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Bioarchaeology ( osteoarchaeology, osteology or palaeo-osteology) in Europe describes the study of biological remains from archaeological sites. In the United States it is the scientific study of human remains from archaeological sites.
The term was minted by British archaeologist Grahame Clark who, in 1972, defined it as the study of animal and human bones from archaeological sites. Jane Buikstra came up with the current US definition in 1977. Human remains can inform about health, lifestyle, diet, mortality and physique of the past. Although Grahame Clark used it to describe just human remains and animal remains, increasingly archaeologists include botanical remains.
Bioarchaeology was largely born from the practices of New Archaeology, which developed in the United States in the 1970s as a reaction to a mainly Culture history approach to understanding the past. Proponents of New Archaeology advocate testing hypotheses about the interaction between culture and biology, or a biocultural approach. Some archaeologists advocate a more holistic approach that incorporates critical theory.
Until the age of about 30, human bones keep growing. Different bones fuse at different points of growth. This development can vary acros individuals. Wear and tear on bones further complicates age estimates. Often, estimates are limited to 'young' (20–35 years), 'middle' (35–50 years), or 'old' (50+ years).
In general, the male skeleton is more robust than the female skeleton because of male's greater muscles mass. Male skeletons generally have more pronounced , Nuchal lines, and mastoid processes. Skeletal size and robustness are influenced by nutrition and activity levels. Pelvic and cranial features are considered to be more reliable indicators of biological sex. Sexing skeletons of young people who have not completed puberty is more difficult and problematic, because the body has not fully developed.
Bioarchaeological sexing of skeletons is not error-proof. Recording errors and re-arranging of human remains may play a part in such misidentification.
Direct testing of bioarchaeological methods for sexing skeletons by comparing gendered names on coffin plates from the crypt at Christ Church, Spitalfields, London to the associated remains achieved a 98 percent success rate.Molleson, Theya, and M. Cox. The Spitalfields Project, Volume 2: The Anthropology: Council For British Archaeology, York, 1993.
Gendered work patterns may leave marks on bones and be identifiable in the archaeological record. One study found extremely arthritic big toes, a collapse of the last dorsal vertebrae, and muscular arms and legs among female skeletons at Abu Hureyra, interpreting this as indicative of gendered work patterns. Such skeletal changes could have resulted from women spending long periods kneeling while grinding grain with the toes curled forward. Investigation of gender from mortuary remains is of growing interest to archaeologists. (2025). 9780759101371, Rowman Altamira. ISBN 9780759101371
Enamel forms through a process called amelogenesis, carried out by specialized cells known as Ameloblast, which produce enamel in sequential layers. When these cells are affected by systemic stress, the enamel formation process can be interrupted or altered, resulting in visible developmental defects.
Studies of dental enamel hypoplasia are used to study child health. Unlike bone, teeth are not remodeled, so intact enamel can provide a more reliable indicator of past health events. Dental hypoplasias provide an indicator of health status during the time in childhood when the enamel of the tooth crown is forming. The presence, frequency, and severity of enamel hypoplasia (EH) offer valuable information about general health conditions and the occurrence of disease or malnutrition. Elevated rates of EH are often interpreted as evidence of widespread physiological stress, such as famine, infectious disease outbreaks, or prolonged nutritional deficiencies. By comparing the prevalence of dental stress indicators across various groups such as different social classes, geographic regions, or time periods bioarcheologists can also infer disparities in living conditions, access to resources, and overall health.
Not all enamel layers are visible on the tooth surface because enamel layers that are formed early in crown development are buried by later layers. Hypoplasias on this part of the tooth do not show on the tooth surface. Because of this buried enamel, teeth record stressors form a few months after the start of the event. The proportion of enamel crown formation time represented by this buried enamel varies from up to 50 percent in molars to 15-20 percent in anterior teeth. Surface hypoplasias record stressors occur from about one to seven years, or up to 13 years if the third molar is included.Mays, Simon. The Archaeology of Human Bones. 1998. Second ed. New York: Routledge, 2010.
It is however, unlikely that iron deficiency anemia is a cause of either porotic hyperostosis or cribra orbitalia.Walker et al. 2009 "The Causes of Porotic Hyperostosis and Cribra Orbitalia: A Reappraisal of the Iron-Deficiency-Anemia Hypothesis" American Journal of Physical Anthropology. These are more likely the result of vascular activity in these areas and are unlikely to be pathological. The development of cribra orbitalia and porotic hyperostosis could also be attributed to other causes besides a dietary iron deficiency, such as nutrients lost to intestinal parasites. However, dietary deficiencies are the most probable cause.Schutkowski, Holger. "Thoughts for Food: Evidence and Meaning of Past Dietary Habits." Between Biology and Culture. Ed. Holger Schutkowski. Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology: Cambridge University Press, 2008. 141–64.
Anemia incidence may be a result of inequalities within society, and/or indicative of different work patterns and activities among different groups within society. A study of iron-deficiency among early Mongolian nomads showed that although overall rates of cribra orbitalia declined from 28.7 percent (27.8 percent of the total female population, 28.4 percent of the total male population, 75 percent of the total juvenile population) during the Bronze Age and , to 15.5 percent during the Xiongnu (2209–1907 BP) period, the rate of females with cribra orbitalia remained roughly the same, while incidence among males and children declined (29.4 percent of the total female population, 5.3 percent of the total male population, and 25 percent of the juvenile population had cribra orbitalia). This study hypothesized that adults may have lower rates of cribra orbitalia than juveniles because lesions either heal with age or lead to death. Higher rates of cribia orbitalia among females may indicate lesser health status, or greater survival of young females with cribia orbitalia into adulthood.Bazarsad, Naran. "Iron-Deficiency Anemia in Early Mongolian Nomads." Ancient Health: Skeletal Indicators of Agricultural and Economic Intensification. Eds. Mark Nathan Cohen and Gillian M.M. Crane-Kramer. Gainesville/Tallahassee/Tampa/Boca Raton: University Press of Florida, 2007. 250–54.
Particularly, deficiencies in protein and , which lead to delayed longitudinal Ossification, can result in the formation of Harris lines. During the process of endochondral bone growth, the cessation of osteoblastic activity results in the deposition of a thin layer of bone beneath the cartilage cap, potentially forming Harris lines. Subsequent recovery, necessary for the restoration of activity, is also implicated in Harris line formation. When matured cartilage cells reactivate, bone growth resumes, thickening the bony stratum. Therefore, complete recovery from periods of chronic illness or malnutrition manifests as transverse lines on radiographs. Lines tend to be thicker with prolonged and severe malnutrition. Harris line formation typically peaks in long bones around 2–3 years after birth and becomes rare after the age of 5 until adulthood. Harris lines occur more frequently in boys than in girls.
Living bones are subject to Wolff's law, which states that bones are physically affected and remodeled by physical activity or inactivity. Increases in mechanical stress tend to produce thicker and stronger bones. Disruptions in homeostasis caused by nutritional deficiency or disease or profound inactivity/disuse/disability can lead to bone loss. While the acquisition of bipedal locomotion and body mass appear to determine the size and shape of children's bones, activity during the adolescent growth period seems to exert a greater influence on the size and shape of adult bones than exercise later in life.
Muscle attachment sites (Enthesis) have been thought to be impacted in the same way, causing entheseal changes. These changes were widely used to study activity-patterns, (2011). 9781444345940, Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 9781444345940 but research has shown that processes associated with aging have a greater impact than occupational stresses. It has also been shown that geometric changes to bone structure (described above) and entheseal changes differ in their underlying cause with the latter little affected by occupation. Joint changes, including osteoarthritis, have been used to infer occupations, but in general these are also manifestations of the aging process.
Markers of occupational stress, which include morphological changes to the skeleton and dentition as well as joint changes at specific locations have been widely used to infer specific (rather than general) activities. Such markers are often based on single cases described in late nineteenth century clinical literature. One such marker has been found to be a reliable indicator of lifestyle: the external auditory exostosis also called surfer's ear, which is a small bony protuberance in the ear canal that occurs in those working in proximity to cold water.
One example of how these changes have been used to study activities is the New York African Burial Ground in New York. This provides evidence of the brutal working conditions under which the enslaved labored;Wilczak, C., R.C. Watkins, and M.L. Blakey. Skeletal Indicators of Work: Musculoskeletal, Arthritic, and Traumatic Events: US Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 2004. osteoarthritis of the vertebrae was common even among the young. The pattern of osteoarthritis combined with the early age of onset provides evidence of labor that resulted in mechanical strain to the neck. One male skeleton shows stress lesions at 37 percent of 33 muscle or ligament attachments, showing he experienced significant musculoskeletal stress. Overall, the interred show signs of significant musculoskeletal stress and heavy workloads, although workload and activities varied by individual. Some show high levels of stress, while others do not. This indicates the variety of types of labor (e.g., domestic vs. carrying heavy loads) labor.
Evidence of perimortal fractures (or fractures inflicted on a fresh corpse) can be distinguished in unhealed metal blade injuries to the bones. Living or freshly dead bones are somewhat resilient, so metal blade injuries to bone generate a linear cut with relatively clean edges rather than irregular shattering. Archaeologists have attempted to use the microscopic parallel scratch marks on cut bones in order to estimate the trajectory of the blade that caused the injury.Wenham, S.J., and J. Wakely. Features of Blade-Injuries to Bone Surfaces in Six Anglo-Saxon Skeletons from Eccles, Kent: BAR 211 Oxford, 1989.
The different photosynthesis pathways used by C3 and C4 plants cause them to discriminate differently towards 13C leading to distinctly different ranges of δ13C. C4 plants range between -9 and -16‰, and C3 plants range between -22 and -34‰. The isotopic signature of consumer collagen is close the δ13C of dietary plants, while apatite, a mineral component of bones and teeth, has an ~14‰ offset from dietary plants due fractionation associated with mineral formation. Stable carbon isotopes have been used as tracers of C4 plants in paleodiets. For example, the rapid and dramatic increase in 13C in human collagen after the adoption of maize agriculture in North America documents the transition from a C3 to a C4 (native plants to corn) diet by 1300 CE.
Skeletons excavated from the Coburn Street Burial Ground (1750 to 1827 CE) in Cape Town, South Africa, were analyzed using stable isotope data in order to determine geographical histories and life histories. The people buried in this cemetery were assumed to be slaves and members of the underclass based on the informal nature of the cemetery; biomechanical stress analysis and stable isotope analysis, combined with other archaeological data, seem to support this supposition.
Based on stable isotope levels, one study reported that eight Cobern Street Burial Ground individuals consumed a diet based on C4 (tropical) plants in childhood, then consumed more C3 plants, which were more common there later in their lives. Six of these individuals had dental modifications similar to those carried out by peoples inhabiting tropical areas known to be targeted by slavers who brought enslaved individuals from other parts of Africa to the colony. Based on this evidence, it was argued that these individuals represent enslaved persons from areas of Africa where C4 plants were consumed and who were brought to the Cape as laborers. These individuals were not assigned to a specific ethnicity, but similar dental modifications are carried out by the Makua people, Yao, and Marav peoples. Four individuals were buried with no grave goods, in accordance with Muslim tradition, facing Signal Hill, which is a point of significance for local Muslims. Their isotopic signatures indicate that they grew up in a temperate environment consuming mostly C3 plants, but some C4 The study argued that these individuals were from the Indian Ocean area. It also suggested that these individuals were Muslims. It argued that stable isotopic analysis of burials, combined with historical and archaeological data were an effective way of investigating the migrations forced by the African Slave Trade, as well as the emergence of the underclass and working class in the Old World.
Variations in nitrogen values within the same trophic level are also considered. Nitrogen variations in plants, for example, can be caused by plant-specific reliance on nitrogen gas which causes the plant to mirror atmospheric values. Enriched or higher δ15N values can be achieved in plants that grew in soil fertilized by animal waste. Nitrogen isotopes have been used to estimate the relative contributions of legumes verses nonlegumes, as well as terrestrial versus marine resources. While other plants have δ15N values that range from 2 to 6‰, legumes have lower 14N/15N ratios (close to 0‰, i.e. atmospheric N2) because they can fix molecular nitrogen, rather than having to rely on soil nitrates and nitrites. Therefore, one potential explanation for lower δ15N values in human remains is an increased consumption of legumes or animals that eat them. 15N values increase with meat consumption, and decrease with legume consumption. The 14N/15N ratio could be used to gauge the contribution of meat and legumes to the diet.
Variations in δ18O values in skeletal remains are directly related to the isotopic composition of the consumer's body water. isotopic composition of mammalian body water is primarily controlled by consumed water. δ18O values of freshwater drinking sources vary due to mass fractionations related to mechanisms of the global water cycle. Evaporated water vapor is more enriched in 16O (isotopically lighter; more negative delta value) compared to the remaining water, which is depleted in 16O (isotopically heavier; more positive delta value). An accepted first-order approximation for the isotopic composition of animal drinking water is local precipitation, though this is complicated to varying degrees by confounding water sources like natural springs or lakes. The baseline δ18O used in archaeological studies is modified depending on the relevant environmental and historical context.
δ18O values of bioapatite in human skeletal remains are assumed to have formed in equilibrium with body water, thus providing a species-specific relationship to oxygen isotopic composition of body water. The same cannot be said for human bone collagen, as δ18O values in collagen seem to be impacted by drinking water, food water, and a combination of metabolic and physiological processes. δ18O values from bone minerals are essentially an averaged isotopic signature throughout the entire life of the individual.
While carbon and nitrogen are used primarily to investigate the diets of ancient humans, oxygen isotopes offer insight into body water at different life stages. δ18O values are used to understand drinking behaviors, animal husbandry, and track mobility. 97 burials from the ancient Maya citadel of Tikal were studied using oxygen isotopes. Results from tooth enamel identified statistically different individuals, interpreted to be individuals from Maya lowlands, Guatemala, and potentially Mexico. Historical context combined with isotopic data from burials were used to argue that migrant individuals were a part of lower and higher social classes within Tikal. Female migrants who arrived in Tikal during Early Classic period could have been the brides of Maya elite.
Various studies have analyzed the isotopic ratios of sulfur in mummified hair. Hair is a good candidate for sulfur studies as it typically contains at least 5% elemental sulfur. One study incorporated sulfur isotope ratios into their paleodietary investigation of four mummified child victims of Inca Empire sacrificial practices. δ34S values helped them conclude that the children had not been eating marine protein before their death. Historical insight coupled with consistent sulfur signatures for three of the children suggests that they were living in the same location 6 months prior to the sacrifice. Studies have measured δ34S values of bone collagen, though the interpretation of these values was not reliable until quality criteria were published in 2009. Though bone collagen is abundant in skeletal remains, less than 1% of the tissue is made of sulfur, making it imperative that these studies carefully assess the meaning of bone collagen δ34S values.
In 2012 archaeologists found skeletal remains of an adult male. He was buried under a car park in England. DNA evidence allowed the archaeologists to confirm that the remains belonged to Richard III, the former king of England who died in the Battle of Bosworth.
In 2021, Canadian researchers analyzed skeletal remains found on King William Island, identifying them as belonging to Warrant Officer John Gregory, an engineer serving aboard HMS Erebus in the ill-fated 1845 Franklin Expedition. He was the first expedition member to be identified by DNA analysis.
Biocultural bioarchaeology combines standard forensic techniques with investigations of demography and epidemiology in order to assess socioeconomic conditions experienced by human communities. For example, incorporation of analysis of grave goods can further the understanding of daily activities.
Some bioarchaeologists view the discipline as a crucial interface between the science and the humanities; as the human body is made and re-made by both biological and cultural factors.Lorentz, Kirsi. "From Bodies to Bones and Back: Theory and Human Bioarchaeology." Between Biology and Culture. Ed. Holger Schutkowski. Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology: Cambridge University Press, 2008. 273–303.
Another type of bioarchaeology focuses on quality of life, lifestyle, behavior, biological relatedness, and population history.Larsen, Clark Spencer. "The Changing Face of Bioarchaeology: An Interdisciplinary Science." Bioarchaeology: The Contextual Analysis of Human Remains. Eds. Jane E. Buikstra and Lane A Beck: Academic Press Elsevier, 2006. 359–74.Larsen, Clark Spencer. Skeletons in Our Closet: Revealing Our Past through Bioarchaeology. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2000. It does not closely link skeletal remains to their archaeological context, and may best be viewed as a "skeletal biology of the past".Buikstra, Jane E. "Introduction to Section III: On to the 21st Century." p. 354. Bioarchaeology: The Contextual Analysis of Human Remains. Eds. Jane E. Buikstra and Lane A Beck: Academic Press/Elsevier, 2006. 347–258.
Inequalities exist in all human societies. Bioarchaeology has helped to dispel the idea that life for foragers of the past was "nasty, brutish and short"; bioarchaeological studies reported that foragers of the past were often healthy, while agricultural societies tended to have increased incidence of malnutrition and disease. One study compared foragers from Oakhurst to agriculturalists from K2 and Mapungubwe and reported that agriculturalists from K2 and Mapungubwe were not subject to the lower nutritional levels expected.
Danforth argues that more "complex" state-level societies display greater health differences between elites and the rest of society, with elites having the advantage, and that this disparity increases as societies become more unequal. Some status differences in society do not necessarily mean radically different nutritional levels; Powell did not find evidence of great nutritional differences between elites and commoners, but did find lower rates of anemia among elites in Moundville.
An area of increasing interest interested in understanding inequality is the study of violence. (2012). 9780813043630, University Press of Florida. ISBN 9780813043630 Researchers analyzing traumatic injuries on human remains have shown that social status and gender can have a significant impact on exposure to violence.Martin, Debra L., Ryan P. Harrod, and Misty Fields. "Beaten Down and Worked to the Bone: Bioarchaeological Investigations of Women and Violence in the Ancient Southwest." Landscapes of Violence 1.1 (2010): Article 3. http://scholarworks.umass.edu/lov/vol1/iss1/3/ Numerous researchers study violence in human remains, exploring violent behavior, including intimate partner violence,Walker, Phillip L. "Wife Beating, Boxing, and Broken Noses: Skeletal Evidence for the Cultural Patterning of Violence." Troubled Times: Violence and Warfare in the Past. Eds. Martin, Debra L. and David W. Frayer. Amsterdam: Gordon and Breach, 1997. 145–80. child abuse, institutional abuse, torture, warfare,Milner, George R. "An Osteological Perspective on Prehistoric Warfare." Regional Approaches to Mortuary Analysis. Ed. Beck, Lane A. New York: Plenum Press, 1995. 221–44. human sacrifice,Tiesler, Vera, and Andrea Cucina, eds. New Perspectives on Human Sacrifice and Ritual Body Treatments in Ancient Maya Society. New York: Springer, 2007. and structural violence.Pérez, Ventura R. "From the Singing Tree to the Hanging Tree: Structural Violence and Death with the Yaqui Landscape." Landscapes of Violence 1.1 (2010): Article 4. http://scholarworks.umass.edu/lov/vol1/iss1/9/Klaus, Haagen D. "The Bioarchaeology of Structural Violence: A Theoretical Model and a Case Study." 2012. The Bioarchaeology of Violence. Eds. Martin, Debra L., Ryan P. Harrod and Ventura R. Pérez. Gainesville: University of Florida Press. 29–62.
Many archaeologists did not realize that many people perceive archaeologists as non-productive and/or grave robbers. Concerns about mistreatment of remains are not unfounded: in a 1971 Minnesota excavation, White and Native American remains were treated differently; Whites were reburied, while Native Americans were moved to a natural history museum. African American bioarchaeology grew after NAGPRA and its effect of ending the study of Native American remains.
Bioarchaeology in Europe was not as disrupted by repatriation issues. However, because much of European archaeology has been focused on classical roots, artifacts and art have been emphasized and Roman and post-Roman skeletal remains were nearly completely neglected until the 1980s. In prehistoric European archaeology, biological remains began to be analyzed earlier than in classical archaeology.
While ethical approaches to the excavation and analysis of physical human remains have received considerable attention, professional and academic dialogue regarding how to appropriately record, share, and display human remains in the digital realm is less developed. While digital technologies for recording and analysing human remains are increasingly accessible, justification for such recording and analysis is essential e.g. 3D scanning performed simply because it is possible is inappropriate and disrespectful to the deceased.
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