ (V-PDB), with a mean of -15.3‰ ( ± 2.5‰). These results indicate the initiation of transitional feeding around six months. Significantly high δ 15 N values in some infants up to two years old suggests prolonged breast-milk consumption. In comparison with the δ 15 N and δ 13 C data from the adult females (n = 21), considered as potential mothers, these infants clearly show the effect of breastfeeding on trophic level (δ 15 N enriched between 1.8 and 3.3‰).

The role of children in Merovingian society has long been downplayed, and the study of their graves and bones has long been neglected. However, during the past twenty years, archaeologists have shown growing interest in the place of children in Merovingian society. Recent analysis of 315 children's graves from four Merovingian cemeteries in northern Gaul (sixth to seventh centuries) allows us to understand the modalities of burial ritual for children. A new method for classifying children in to social age groups shows that the type, quality, quantity, and diversity of grave goods were directly correlated with the age of the deceased. They increased from the age of eight and particularly around the time of puberty. This study discusses the role of age and gender in the construction and expression of social identity during childhood in the Merovingian period.

El sitio Chenque I es un cementerio prehispánico ubicado en el área de Lihue Calel,
centro sur de la provincia de La Pampa. Es el mayor repositorio de restos humanos de
Pampa-Patagonia hasta ahora localizado. Presenta una gran variabilidad y complejidad
de modalidades de entierro.
En este trabajo se presenta el Número Mínimo de Individuos (NMI) definitivo del sector
excavado, junto con la re-evaluación general de la demografía del sitio.
Además, se dan a conocer las dataciones de dos enterratorios obtenidas en años recientes,
que tienen implicancias para la mejor comprensión de dichos eventos de inhumación y del sitio en su conjunto.
Los resultados indican que solo en el 23% del sitio fueron inhumados, al menos 271 individuos de distintas categorías de edad y sexo. A su vez, el nuevo rango cronológico implica un periodo más
Extenso de uso del cementerio por ca. 900 años (1.200 a 290 años AP), con una discontinuidad
o hiato de 215 años (entre ca. 650 y 435 años AP) a la vez que se amplía la etapa pre-hiato.
En relación con estos nuevos datos, se evalúa su correspondencia espacial y temporal con otros cementerios de la región.

The shaping of the infant cranial vaults counts worldwide as one of the most rooted, widespread and at the same time diversified body tradition in the human past. Cranial modification was performed mainly by female kin on their newborns, babies and toddlers, a time in infant development during which the cranium is still malleable. Head shaping has been praticed cross-culturally by means of massage, constriction and/or by using rigid compression devices. Portrayed in ancient head imagery, described in historical sources or interpreted as part of the skeletal registry, cranial modifications are informative about collective trends in physical embodiment, techniques, instruments, and enacted traditions. This global survey of head shaping is directed to the general German public and was translated by Lukas Kerk. It highlights ancient beauty ideals, corporeity, the roles of head shaping roles in upbringing, ethnogenesis, status, and gender.

Since the 1990s, the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Dodecanese has carried out rescue excavations at two ancient cemeteries in the town of Chora on the island of Astypalaia. Burials at both sites (Katsalos and Kylindra) date from Geometric, Classical and Hellenistic times. Katsalos appears to have been the main cemetery of the ancient city, with burials of adults and children at a range of ages. By contrast, the Kylindra cemetery has yielded only neonates and infants in more than 3,000 pot burials. Work on this site continues and, up to the present, some 2,300 burials have been excavated by the Ephorate, lifted complete with their pots and stored for investigation by the human remains team. For more than 1,800 of these, the soil filling of the pots has been removed in the field laboratory, to recover the human remains and any other finds. It is already the largest collection of developing skeletons and dentitions of young children anywhere, not only in archaeological museums but also in anatomy departments. This provides a unique research resource for studying childhood development. This article presents the latest observations and discusses the challenges posed by recovering, cataloguing, conserving, storing and displaying this important collection of human remains.

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Tophets are Phoenician and Punic sanctuaries where cremated infants and children were buried. Many studies focus on the potentially sacrificial nature of these sites, but this article takes a different approach. Combining osteological analysis with a consideration of the archaeological and wider cultural context, the authors explore the short life-courses and mortuary treatments of 12 individuals in the tophet at the Neo-Punic site of Zita, Tunisia. While osteological evidence suggests life at Zita was hard, and systemic health problems may have contributed to the deaths of these individuals, their mortuary rites were attended to with care and without concrete indication of sacrifice.

Fuentes de financiamiento: Las Investigaciones fueron financiadas en el marco del proyecto "Investigaciones arqueológicas en el curso medio del río Colorado (provincia de Río Negro). Aportes para el conocimiento de las sociedades cazadoras-recolectoras del noreste de

Tophets are Phoenician and Punic sanctuaries where cremated infants and children were buried. Many studies focus on the potentially sacrificial nature of these sites, but this article takes a different approach. Combining osteological analysis with a consideration of the archaeological and wider cultural context, the authors explore the short life-courses and mortuary treatments of 12 individuals in the tophet at the Neo-Punic site of Zita, Tunisia. While osteological evidence suggests life at Zita was hard, and systemic health problems may have contributed to the deaths of these individuals, their mortuary rites were attended to with care and without concrete indication of sacrifice.

Here we present six adult patellae with superolateral concave defects observed amongst the remains of at least 28 individuals retrieved from four Late Iron Age burials from Kneževići hillfort -Malo Libinje, Croatia. The right patella of an adult individual displays a rough-edged concave defect on superolateral side of the bone called bipartite patella. Other five patellae show concave defects with smooth edges also located on superolateral side; a defect known as vastus notch. Though physically similar, the two conditions are etiologically distinct. A large amount of observed cases of vastus notch in this assemblage may indicate that these individuals frequently performed activities involving kneeling and/or squatting. This is the first documented case of joint occurrence of bipartite patella and vastus notch in a Croatian skeletal assemblage, but also the largest amount of patellae with vastus notch in an archaeological population from Croatia recorded so far.

Carbon (δ¹³C): types of plant foods C₃ plants: Legumes, tubers and fruits C₄ plants: Maize (corn) Research Aims Archaeology of childhood: isotopic approaches to breastfeeding and weaning practices of three pre-Columbian Panamanian populations 0.3 years (CI*: 0.0 -0.8) 1.9 years

Bioarqueologia-disciplina que estabelece a ponte entre as ciências sociais e biológicas, colocando o estudo de restos humanos provenientes de sítios arqueológicos (Knudson, e Stojanowski, 2008; Halcrow e Ward, 2017). Constitui-se como uma área que se presta particularmente ao estudo da Identidade em populações passadas (Knudson, e Stojanowski, 2008:398). Bodyscape-conjunto integrado de vários aspectos identitários assumido pelo individuo e/ou atribuído pela sociedade que que este se encontra inserido que contribuem para construir a Identidade individual e colectiva

Los Tolmos, en Caracena, provincia de Soria, es un yacimiento de referencia para el estudio del Bronce Medio en la Meseta Norte. Su excavación durante las décadas de los 70 y los 80 del pasado siglo conllevó el hallazgo de varias tumbas de inhumación y de dos cabañas derribadas que se atribuyeron al grupo arqueológico de Cogotas i. El objetivo del presente artículo es valorar la pertenencia de este sitio clave en su clásica adscripción a la fase Proto-Cogotas i. Se ha tratado de reconsiderar los materiales arqueológicos depositados en el Museo Numantino de Soria que corresponden a los niveles de las cabañas y de una inhumación, así como al estrato situado  inmediatamente  sobre  ellos  del  Sector  a.  Todo  ello  ha  sido  analizado  de  forma  crítica  y  recurriendo  a  técnicas  actuales  que  incluyen  el  estudio  bioarqueológico  y  la  datación  radiométrica  de  los  restos  humanos  previamente documentados, así como de otro fragmento errático, localizado por azar. Estos resultados, junto con el estudio de la cerámica, de la relectura de los materiales publicados y la revisión de los inventarios disponibles, han permitido reubicar la construcción, el mantenimiento y el derrumbe de las cabañas en el tránsito del iii al ii milenio a. C. y enriquecer su interpretación social.

Family can be broadly defined as a community of care, cooperation and shared resources. As we move further into the past, however, our ability to observe these relationships becomes blurred. For most of human history, ethnographic and historical documents are lacking; identity and relationships are therefore inferred through the analyses of mortuary practices and evidence of production through artefacts and features. In this study, we examine the unique connection that exists between mother and infant, illustrating how this relationship gives potential insight into lived experiences in the past. The human skeleton reflects an individual's biocultural life-course, recording information on diet, health, and stress. Using new methods for inferring physiological stress during the foetal, infant and childhood periods, this chapter investigates the early lives of two subadult individuals through the lens of the maternal-infant nexus from the Neolithic site of Man Bac in Vietnam. We apply a novel approach that incorporates stable isotopic evidence for weaning and diet, with a quantitative method of identifying and measuring linear enamel hypoplasia to assess physiological stress during development. These case studies are interpreted within a bioarchaeology of infant and childcare theoretical model approach that focuses on the maternalinfant nexus, and incorporates information on fertility, palaeopathological data, archaeological data on the natural and social environment, and social organisation. The maternal-infant nexus In recent years, the study of women and children has blossomed within historical, anthropological and archaeological research, giving voice to those individuals who were previously unseen, mislabelled, or defined only by their relationships to men (Lillehammer 2015;

Desde la perspectiva bioarqueologica y arqueologica, la ninez no se muy considerada en investigaciones en Mesoamerica y Oaxaca. Para comprender mejor este problema, examinamos las diferencias en el tratamiento funerario para ninos y adultos y evaluamos los ejes de variacion entre estas diferentes muestras definidas por edad. De los mas de 100 esqueletos humanos en la coleccion osteologica de El Palmillo que data del periodo Clasico (250-850 d.C.), se pudo realizar un estudio a partir de la evaluacion de la edad biologica. Se utilizo un analisis estadistico de conglomerados para conocer la distribucion de los entierros en el sitio por edad, posicion, ubicacion, cronologia, entre otras variables. Finalmente, comparamos nuestros resultados con las practicas mortuorias, hasta el momento publicadas en Monte Alban, para evaluar si existe un patron constante en el tratamiento funerario zapoteco o si hay diferencias entre los sitios.

This study explores the age at death structure, skeletal lesions, and artificial cranial modification (ACM) on 35 non-adults until their 38 months of life recovered from the Tarapacá-40 cemetery, Northern Chile. Age estimations were based primarily on long bones dimensions, while skeletal lesions and ACM were recognized on dry bones and in mummified and bundled bodies. Measurements and observations in these later were performed by radiographies. Results show a distribution of ages at death clustered in three groups: around birth and second month of life, between 9-12 months of life, and between 18 and 26 months of life. The presence of physiological disruption indicators such as porotic hyperostosis, cribra orbitalia, criba femoris, periostitis and Harris Lines, and ACM is described. Then, we discussed the observed age at death structure and the skeletal lesions as reflecting weaning process, and the links between the nature and timing of this practice with social organization of care labor, control over female sexuality, and socioeconomic transformations occurring during the Formative period in Northern Chile.

Any increased mortality risk due to congenital conditions for a fetus in utero becomes multiplied after birth due to exposure of the newborn to the extra-uterine environment. One of the most severe and lethal congenital diseases is anencephaly (prevalence of 5.1 per 10,000 births), a condition triggered by a malformation of the neural tube during gestation that results in a markedly underdeveloped brain mass and, consequently, in the absence of a cranial vault. Biomedical research reveals that individuals with anencephaly may present an array of cranial structural anomalies, emphasizing the importance of correctly diagnosing this condition.
This work presents three possible cases of anencephaly identified in non-adults exhumed in the S. Domingos children’s necropolis in Lisbon, Portugal (late 17th to early 19th centuries). The three individuals are fairly complete and well-preserved and were evaluated through macroscopic features and metric analysis. The age at death was estimated between 1.5 and 4.5 months based on dental calcification and eruption. They show an absence of the upper region of the skullcap characterized by different alterations of the cranial bones: premature fusion of pars lateralis with pars squama in one individual, and abnormal stages of development and shape of pars lateralis, sphenoid, petrous, temporal, zygomatic and frontal bone in the three individuals.
With these examples, we intend to improve the recognition of anencephaly in archaeological contexts and contribute to the understanding of different ways of bone expressions within the same condition, aiming to complement the subject of rare diseases in paleopathology.

In 2018 an archaeological intervention at the cloister of the former Convent of S. Domingos, in Lisbon (Portugal), revealed an unknown necropolis of non-adults with a circumscribed chronology (1755-1836 AD). This osteological collection
comprises, up to now, 2327 individuals, most of them 95% (n=2208), perinates, and infants (birth to 3 years).
This report presents a case of a perinatal individual (birth ± 2 weeks) with exuberant bone alterations. They include abnormal bone size and shape changes: severe shortening (micromelia) and bowing of the long bones, thickening of the
pars basilaris and scapulae, short ribs with cupped ends and platyspondyly. These findings may be suggestive of TD1 (thanatophoric dysplasia type 1), SADDAN (severe achondroplasia with developmental delay and acanthosis nigricans),
or ACG (achondrogenesis).
With this first approach based only on the macroscopic analysis of the bones and X-rays, the precise diagnosis is unattainable. We expect to achieve the diagnosis with the help of molecular genetics analysis in the near future

El presente trabajo expone los resultados del análisis y caracterización
individual de los restos bioantropológicos correspondientes a un rescate
arqueológico realizado en el año 2019 en el sector La Cordonada,
comuna de Coyhaique, región de Aysén, Chile. Este estudio comprende
observaciones macroscópicas y caracterización bioantropológica de un
individuo femenino de entre 30-35 años de edad biológica. Además,
se precisó una cronología radiocarbónica de 390 años cal AP y la
existencia de una dieta diversificada a t ravés del análisis de i sótopos
estables del individuo. Se discuten tanto estos resultados, en función de
otras muestras bioarqueológicas previamente descritas en la región y
de cronología similar, como la posibilidad de estar frente a un tipo de
inhumación diferente al tipo chenque, comúnmente descrita en Patagonia

The aim of this study is to provide a detailed view of dental health in relationship to the diet of the Great Moravian population, with emphasis on childhood diet. Design: We studied skeletal samples of the early medieval population of the Mikulčice agglomeration (Czech Republic) originating from the cemetery of the church VI (91 adults). Stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen (intra-individual sampling-tooth and bone) was performed on this material, and dental characteristics (carious lesions, intensity of caries (I-CE), dental wear, linear enamel hypoplasia) evaluated. Results: Isotopic signals obtained from tooth and bone samples of the same individuals differ significantly. Tooth samples show higher δ 13 C and lower δ 15 N than bone samples. δ 15 N in tooth and bone samples is related to socioeconomic status. We discovered a relationship between isotopic signals from tooth or bone and intensity of caries and dental wear. Conclusion: We provide the first direct information about the diet of the juvenile part of the Great Moravian population from Mikulčice. The diet of children differed from the diet of adults. Children consumed more millet and less animal protein than adults. The social stratification of this population was obvious in dietary composition from childhood. Elites consumed more animal proteins than non-elite individuals. Tooth decay was related to relative consumption of plant and animal proteins. Greater dental wear is related to a diet based on C3 plants. There was no significant connection between diet composition and the formation of enamel hypoplasia.

Archaeological investigations of Romano-British burials have revealed a range of diverse forms of burial treatments. Previous studies show decapitation was enforced, both pre-and post-mortem, on individuals of all ages, sex, origin, and health for diverse reasons (infanticide, judicial execution, trophy taking, fear of the dead, veneration, or an ‘outsider’ status) as part of a sub-class of mortuary treatment expressing communal membership rather than deviant identities. Mortuary analysis of Late Roman period (3rd-5th century AD) decapitation burials in central and southern Britain revealed a continuation of Late Iron Age (100 BC-AD 43) fragmentation rites, namely intentional breaking and scattering of human remains in burials or deposits. This paper explores the intersecting relationships between violence, ritual and bodies, by presenting a contextual mortuary analysis of 12 subadult decapitation burials from ten sites in western Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. The aim is to use a life course approach to determine if those communities utilised specialised mortuary rituals for decapitated subadults, whether those practices may be classified as normative, atypical, or deviant, and, whether the social life course of subadult bodies served to construct specialised identities or conceptions of time in Late Roman society.

REMINDER: Submission deadline 31st of March 2024!

Human osteoarchaeological research in the EMME has a long tradition. In such a historically and archaeologically rich area, this field of enquiry is uniquely positioned to shed light on key aspects of past living conditions. Human osteoarchaeology cannot only elucidate past mobility, diet, health and disease, “stress”, biological kinship and mechanical stress; most importantly, it can do so for every member of past societies, giving voice to traditionally silenced groups, such as women, children or “common people”. This session wants to highlight human osteoarchaeological research in the EMME from prehistory to the 18th century CE. We are particularly interested in multidisciplinary studies and/or meta-analyses that explore larger-scale questions. In addition, we are very keen to receive contributions that flag the potential of legacy data, that is, re-analysis/analysis of remains excavated a long time ago using current methodological and technological approaches, but also of skeletal assemblages that were brought to light in the context of rescue excavations. Smaller-scale case studies will also be considered but they will likely be accepted as poster presentations.

Im Rahmen der Forschungsgrabung des Instituts für Vor-und Frühgeschichte und Provinzialrömische Archäologie der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (Prof. M. Martin) wurde auf dem Petersberg/Kleinen Madron bei Flintsbach a. Inn im August 1998 eine ungewöhnliche Dreifachbestattung dokumentiert und geborgen'. Sie lag ca. 2 m nördlich des romanischen Chors und ebensoweit östlich des spätmittelalterlichen Turms. Es handelt sich um das geostete Grab einer erwachsenen Frau und zweier auf ihren Füßen niedergelegter Kleinstkinder (Abb. 1). Die Frau (Befund 83) war in Rückenlage beerdigt, die Arme längs des Körpers ausgestreckt. Auffällig ist die abnorme Haltung der mäßig angewinkelten und gespreizten Beine; die Füße sind nach oben gestellt. Wegen der Bodenverhältnisse und dichten Belegung des Areals ist ein Sarg nicht nachzuweisen, einzelne Nägel mögen zu benachbarten Gräbern gehört haben. Für einen Sarg könnte sprechen, dass die Tote nach links verrutscht scheint, denn die linke Hand liegt unter dem Becken, und das linke Bein ist weniger weit nach außen gespreizt als das rechte. Da die Arme gestreckt und der Schädel am regulären Platz liegen, kann die abnorme Beinhaltung keinesfalls von einem Zusammenstauchen des Leichnams in einem (präsumptiven) Sarg herrühren, sondern muss unabhängig von der Frage des Grabbaus als intentionell gelten. Über den Füßen der Frau war ein Erdkeil eingebracht worden, um eine ebene Auflage für die Leichname zweier dicht benachbarter Kleinstkinder zu schaffen. Die vordersten Zehenglieder des linken Fußes der Frau liegen ungestört unmittelbar im Becken-und Fußbereich des linken Kleinstkindes. Die enge Nachbarschaft der drei Skelette und ihre völlig ungestörte Lage lassen darauf schließen, dass die drei Toten im archäologischen Sinn gleichzeitig beerdigt wurden. Dies steht freilich nicht der Möglichkeit entgegen, dass die beiden Kleinstkinder mit geringem zeitlichen Abstand-jedenfalls aber vor dem Fortschreiten des Verwesungsprozesses-sekundär auf den Füßen der Frau niedergelegt wurden. Das linke (nördliche) Kleinstkind (Befund 84) ist mit angezogenen Armen und Beinen auf die linke Körperseite gedreht. Das rechte (südliche) Kleinstkind (Befund 85) liegt auf dem Rücken, die Arme längs des Körpers ausgestreckt, die Unterschenkel überkreuzt. Beide Körperhaltungen entsprechen in ihrer Gedrungenheit nicht der natürlichen Haltung von Kleinstkindern und können nur durch enge Wicklung der Leichname in dieser Position fixiert worden sein. Auch in diesem Fall sind die abnormen Körperhaltungen also intentionell herbeigeführt worden. Archäologisch lässt sich Grab 83/84/85 vor die Barockzeit datieren, denn es wird von einer humosen Schicht mit glasierter barocker Ware überdeckt. Vermutlich ist diese Schicht mit der ') Vgl. S. 303 ff. Mit den Arbeiten war vor allem der ehrenamtliche Mitarbeiter R. Tiplt betraut, dem für seinen Einsatz herzlich gedankt sei. Weiter danken die Ausgräber dem Institut für Anthropologie und Humangenetik der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (Prof. G. Grupe) für die unkomplizierte und freundliche Zusammenarbeit, die diese Analyse ermöglicht hat.

The aim of this article is to present to the scientific and academic community the Unidentified Skeletal Collection of the Capuchos Cemetery. The skeletons, of contemporary individuals, were collected from the same cemetery as those of the 21st Century Identified Skeletal Collection, but their identification is unknown. The collection is composed of 73 individuals, of which 68 are adults of both sexes (34 females, 33 males, and one individual of unknown sex) and five are non-adults. The skeletons are reasonably preserved although several are incomplete as result of taphonomic changes during inhumations, but also due to the experimental research made so far. Most of the adult individuals present nonmetric characters, being the scapular notch the most frequent. Regarding the osteopathology, it was observed that the majority of adult individuals have pathological changes, with degenerative pathology being the most frequent. In addition, some individual exhibit medical devices and/or si...

RODRIGUEZ-FLOREZ, Carlos David, MANGEAUD, Arnaldo, COLANTONIO, Sonia et al. Forensic method to determine gender in sub adult subjects using odontometrics in the deciduous dentition. Rev Fac Odontol Univ Antioq, July/Dec. 2008, vol.20, no.1, p.43-48. ISSN 0121-...

Paleodemography is helpful in studying levels of health/disease of past populations and their relationship with socioeconomic conditions.
Although not of archaeological origin, identified skeletal collections constitute an important mean of obtaining knowledge on past populations, mainly due to the knowledge about the context in which they were formed and who integrates them (usually - but not always - individuals with lower social support, such as the poor, sick, and "lunatics" or outsiders).
To assess the impact that childhood stress may have had on past societies with marked socioeconomic differences, children's stress indicators will be studied in 600 adults from three identified Portuguese osteological collections (Identified Skeletal Collection of the University of Coimbra, Identified Skeletal Collection of the National Museum of Natural Science - Lisbon, Collection of Identified Skeletons of the 21st Century - University of Coimbra). All individuals were born between the mid-19th century and the late 20th century, an extended period that includes the biosocial changes of the post-industrial revolution, the discovery of the "theory of germs," and improvements in prophylaxis and medicine. Nevertheless, this period also constituted a milestone of social poverty and underdevelopment in Portugal that prevailed between the end of the monarchy in 1910 and the end of the dictatorship in 1974.
In general, it is expected that individuals born in the 19th century will be more likely to suffer from stress in childhood and, therefore, be significantly more affected by morbidity during adult life, dying earlier than their peers who lived a healthier childhood. Individuals born during the 20th century, although with a childhood often similar to that of the previous century, would have benefited from some medical advances that would mitigate their greater propensity for health problems in adulthood, thus increasing the average life expectancy.

El proceso de poblamiento del centro-sur de la Pampa Occidental presenta señales débiles y dispersas durante el Holoceno Temprano, mayor incidencia humana durante el Holoceno Medio y un proceso de colonización progresivo a partir del Holoceno Tardío inicial. El registro
bioarqueológico ha sido uno de los indicadores más claros de este proceso.
En este trabajo se presenta la Osteobiografía de un enterratorio denominado CLV3, recuperado en la Localidad Arqueológica Cerro de Los Viejos (SE de La Pampa), cuyo fechado es 3410±20 años AP. Se trata de un individuo masculino, adulto, que gozó de un buen estado de salud. Su estilo de vida implicó estrés mecánico moderado y se destaca el uso intensivo del aparato masticatorio. El mismo tuvo una residencia local, una dieta terrestre, y presenta deformación craneana de tipo circular. Las características de CLV3 reflejan patrones sociales y culturales registrados también en la escala macroregional.

The characterization and quantification of human dental enamel microstructure, in both permanent and deciduous teeth, allows us to document crucial growth parameters and to identify stressful events, thus contributing to the reconstruction of the past life history of an individual. Most studies to date have focused on the more accessible post-natal portion of the deciduous dental enamel, even though the analysis of prenatal enamel is pivotal in understanding fetal growth, and reveals information about the mother's health status during pregnancy. This contribution reports new data describing the prenatal enamel development of 18 central deciduous incisors from the Imperial Roman necropolis of Velia (I-II century CE, Salerno, Italy). Histomorphometrical analysis was performed to collect data on prenatal crown formation times, daily secretion rates and enamel extension rates. Results for the Velia sample allowed us to derive a new regression formula, using a robust statistical appr...

This dissertation would not have been possible without the help, guidance, and support of many people. First, I would like to thank my major advisor, Dr. Robert Tykot, for agreeing to take me as his graduate student when I was undergoing a period of transition. With his guidance, I was introduced to the world of archaeological science and have acquired a valuable skillset. I would also like to thank my committee members Dr.

The skeletal remains of non-adults provide endless insights into numerous aspects of their personal, family and social lives. Although they were considered to be marginal members of society, children can potentially shed light on factors influencing the overall health and survival of their communities, sensitively conveying the ability of a population to adapt to its environment and cope with moments of crisis. In the last decade, worldwide interest in the archaeology of children has grown, and has driven the bioarchaeological investigation of their skeletal remains. However, the bioarchaeological study of non-adults has received surprisingly little interest in the Baltic states. This review presents the past and current state of the art with specific focus on the Baltic area from prehistory to historic times, outlining new research fields and the benefits of studying non-adult skeletal remains, and proposing specific possible directions for future work on this topic. The paper is aimed at giving a louder voice to the youngest actors of ancient communities, and perhaps offers a starting point for developing a definitive bioarchaeology of children in the Baltics.

My dissertation is a bioarchaeological study of invisible and underrepresented people from ancient Zapotec society in the Valley of Oaxaca in southern Oaxaca, Mexico from A.D. 350 to 1250. The study is based on the analysis of over 450 prehispanic burials excavated from Late Formative to Early Postclassic contexts at the archaeological sites of Dainzu-Macuilxochitl, Lambityeco, Mitla, and El Palmillo between 1950 and 2016, located in the Tlacolula Valley. All of the burials that were examined as part of this study were assessed for age, sex, and various health indicators, following Buikstra (1994) and Steckel and Rose
(2002). Using standardized methods across all of these sites allows me to consider these human remains as a single large collection and has given me the opportunity to consider questions and actors that rarely gain the primary attention of archaeologists and bioarchaeologists: women, children, and non-elite individuals living at secondary centers.
This work challenges researchers to decenter bioarchaeological research to produce more robust and holistic studies of the past societies. Specifically, I examine the role of children and the meaning of childhood in Zapotec society based on the burial patterns of children,
demonstrating that children living both inside and outside of Monte Albán received the same kinds of burial treatments as adults. This calls into question previous studies that have suggested that children were treated differently than adults and/or were not considered fully fledged members of Zapotec society until they reached adulthood. I also examine how violence manifested differently on female and male skeletons and suggest that the violence inflicted on female bodies at El Palmillo could be the result of interpersonal conflicts. A final section addresses the impact of sociopolitical changes associated with the Classic to Postclassic transition on health among the Zapotec population living in secondary centers, outside of Monte Albán, which shows that people in the Tlacolula region were able to weather demographic and sociopolitical transitions and remained relatively healthy through time. This suggests that people living outside of political capitals had regular access resources or experienced less centralized control over resources.

We discuss the probable presence of tuberculosis in non-adults of a medieval rural community in northern Italy with a biocultural perspective. Before birth, mother and child have a closely interconnected relationship, as suggested by the role of microchimerism on maternal health. To better understand maternal–child health and related stress factors, paleopathology has investigated the potential of this relationship in recent years. Diseases with environmental development factors such as infections depend on and are strongly affected by maternal control variables such as, for example, breastfeeding and the growth environment. This article presents ISZ2, the second possible case of childhood tuberculosis identified in northeastern Italy through recent paleopathological criteria. The subject is of primary importance as it not only represents a direct testimony of this infectious disease otherwise known only from historical sources, but also increases our knowledge on the state of healt...

The Early Bronze Age site of Bab adh-Dhra’ in modern Jordan is representative of a general trend towards walled, densely-populated sites and agricultural intensification throughout the region. This shift towards town-life would have resulted in many socio-economic lifestyle changes for all in the community, including children. Approximately one-fifth of adults from the A22 charnel house (EBII-III) have cranial trauma associated with violence, suggesting that interpersonal conflict was a reality for those living there. Comparatively, traumatic injury in non-adults has remained largely uninvestigated. This project builds on previous bioarchaeological research during the town occupation of the site to understand the rate and distribution of skeletal trauma amongst non-adults at Bab adh-Dhra’. Crania and the long bones of the arms and legs were examined in order to determine patterns of antemortem fractures in this age group. We discuss possible causes for these injuries, including play in the rocky topography or working with livestock, as many agro-pastoral communities shift such tasks to children while adults focus on the more physically demanding practice of farming. It is also possible that children were subject to non-lethal violence. Fractures in children are notoriously difficult to identify due to the bones’ elasticity and fast healing. Therefore, the fractures recorded are likely an under-representation of the true number of children experiencing traumatic injury.

El síndrome de Down en niños se asocia con múltiples alteraciones orofaciales, dentro de ellas se ha mencionado el retraso en la erupción dental, cuya comprensión no es aún del todo conocida. Se realizó una revisión para analizar los conceptos de erupción dental y acerca de la evidencia disponible respecto al retraso en la erupción dental de los niños con síndrome de Down y su relación con la maduración de los dientes o con otros factores sistémicos y locales. Se observó escasez de estudios sobre el tema, sin embargo, con la literatura encontrada se pudo concluir que el retraso de erupción de las piezas dentales parece no tener relación con la maduración de la pieza dental, sino a otros procesos que tienen lugar durante la erupción dental o que puede ser parte del retraso general del crecimiento y del desarrollo que caracteriza al síndrome de Down.

Dentro del conjunto funerario en el asentamiento de Zacatenco durante el Preclásico medio en la cuenca de México, se sepultó un infante que tenía cuatro años al momento de su fallecimiento. El análisis osteológico fue diseñado con preceptos arqueotanatológicos, desde un enfoque bioarqueológico en donde también involucramos el estudio de los objetos que se encontraron asociados al espacio del difunto.
Este niño se caracterizó por llevar una cuenta de piedra verde localizada en el maxilar y en el tórax un conjunto de pendientes a manera de pectoral, elaborados en concha marina, de los cuales destaca uno con la representación de un rostro humano, al parecer esqueletizado.
Con la unión de la información obtenida de los análisis realizados hemos podido extraer la forma en que la población trató el cadáver y honró su muerte. Esto nos habla también de la importancia que tenían las infancias en Zacatenco y el impacto que podía tener entre los miembros de la comunidad, su pérdida.

Studying infant diet and feeding practices through stable isotope analysis provides direct insight into the life and health of vulnerable population groups in the past. Although the general diet in medieval and early modern Livonia has been reconstructed from written sources, little is known about childhood diet during this tumultuous period of Eastern European history. This study presents a comparative investigation of the staple non-adult diet in urban/ rural communities during the 13 th-17 th centuries AD, with a special focus on feeding practices. We aim to reveal the impact of socioeconomic circumstances on early childhood nutrition, which affects the physical development and overall survival of this susceptible population group. Bone collagen samples from 176 individuals between the fetal and the 7-15 age categories from four urban/rural South-Estonian cemeteries were cross-sectionally analyzed via EA-IRMS (Elemental Analysis with Isotope Ratio Mass Spectroscopy) for δ 13 C and δ 15 N. Results suggest that South-Estonian children had a staple terrestrial C 3 diet integrated with animal proteins. Significant divergences were observed between urban and rural sites and slight variation occurred among rural subgroups, possibly resulting from a wider food choice available in towns, different consumption of C 4 foods, and/or secular changes. This study provides the first data regarding infant feeding practices in medieval and early modern Livonia. These practices were similar among the different contexts, indicating comparable cultural traditions in child rearing. Breastfeeding was likely practiced for 1-2 years, with supplementary foods introduced around 1 year of age. The weaning process was probably concluded around the age of 3. The δ 13 C and δ 15 N values of older children are comparable to those of the adults from the same sites, indicating their diets became similar after weaning, when they started working and obtained a more mature social status.

Introducción El estudio de la dentición desde una perspectiva antropológica brinda información sobre aspectos biológicos y culturales de las poblaciones humanas pasadas y presentes, y a nivel intrapoblacional las principales fuentes de variación de la morfología y el tamaño dental son los cambios ocurridos con el crecimiento. Estudios histológicos y químicos han demostrado que el desarrollo del esmalte ocurre en al menos tres estadios, formación, maduración, y esmalte completamente maduro, a partir de un proceso de depositación rítmica caracterizado por la presencia de marcadores microestructurales que se preservan en el tejido dentario. El esmalte es el tejido más duro del organismo debido a que estructuralmente está constituido por prismas de hidroxiapatita (fosfato de calcio) altamente mineralizados. Posee un porcentaje muy elevado (95%) de matriz inorgánica y muy bajo (1,2%) de matriz orgánica. La microestructura del esmalte está constituida por la denominada unidad estructural ...

The characterization and quantification of human dental enamel microstructure, in both permanent and deciduous teeth, allows us to document crucial growth parameters and to identify stressful events, thus contributing to the reconstruction of the past life history of an individual. Most studies to date have focused on the more accessible post-natal portion of the deciduous dental enamel, even though the analysis of prenatal enamel is pivotal in understanding fetal growth, and reveals information about the mother's health status during pregnancy. This contribution reports new data describing the prenatal enamel development of 18 central deciduous incisors from the Imperial Roman necropolis of Velia (I-II century CE, Salerno, Italy). Histomorphometrical analysis was performed to collect data on prenatal crown formation times, daily secretion rates and enamel extension rates. Results for the Velia sample allowed us to derive a new regression formula, using a robust statistical appr...

Different practices in paleoanthropology and legal medicine raise questions concerning the robustness of body mass (BM) prediction. Integrating personal identification from body mass estimation with skeleton is not a classic approach in legal medicine. The originality of our study is the use of an elderly sample in order to push prediction methods to their limits and to discuss about implications in paleoanthropology and legal medicine. The aim is to observe the accuracy of BM prediction in relation to the body mass index (BMI, index of classification) using five femoral head (FH) methods and one shaft (FSH) method. The sample is composed of 41 dry femurs obtained from dissection where age (c. 82 years) and gender are known, and weight (c. 59.5 kg) and height are measured upon admission to the body leg service. We show that the estimation of the mean BM of the elderly sample is not significantly different to the real mean BM when the appropriate formula is used for the femoral head diameter. In fact, the best prediction is obtained with the McHenry formula (1992), which was based on a sample with an equivalent average mass to that of our sample. In comparison, external shaft diameters, which are known to be more influenced by mechanical stimuli than femoral head diameters, yield less satisfactory results with the McHenry formula (1992) for shaft diameters. Based on all the methods used and the distinctive selected sample, overestimation (always observed with the different femoral head methods) can be restricted to 1.1%. The observed overestimation with the shaft method can be restricted to 7%. However, the estimation of individual BM is much less reliable. The BMI has a strong impact on the accuracy of individual BM prediction, and is unquestionably more reliable for individuals with normal BMI (9.6% vs 16.7% for the best prediction error). In this case, the FH method is also the better predictive method but not if we integrate the total sample (i.e., the FSH method is better with more varied BMI). Finally, the estimation of the mean BM of a sample can be used with more confidence compared to the estimation of individual BM. The former is very useful in an evolutionary perspective whereas the latter should be used in keeping with the information gathered on the studied specimen in order to reduce prediction errors. Finally, the BM estimation can be a parameter to consider for personal identification.

En este artículo se describen las tareas de extensión desarrolladas en torno a la colección osteológica humana del Museo Regional de Rada Tilly (Chubut). Las tareas se vinculan con el proyecto de investigación "Investigaciones interdisciplinarias del Holoceno tardío en Patagonia Central: Arqueología, Antropología Biológica y Geología" (PICT-Agencia 01527) co-dirigido por una de las autoras (A.M.A.), que contempla el acondicionamiento y la puesta en valor de las colecciones estudiadas, orientados a la interacción con la comunidad a través de museos locales. En septiembre de 2010 un grupo de bioantropólogos del Museo de La Plata se trasladó a Chubut y, de manera conjunta con el personal de Rada Tilly, acondicionó la colección, registró información bioantropológica, y a la vez brindó capacitación a los encargados en las técnicas

La antropología biológica (conocida también como antropología física), es la rama de la antropología que tiene como objeto de estudio la evolución y variabilidad humana, tanto en poblaciones antiguas como modernas. Entre sus enfoques más conocidos se encuentran la bioarqueología y biología esqueletal (estudio de restos humanos en contextos arqueológicos o históricos), la antropología forense (estudio de restos humanos, principalmente esqueletizados, en contextos humanitarios o médico legales), la evolución humana, la genética de poblaciones actuales y pasadas, la biodemografía y epidemiología, los estudios de crecimiento y desarrollo de poblaciones humanas, la primatología y los estudios experimentales que involucran el estudio de factores ambientales sobre la expresión fenotípica (Cesani et al. 2014; Ubelaker y Colantonio 2019). A esto se suman, además, abordajes éticos sobre el estudio de las investigaciones bioantropológicas (Geller 2019; Squires et al. 2019). El surgimiento y posterior desarrollo de la antropología biológica en Sudamérica estuvo marcado por las escuelas europeas y estadounidenses del siglo XIX y comienzos del siglo XX. Fueron notables los aportes pioneros de Paul Broca, Aleš Hrdlička, Paul Rivet, José de Brettes, René Verneau, entre otros. No obstante, en cada país se han dado desarrollos particulares impulsados en las últimas décadas por preguntas enfocadas al poblamiento temprano, enfermedades en el pasado, adaptabilidad humana, variabilidad biológica, identificación humana, entre otras (Luna et al. 2014; Rodríguez 2020). En el Perú, las raíces de la antropología biológica pueden rastrearse en los viajeros de fines del siglo XIX (ver, por ejemplo, Riviale 2000) y en las investigaciones de antropólogos físicos de comienzos del siglo XX, tales como las de