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Pryor AJE, Ameen C, Liddiard R, Baker G, Kanne KS, Milton JA, Standish CD, Hambach B, Orlando L, Chauvey L, Schiavinato S, Calvière-Tonasso L, Tressières G, Wagner S, Southon J, Shapiro B, Pipe A, Creighton OH, Outram AK. Isotopic biographies reveal horse rearing and trading networks in medieval London. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadj5782. [PMID: 38517967 PMCID: PMC10959406 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adj5782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024]
Abstract
This paper reports a high-resolution isotopic study of medieval horse mobility, revealing their origins and in-life mobility both regionally and internationally. The animals were found in an unusual horse cemetery site found within the City of Westminster, London, England. Enamel strontium, oxygen, and carbon isotope analysis of 15 individuals provides information about likely place of birth, diet, and mobility during the first approximately 5 years of life. Results show that at least seven horses originated outside of Britain in relatively cold climates, potentially in Scandinavia or the Western Alps. Ancient DNA sexing data indicate no consistent sex-specific mobility patterning, although three of the five females came from exceptionally highly radiogenic regions. Another female with low mobility is suggested to be a sedentary broodmare. Our results provide direct and unprecedented evidence for a variety of horse movement and trading practices in the Middle Ages and highlight the importance of international trade in securing high-quality horses for medieval London elites.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Carly Ameen
- Department of Archaeology and History, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | | | - Gary Baker
- Department of History, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Katherine S. Kanne
- Department of Archaeology and History, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
- School of Archaeology, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - J. Andy Milton
- School of Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | | | - Bastian Hambach
- School of Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Ludovic Orlando
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, Toulouse, France
| | - Lorelei Chauvey
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, Toulouse, France
| | - Stephanie Schiavinato
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, Toulouse, France
| | - Laure Calvière-Tonasso
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, Toulouse, France
| | - Gaetan Tressières
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, Toulouse, France
| | - Stefanie Wagner
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, Toulouse, France
| | - John Southon
- Department of Earth System Science, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Beth Shapiro
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Alan Pipe
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | | | - Alan K. Outram
- Department of Archaeology and History, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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Gowland RL, Caffell AC, Quade L, Levene A, Millard AR, Holst M, Yapp P, Delaney S, Brown C, Nowell G, McPherson C, Shaw HA, Stewart NA, Robinson S, Montgomery J, Alexander MM. The expendables: Bioarchaeological evidence for pauper apprentices in 19th century England and the health consequences of child labour. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0284970. [PMID: 37195937 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0284970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Child labour is the most common form of child abuse in the world today, with almost half of child workers employed in hazardous industries. The large-scale employment of children during the rapid industrialisation of the late 18th and early 19th centuries in England is well documented. During this period, the removal of pauper children from workhouses in cities to work as apprentices in rural mills in the North of England was commonplace. Whilst the experiences of some of these children have been recorded historically, this study provides the first direct evidence of their lives through bioarchaeological analysis. The excavation of a rural churchyard cemetery in the village of Fewston, North Yorkshire, yielded the skeletal remains of 154 individuals, including an unusually large proportion of children aged between 8 to 20 years. A multi-method approach was undertaken, including osteological and palaeopathological examination, stable isotope and amelogenin peptide analysis. The bioarchaeological results were integrated with historical data regarding a local textile mill in operation during the 18th-19th centuries. The results for the children were compared to those obtained from contemporaneous individuals of known identity (from coffin plates) of comparable date. Most of the children exhibited distinctive 'non-local' isotope signatures and a diet low in animal protein when compared to the named local individuals. These children also showed severe growth delays and pathological lesions indicative of early life adversity, as well as respiratory disease, which is a known occupational hazard of mill work. This study has provided unique insights into the harrowing lives of these children; born into poverty and forced to work long hours in dangerous conditions. This analysis provides a stark testimony of the impacts of industrial labour on the health, growth and mortality risk of children, with implications for the present as well as our understanding of the past.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca L Gowland
- Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Anwen C Caffell
- Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Leslie Quade
- Department of Anthropology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Alysa Levene
- School of History, Philosophy and Culture, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew R Millard
- Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Malin Holst
- BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Poppy Yapp
- BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - S Delaney
- BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
- BAAC, Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands
| | - Chloe Brown
- BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Geoff Nowell
- Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Colin McPherson
- Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Heidi A Shaw
- Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Nicolas A Stewart
- School of Applied Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Sally Robinson
- Washburn Heritage Centre, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom
| | - Janet Montgomery
- Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
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3
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Brennan EJ, DeWitte SN. Sexual stature difference fluctuations in pre- and post-Black Death London as an indicator of living standards. Am J Hum Biol 2022; 34:e23783. [PMID: 35851510 PMCID: PMC9787904 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The degree of sexual stature difference (SSD), the ratio of male to female height, is argued to be an indicator of living standards based on evidence that physical growth for males is more sensitive to environmental fluctuations. In a resource-poor environment, the degree of SSD is expected to be relatively low. The aim of this study is to comparatively assess SSD in medieval London in the context of repeated famine events and other environmental stressors before the Black Death (BD) and the improved living conditions that characterized the post-Black Death period. METHODS To test the hypothesis that a poor nutritional environment resulted in decreased SSD in medieval London, this study compares adult individuals from early pre-Black Death (c. 1000-1200), late pre-Black Death (c. 1200-1250) and post-Black Death (c. 1350-1540) cemetery contexts from London. Maximum tibial,femoral, and lower limb lengths were used as a proxy for stature, and SSD was calculated using the Chakraborty and Majumber index. RESULTS Compared to the late pre-BD period, we find a slighter higher degree of SSD in the post-BD period for all three stature proxies used. This increase is attributed to more exaggerated increases in stature for estimated males post-BD. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates the importance of examining variables that are considered indicators of living standards in light of factors like selective mortality, catch-up growth, and urban migration patterns. Future research needs to further investigate how cultural and biological processes influence the mechanisms that produce adult stature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily J. Brennan
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of South CarolinaColumbiaSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - Sharon N. DeWitte
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of South CarolinaColumbiaSouth CarolinaUSA
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4
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Filipek KL, Roberts CA, Montgomery J, Gowland RL, Moore J, Tucker K, Evans JA. Creating communities of care: Sex estimation and mobility histories of adolescents buried in the cemetery of St. Mary Magdalen leprosarium (Winchester, England). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2022. [PMCID: PMC9306906 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Objectives This study examines the biological sex and geographical origins of adolescents buried at the St Mary Magdalen leprosarium (Winchester, UK). The data are combined with archaeological and palaeopathological evidence to broaden the understanding of mobility and its relationship to leprosy and leprosaria in Medieval England. Materials and Methods Nineteen individuals (~10–25 at death) with skeletal lesions diagnostic of leprosy were analyzed using standard osteological methods. Amelogenin peptides were extracted from five individuals whose biological sex could not be assessed from macroscopic methods. Enamel samples were analyzed to produce 87Sr/86Sr and δ18O values to explore mobility histories. Results Amelogenin peptides revealed three males and two females. Tooth enamel samples provided an 87Sr/86Sr ratio range from 0.7084 to 0.7103 (mean 0.7090, ±0.0012, 2σ). δ18OP values show a wide range of 15.6‰–19.3‰ (mean 17.8 ± 1.6‰ 2σ), with corresponding δ18ODW values ranging from −9.7‰ to −4.1‰ (mean −6.3 ± 2.4‰ 2σ). Discussion Amelogenin peptide data reveal the presence of adolescent females with bone changes of leprosy, making them the youngest confirmed females with leprosy in the archaeological record. Results also show at least 12 adolescents were local, and seven were from further afield, including outside Britain. Since St. Mary Magdalen was a leprosarium, it is possible that these people traveled there specifically for care. Archaeological and palaeopathological data support the notion that care was provided at this facility and that leprosy stigma, as we understand it today, may not have existed in this time and place.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kori Lea Filipek
- Department of Archaeology Durham University Durham UK
- Human Sciences Research Centre, School of Human Sciences University of Derby Derby UK
| | | | | | | | - Joanna Moore
- Department of Archaeology Durham University Durham UK
| | - Katie Tucker
- Department of Archaeology University of Winchester Winchester UK
| | - Jane A. Evans
- National Environmental Isotope Facility British Geological Survey Keyworth UK
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5
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Stantis C, Maaranen N, Kharobi A, Nowell GM, Macpherson C, Doumet‐Serhal C, Schutkowski H. Sidon on the breadth of the wild sea: Movement and diet on the Mediterranean coast in the Middle Bronze Age. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2022; 177:116-133. [PMID: 36787764 PMCID: PMC9298383 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Excavations at Sidon (Lebanon) have revealed dual identities during the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 2000-1600 BCE): a maritime port and center for local distribution, as well as a settlement with a heavy subsistence dependence on the extensive inland hinterlands. We aim to investigate residential mobility at Sidon using isotopic analyses of 112 individuals from 83 burials (20 females, 26 males, and 37 subadults). Veneration and remembrance of the dead is evident from funerary offerings in and near the tombs. With marine fish a major component in funerary offerings, we predict major marine reliance in this coastal population. MATERIALS AND METHODS New isotopic evidence of paleomobility (87 Sr/86 Sr, δ18 O) and diet (δ13 Ccarbonate ) is the focus of this research. Previous bulk bone collagen δ13 C and δ15 N analysis is strengthened by further sampling, along with δ34 S where collagen yield was sufficient. RESULTS The five non-locals identified (8.9% of the 56 analyzed) come from constructed tombs with high-status grave goods except for one, which was heavily disturbed in antiquity. Dietary investigation of the population confirms reliance on terrestrial resources with no significant marine input. No significant differences in diet between the sexes or burial types are present. CONCLUSIONS Although Sidon was part of a growing Mediterranean network evidenced through artefactual finds, relatively low immigration is evident. While religious feasts venerating the dead may have involved significant piscine components, no appreciable marine input in diet is observed. Fish may have been reserved for the deceased or only consumed on feast days alongside the dead rather than a regular part of the Bronze Age menu.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Stantis
- Department of Archaeology and AnthropologyBournemouth UniversityPooleUK
- Department of AnthropologyNational Museum of Natural HistoryWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
| | - Nina Maaranen
- Department of Archaeology and AnthropologyBournemouth UniversityPooleUK
| | - Arwa Kharobi
- Department of Archaeology and AnthropologyBournemouth UniversityPooleUK
- PACEA ‐ De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel: Culture, Environnement et AnthropologieUMR CNRS 5199, Université de BordeauxBordeauxFrance
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6
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Betsinger TK, DeWitte SN. Toward a bioarchaeology of urbanization: Demography, health, and behavior in cities in the past. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021; 175 Suppl 72:79-118. [PMID: 33619721 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Urbanization is one of the most important settlement shifts in human history and has been the focus of research within bioarchaeology for decades. However, there have been limited attempts to synthesize the results of these studies in order to gain a broader perspective on whether or how urbanization affects the biology, demography, and behavior of humans, and how these potential effects are embodied in the human skeleton. This paper outlines how bioarchaeology is well-suited to examine urbanization in the past, and we provide an overview and examples of three main ways in which urbanization is studied in bioarchaeological research: comparison of (often contemporaneous) urban and rural sites, synchronic studies of the variation that exists within and between urban sites, and investigations of changes that occur within urban sites over time. Studies of urbanization, both within bioarchaeology and in other fields of study, face a number of limitations, including a lack of a consensus regarding what urban and urbanization mean, the assumed dichotomous nature of urban versus rural settlements, the supposition that urbanization is universally bad for people, and the assumption (at least in practice) of homogeneity within urban and rural populations. Bioarchaeologists can address these limitations by utilizing a wide array of data and methods, and the studies described here collectively demonstrate the complex, nuanced, and highly variable effects of urbanization.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sharon N DeWitte
- Department of Anthropology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
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7
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Galanaud P, Galanaud A. Recent immigrants at increased pandemic risk. Science 2020; 368:1323. [DOI: 10.1126/science.abd1098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Galanaud
- UMR-996, Inflammation, Microbiome, and Immunosurveillance, Inserm, Université Paris-Saclay, Clamart, France
| | - Anne Galanaud
- Université de Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Besançon, France
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8
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Galanaud P, Galanaud A, Giraudoux P, Labesse H. Mortality and demographic recovery in early post-black death epidemics: Role of recent emigrants in medieval Dijon. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0226420. [PMID: 31967994 PMCID: PMC6975534 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0226420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective and methods We analyze the influence of population movement on susceptibility to death and resilience during two epidemics occurring in Dijon soon after the Black Death. Using a specific program designed to propose links between entries in annual tax registers, we define tentative heads of household, the elapsed time since their first registration and their ties with other persons within the city. Results During the 1400 epidemic heads of household who were registered for 1–3 years die in large numbers, whereas during years without epidemics, their death rate is lower than that of heads of household who were registered longer. Recent registration is an epidemic vulnerability factor only in association with a low taxation status, which, when isolated, does not influence mortality. A lack of familial ties within Dijon is another vulnerability factor among the recently registered. This suggests that poor, recent emigrants are more affected by epidemic mortality. In contrast, the mortality of recently registered heads of household is indistinct during a later epidemic occurring after several years of major famine that may have selected the more resistant emigrants and/or excluded the more miserable of them from our analysis. In contrast to the first one, this second epidemic is followed by rapid demographic recovery. This latter recovery is fully explained by the contribution of poor, newly registered heads of household without ties in Dijon. Conclusion Our results outline the interaction between population movement and low socioeconomic status on death susceptibility in historical plagues and show that poor recent emigrants may also be key players in the resilience of the population after an epidemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Galanaud
- Université Paris-Saclay, Inserm, Inflammation, Microbiome and Immunosurveillance, Clamart, France
- * E-mail:
| | - Anne Galanaud
- Université de Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Besançon, France
| | - Patrick Giraudoux
- Chrono-environnement, Université de Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, CNRS UMR6249, Besançon, France
| | - Henri Labesse
- Paris Sorbonne—Paris 4 Université, Institut des Sciences Humaines Appliquées, Paris, France
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9
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Klunk J, Duggan AT, Redfern R, Gamble J, Boldsen JL, Golding GB, Walter BS, Eaton K, Stangroom J, Rouillard JM, Devault A, DeWitte SN, Poinar HN. Genetic resiliency and the Black Death: No apparent loss of mitogenomic diversity due to the Black Death in medieval London and Denmark. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2019; 169:240-252. [PMID: 30964548 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2018] [Revised: 02/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES In the 14th century AD, medieval Europe was severely affected by the Great European Famine as well as repeated bouts of disease, including the Black Death, causing major demographic shifts. This high volatility led to increased mobility and migration due to new labor and economic opportunities, as evidenced by documentary and stable isotope data. This study uses ancient DNA (aDNA) isolated from skeletal remains to examine whether evidence for large-scale population movement can be gleaned from the complete mitochondrial genomes of 264 medieval individuals from England (London) and Denmark. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using a novel library-conserving approach to targeted capture, we recovered 264 full mitochondrial genomes from the petrous portion of the temporal bones and teeth and compared genetic diversity across the medieval period within and between English (London) and Danish populations and with contemporary populations through population pairwise ΦST analysis. RESULTS We find no evidence of significant differences in genetic diversity spatially or temporally in our dataset, yet there is a high degree of haplotype diversity in our medieval samples with little exact sequence sharing. DISCUSSION The mitochondrial genomes of both medieval Londoners and medieval Danes suggest high mitochondrial diversity before, during and after the Black Death. While our mitochondrial genomic data lack geographically correlated signals, these data could be the result of high, continual female migration before and after the Black Death or may simply indicate a large female effective population size unaffected by the upheaval of the medieval period. Either scenario suggests a genetic resiliency in areas of northwestern medieval Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Klunk
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ana T Duggan
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rebecca Redfern
- Center for Human Bioarchaeology, Museum of London, London, UK
| | - Julia Gamble
- Department of Anthropology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba
| | - Jesper L Boldsen
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Unit of Anthropology (ADBOU), University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - G Brian Golding
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Brittany S Walter
- Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Laboratory, Offutt AFB, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Katherine Eaton
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Julianna Stangroom
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jean-Marie Rouillard
- Arbor Biosciences, Ann Arbor, Michigan.,Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | | | - Sharon N DeWitte
- Department of Anthropology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
| | - Hendrik N Poinar
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Michael G. DeGroote Institute of Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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10
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DeWitte SN. Demographic anthropology. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 165:893-903. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2017] [Revised: 09/04/2017] [Accepted: 09/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sharon N. DeWitte
- Department of Anthropology; University of South Carolina; Columbia South Carolina 29208
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11
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Algaze G. Entropic Cities: The Paradox of Urbanism in Ancient Mesopotamia. CURRENT ANTHROPOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1086/695983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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12
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Recent developments and trends in the application of strontium and its isotopes in biological related fields. Trends Analyt Chem 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2017.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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13
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Lisowska-Gaczorek A, Cienkosz-Stepańczak B, Szostek K. Oxygen stable isotopes variation in water precipitation in Poland – anthropological applications. ANTHROPOLOGICAL REVIEW 2017. [DOI: 10.1515/anre-2017-0005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The main objective of oxygen isotope analysis is to determine the probable place of origin of an individual or the reconstruction of migration paths. The research are methodologically based on referencing oxygen isotope ratios of apatite phosphates (δ18Op) to the range of environmental background δ18O, most frequently determined on the basis of precipitation.
The present work is a response to the need for providing background for oxygen isotope studies on skeletons excavated in Poland. Currently there no monitoring of the isotope composition of precipitation water in Poland is conducted. For this reason, based on the data generated in the Online Isotopes In Precipitation Calculator (OIPC), a database was developed, containing δ18O levels in precipitation for locations in which exploration work was carried out in the archaeological fields from Poland. In total, 279 locations were analysed. The result of the data analysis was a complete isotope composition map for Poland with four zones distinguished by δ18Ow values.
The observable differences in oxygen isotope composition of precipitation in Poland are sufficient to trace migrations of individuals and populations, although accurate only at the level of macroregions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Krzysztof Szostek
- Department of Anthropology, Institute of Zoology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
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14
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Abstract
The recent Ebola epidemic provides a dramatic example of the devastation and fear generated by epidemics, particularly those caused by new emerging or reemerging diseases. A focus on the control and prevention of diseases in living populations dominates most epidemic disease research. However, research on epidemics in the past provides a temporal depth to our understanding of the context and consequences of diseases and is crucial for predicting how diseases might shape human biology and demography in the future. This article reviews recent research on historic epidemics of plague and tuberculosis, both of which have affected human populations for millennia. Research on these diseases demonstrates the range (and differential availability) of various lines of evidence (e.g., burial context, diagnostic skeletal lesions, molecular data) that inform about past disease in general. I highlight how research on past epidemics may be informative in ways that benefit living populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon N. DeWitte
- Department of Anthropology and Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
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15
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Trial application of oxygen and carbon isotope analysis in tooth enamel for identification of past-war victims for discriminating between Japanese and US soldiers. Forensic Sci Int 2016; 261:166.e1-5. [PMID: 26946933 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2016.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2015] [Revised: 02/01/2016] [Accepted: 02/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Stable isotope analysis has undergone rapid development in recent years and yielded significant results in the field of forensic sciences. In particular, carbon and oxygen isotopic ratios in tooth enamel obtained from human remains can provide useful information for the crosschecking of morphological and DNA analyses and facilitate rapid on-site prescreening for the identification of remains. This study analyzes carbon and oxygen isotopic ratios in the tooth enamel of Japanese people born between 1878 and 1930, in order to obtain data for methodological differentiation of Japanese and American remains from the Second World War. The carbon and oxygen isotopic ratios in the tooth enamel of the examined Japanese individuals are compared to previously reported data for American individuals (born post WWII), and statistical analysis is conducted using a discrimination method based on a logistic regression analysis. The discrimination between the Japanese and US populations, including Alaska and Hawaii, is found to be highly accurate. Thus, the present method has potential as a discrimination technique for both populations for use in the examination of mixed remains comprising Japanese and American fallen soldiers.
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16
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Walter BS, DeWitte SN, Redfern RC. Sex differentials in caries frequencies in Medieval London. Arch Oral Biol 2015; 63:32-39. [PMID: 26669215 DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2015.11.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2015] [Revised: 10/13/2015] [Accepted: 11/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Tooth decay is one of the most common oral infections observed in skeletal assemblages. Sex differentials in caries frequency are commonly examined, with most studies finding that females tend to have a higher frequency of carious lesions (caries) compared to males. Less research has examined differences in caries between males and females with respect to age in past populations. Findings from living populations indicate that caries frequencies are higher in females, at least in part, because of the effects of estrogen and pregnancy. We are interested in the interaction of age, sex, and caries in medieval London, during a period of repeated famines, which might have exacerbated underlying biological causes of caries sex differentials. DESIGN We examined caries in adults from two medieval London cemeteries dating to c. 1120-1539 AD: St. Mary Spital (n=291) and St. Mary Graces (n=80) to test the hypothesis that males and females have different caries frequencies irrespective of age. The association between maxillary molar caries and sex was tested using hierarchical log-linear analysis to control for the effects of age on caries frequencies. RESULTS The results indicate a higher frequency of maxillary molar caries in females (P<0.00), and that the age distribution of caries differs between the sexes (P=0.01), with a consistent increase in frequency with age for females until late adulthood, but not males. CONCLUSIONS The difference in caries frequencies is not explained by differences in the age distributions of the sexes. Differences in the age patterns of caries for males and females could be the result of biological factors that present during reproductive age, differences in diet, or differential access to resources during famine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany S Walter
- Department of Anthropology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, United States.
| | - Sharon N DeWitte
- Department of Anthropology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, United States
| | - Rebecca C Redfern
- Centre for Human Bioarchaeology, Museum of London, 150 London Wall, London EC2Y 5HN, United Kingdom
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Galanaud P, Galanaud A, Giraudoux P. Historical Epidemics Cartography Generated by Spatial Analysis: Mapping the Heterogeneity of Three Medieval "Plagues" in Dijon. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0143866. [PMID: 26625117 PMCID: PMC4666600 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0143866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2015] [Accepted: 11/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This work was designed to adapt Geographical Information System-based spatial analysis to the study of historical epidemics. We mapped "plague" deaths during three epidemics of the early 15th century, analyzed spatial distributions by applying the Kulldorff's method, and determined their relationships with the distribution of socio-professional categories in the city of Dijon. MATERIALS AND METHODS Our study was based on a database including 50 annual tax registers (established from 1376 to 1447) indicating deaths and survivors among the heads of households, their home location, tax level and profession. The households of the deceased and survivors during 6 years with excess mortality were individually located on a georeferenced medieval map, established by taking advantage of the preserved geography of the historical center of Dijon. We searched for clusters of heads of households characterized by shared tax levels (high-tax payers, the upper decile; low-tax payers, the half charged at the minimum level) or professional activities and for clusters of differential mortality. RESULTS High-tax payers were preferentially in the northern intramural part, as well as most wealthy or specialized professionals, whereas low-tax payers were preferentially in the southern part. During two epidemics, in 1400-1401 and 1428, areas of higher mortality were found in the northern part whereas areas of lower mortality were in the southern one. A high concentration of housing and the proximity to food stocks were common features of the most affected areas, creating suitable conditions for rats to pullulate. A third epidemic, lasting from 1438 to 1440 had a different and evolving geography: cases were initially concentrated around the southern gate, at the confluence of three rivers, they were then diffuse, and ended with residual foci of deaths in the northern suburb. CONCLUSION Using a selected historical source, we designed an approach allowing spatial analysis of urban medieval epidemics. Our results fit with the view that the 1400-1401 epidemic was a Black Death recurrence. They suggest that this was also the case in 1428, whereas in 1438-1440 a different, possibly waterborne, disease was involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Galanaud
- UMR996, Inflammation, Chemokines and Immunopathology, Inserm, Univ Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 92140, Clamart, France
| | | | - Patrick Giraudoux
- Chrono-environnement, Université de Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, CNRS UMR6249, Besançon, France & Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
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Szostek K, Mądrzyk K, Cienkosz-Stepańczak B. Strontium isotopes as an indicator of human migration – easy questions, difficult answers. ANTHROPOLOGICAL REVIEW 2015. [DOI: 10.1515/anre-2015-0010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Isotope analyses of bones and teeth allow us to study phenomena which occurred in the history of human species and which are difficult to capture by traditional anthropological methods. Measuring oxygen, nitrogen and carbon isotope levels in the skeleton makes it possible to reconstruct climatic changes, diet and/or the weaning process. Among isotopes used in such analyses are strontium isotopes, helpful in analysing migration and studying the mobility of historical and prehistoric human populations. In this respect, the proportion of two isotopes, the heavier 87Sr and the lighter 86Sr, is measured, following their extraction from the bioapatite of the bone mineral. Released from rocks in the weathering process, strontium permeates individual components of inanimate and animate environments, and then finds its way, together with food, to the human body. Thanks to comprehensive environmental studies and the measurement of the strontium ratio 87Sr/86Sr in various animal tissues it is possible to determine the local isotope background for the environment. Values obtained by analysing human skeletons referenced against the range of environmental isotope variability enable researchers to trace back the location inhabited by the individual or group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krzysztof Szostek
- Department of Anthropology, Institute of Zoology, Jagiellonian University, ul. Gronostajowa 9, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Mądrzyk
- Department of Anthropology, Institute of Zoology, Jagiellonian University, ul. Gronostajowa 9, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Beata Cienkosz-Stepańczak
- Department of Anthropology, Institute of Zoology, Jagiellonian University, ul. Gronostajowa 9, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
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Stantis C, Kinaston RL, Richards MP, Davidson JM, Buckley HR. Assessing human diet and movement in the Tongan maritime chiefdom using isotopic analyses. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0123156. [PMID: 25822619 PMCID: PMC4378966 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0123156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2014] [Accepted: 02/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The rise of stratified societies fundamentally influences the interactions between status, movement, and food. Using isotopic analyses, we assess differences in diet and mobility of individuals excavated from two burial mounds located at the `Atele burial site on Tongatapu, the main island of the Kingdom of Tonga (c. 500 - 150 BP). The first burial mound (To-At-1) was classified by some archaeologists as a commoner's mound while the second burial mound (To-At-2) was possibly used for interment of the chiefly class. In this study, stable isotope analyses of diet (δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S; n = 41) are used to asses paleodiet and 87Sr/86Sr ratios (n = 30) are analyzed to investigate individual mobility to test whether sex and social status affected these aspects of life. Our results show significant differences in diet between burial mounds and sexes. Those interred in To-At-2 displayed lower δ13C values, indicating they ate relatively more terrestrial plants (likely starchy vegetable staples) compared with To-At-1 individuals. Females displayed significantly lower δ15N values compared with males within the entire assemblage. No differences in δ34S values were observed between sexes or burial mound but it is possible that sea spray or volcanism may have affected these values. One individual displayed the strontium isotopic composition representative of a nonlocal immigrant (outside 2SD of the mean). This suggests the hegemonic control over interisland travel, may have prevented long-term access to the island by non-Tongans exemplifying the political and spiritual importance of the island of Tongatapu in the maritime chiefdom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Stantis
- Department of Anatomy, Division of Health Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Rebecca L. Kinaston
- Department of Anatomy, Division of Health Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Michael P. Richards
- Department of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Hallie R. Buckley
- Department of Anatomy, Division of Health Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Shapland F, Lewis ME. Brief communication: A proposed method for the assessment of pubertal stage in human skeletal remains using cervical vertebrae maturation. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2013; 153:144-53. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2013] [Accepted: 10/19/2013] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fiona Shapland
- Department of Archaeology; School of Human and Environmental Studies, University of Reading; Reading Berkshire RG6 6AB UK
| | - Mary E. Lewis
- Department of Archaeology; School of Human and Environmental Studies, University of Reading; Reading Berkshire RG6 6AB UK
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Gregoricka LA. Geographic origins and dietary transitions during the Bronze Age in the Oman Peninsula. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2013; 152:353-69. [PMID: 24104555 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2013] [Revised: 08/06/2013] [Accepted: 08/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The nature of the Bronze Age transition from the Umm an-Nar (ca. 2700-2000 BC) to the Wadi Suq (ca. 2000-1300 BC) period in the Oman Peninsula has been highly debated by archaeologists, with some characterizing the latter as a time of cultural isolation, social collapse, and/or population replacement following the successful involvement of the area in widespread interregional exchange networks across Arabia and South Asia. The hypothesis that a substantial change in residential mobility, immigration, and diet took place in response to considerable societal changes as reflected by the archaeological record was tested using stable oxygen and carbon isotope analysis. Archaeological human dental enamel from individuals interred in six Umm an-Nar (n = 100) and seven Wadi Suq (n = 16) communal tombs in the United Arab Emirates was used. Oxygen isotope data reveal largely homogeneous ratios indicative of a predominantly local population that acquired water from isotopically similar sources, although the presence of immigrants during both periods suggests that the region was not as isolated as previously held. Carbon isotope data exhibit a substantial temporal shift from an extremely varied to a more restricted diet, demonstrating that while considerable changes in subsistence strategies and social organization took place in the early second millennium BC, population continuity and sustained (although lessened) participation in pan-Gulf trade systems best characterizes this regional transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lesley A Gregoricka
- Department of Sociology, Anthropology, & Social Work, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, 36688
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Mobility, mortality, and the middle ages: Identification of migrant individuals in a 14th century black death cemetery population. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2012; 150:210-22. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2012] [Accepted: 10/19/2012] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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