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Brzobohatá H, Bejdová Š, Černíková A, Velímský F, Frolík J, Velemínský P. Dental health status of the medieval silver-mining community from Kutná Hora (Czech Republic, 13th-16th c.): Impact of socioeconomic changes and mortality crises. Arch Oral Biol 2024; 161:105913. [PMID: 38382163 DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2024.105913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to evaluate the pathological conditions in teeth from skeletal remains found in the medieval burial ground at Kutná Hora (13th-16th centuries, Czech Republic). We focused on the effect on dental health of socioeconomic changes associated with the boom in silver mining at the site. DESIGN In this study, dental caries and antemortem tooth loss were recorded for 469 sexed adults (10,558 permanent teeth). Pathologies were analysed and presented by teeth and alveoli, and the differences between their frequencies were tested in sex-, age-, and burial context-separated groups (mass vs. individual graves). RESULTS The oral conditions were characterised by a low frequency of caries and moderate frequency of antemortem tooth loss (AMTL). For caries, males and females showed the same frequencies while AMTL comparisons indicated a higher rate in females. Most differences emerged between age-separated and burial context-separated groups. The age progression of the pathologies was confirmed for both caries and AMTL. Skeletons from mass burials had higher caries and AMTL frequencies than those buried in individual graves. CONCLUSIONS The dataset exhibited low caries and below average AMTL rates compared to other medieval European skeletal series. We think that life in this mining centre had a positive effect on the dental health of its inhabitants. The relatively poorer dental health of those buried in mass graves reflected either the specific composition of the population in the first half of the 14th century or the lower resilience of these individuals when facing mortality crises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hana Brzobohatá
- Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Letenská 4, 118 01 Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Šárka Bejdová
- Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 44 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Alena Černíková
- Institute of Applied Mathematics and Information Technologies, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 128 43 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Filip Velímský
- Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Letenská 4, 118 01 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Frolík
- Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Letenská 4, 118 01 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Velemínský
- Department of Anthropology, National Museum Prague, Václavské náměstí 68, 115 79 Prague, Czech Republic
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Gancz AS, Wright SL, Weyrich LS. Ancient human dental calculus metadata collection and sampling strategies: Recommendations for best practices. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024; 183:e24871. [PMID: 37994571 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Ancient human dental calculus is a unique, nonrenewable biological resource encapsulating key information about the diets, lifestyles, and health conditions of past individuals and populations. With compounding calls its destructive analysis, it is imperative to refine the ways in which the scientific community documents, samples, and analyzes dental calculus so as to maximize its utility to the public and scientific community. MATERIALS AND METHODS Our research team conducted an IRB-approved survey of dental calculus researchers with diverse academic backgrounds, research foci, and analytical specializations. RESULTS This survey reveals variation in how metadata is collected and utilized across different subdisciplines and highlights how these differences have profound implications for dental calculus research. Moreover, the survey suggests the need for more communication between those who excavate, curate, and analyze biomolecular data from dental calculus. DISCUSSION Challenges in cross-disciplinary communication limit researchers' ability to effectively utilize samples in rigorous and reproducible ways. Specifically, the lack of standardized skeletal and dental metadata recording and contamination avoidance procedures hinder downstream anthropological applications, as well as the pursuit of broader paleodemographic and paleoepidemiological inquiries that rely on more complete information about the individuals sampled. To provide a path forward toward more ethical and standardized dental calculus sampling and documentation approaches, we review the current methods by which skeletal and dental metadata are recorded. We also describe trends in sampling and contamination-control approaches. Finally, we use that information to suggest new guidelines for ancient dental calculus documentation and sampling strategies that will improve research practices in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail S Gancz
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
- One Health Microbiome Center, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Sterling L Wright
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
- One Health Microbiome Center, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Laura S Weyrich
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
- One Health Microbiome Center, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
- Huck Institutes of Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
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Gancz AS, Farrer AG, Nixon MP, Wright S, Arriola L, Adler C, Davenport ER, Gully N, Cooper A, Britton K, Dobney K, Silverman JD, Weyrich LS. Ancient dental calculus reveals oral microbiome shifts associated with lifestyle and disease in Great Britain. Nat Microbiol 2023; 8:2315-2325. [PMID: 38030898 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-023-01527-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
The prevalence of chronic, non-communicable diseases has risen sharply in recent decades, especially in industrialized countries. While several studies implicate the microbiome in this trend, few have examined the evolutionary history of industrialized microbiomes. Here we sampled 235 ancient dental calculus samples from individuals living in Great Britain (∼2200 BCE to 1853 CE), including 127 well-contextualized London adults. We reconstructed their microbial history spanning the transition to industrialization. After controlling for oral geography and technical biases, we identified multiple oral microbial communities that coexisted in Britain for millennia, including a community associated with Methanobrevibacter, an anaerobic Archaea not commonly prevalent in the oral microbiome of modern industrialized societies. Calculus analysis suggests that oral hygiene contributed to oral microbiome composition, while microbial functions reflected past differences in diet, specifically in dairy and carbohydrate consumption. In London samples, Methanobrevibacter-associated microbial communities are linked with skeletal markers of systemic diseases (for example, periostitis and joint pathologies), and their disappearance is consistent with temporal shifts, including the arrival of the Second Plague Pandemic. This suggests pre-industrialized microbiomes were more diverse than previously recognized, enhancing our understanding of chronic, non-communicable disease origins in industrialized populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail S Gancz
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
| | - Andrew G Farrer
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Michelle P Nixon
- College of Information Sciences and Technology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
| | - Sterling Wright
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
| | - Luis Arriola
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Christina Adler
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Emily R Davenport
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
- Institute for Computational and Data Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
| | - Neville Gully
- School of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Alan Cooper
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- Gulbali Institute, Charles Sturt University, Albury, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kate Britton
- Department of Archaeology, School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Keith Dobney
- Department of Archaeology, School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
- Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, School of Histories, Languages and Cultures, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
- Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Environment, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Justin D Silverman
- College of Information Sciences and Technology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
- Institute for Computational and Data Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
- Department of Statistics, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
- Department of Medicine, The Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Laura S Weyrich
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA.
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA.
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Franklin ER, Mitchell PD, Robb J. The Black Death in Hereford, England: A demographic analysis of the Cathedral 14th-century plague mass graves and associated parish cemetery. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2023; 182:452-466. [PMID: 37650443 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study explores the paleoepidemiology of the Black Death (1348-52 AD) mass graves from Hereford, England, via osteological analysis. Hereford plague mortality is evaluated in the local context of the medieval city and examined alongside other Black Death burials. METHODS The Hereford Cathedral site includes mass graves relating to the Black Death and a 12th-16th century parish cemetery. In total, 177 adult skeletons were analyzed macroscopically: 73 from the mass graves and 104 from the parish cemetery. Skeletal age-at-death was assessed using transition analysis, and sex and stress markers were analyzed. RESULTS The age-at-death distributions for the mass graves and parish cemetery were significantly different (p = 0.0496). Within the mass graves, young adults (15-24 years) were substantially over-represented, and mortality peaked at 25-34 years. From 35 years of age onwards, there was little variation in the mortality profiles for the mass graves and parish cemetery. Males and females had similar representation across burial types. Linear enamel hypoplasia was more prevalent within the mass graves (p = 0.0340) whereas cribra orbitalia and tibial periostitis were underrepresented. CONCLUSIONS Mortality within the Hereford mass graves peaked at a slightly older age than is seen within plague burials from London, but the overall profiles are similar. This demonstrates that young adults were disproportionately at risk of dying from plague compared with other age groups. Our findings regarding stress markers may indicate that enamel hypoplasia is more strongly associated with vulnerability to plague than cribra orbitalia or tibial periostitis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Piers D Mitchell
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - John Robb
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Gancz AS, Weyrich LS. Studying ancient human oral microbiomes could yield insights into the evolutionary history of noncommunicable diseases. F1000Res 2023; 12:109. [PMID: 37065506 PMCID: PMC10090864 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.129036.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) have played a critical role in shaping human evolution and societies. Despite the exceptional impact of NCDs economically and socially, little is known about the prevalence or impact of these diseases in the past as most do not leave distinguishing features on the human skeleton and are not directly associated with unique pathogens. The inability to identify NCDs in antiquity precludes researchers from investigating how changes in diet, lifestyle, and environments modulate NCD risks in specific populations and from linking evolutionary processes to modern health patterns and disparities. In this review, we highlight how recent advances in ancient DNA (aDNA) sequencing and analytical methodologies may now make it possible to reconstruct NCD-related oral microbiome traits in past populations, thereby providing the first proxies for ancient NCD risk. First, we review the direct and indirect associations between modern oral microbiomes and NCDs, specifically cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer's disease. We then discuss how oral microbiome features associated with NCDs in modern populations may be used to identify previously unstudied sources of morbidity and mortality differences in ancient groups. Finally, we conclude with an outline of the challenges and limitations of employing this approach, as well as how they might be circumvented. While significant experimental work is needed to verify that ancient oral microbiome markers are indeed associated with quantifiable health and survivorship outcomes, this new approach is a promising path forward for evolutionary health research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail S Gancz
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Laura S Weyrich
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, 16802, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, 16802, USA
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Gancz AS, Weyrich LS. Studying ancient human oral microbiomes could yield insights into the evolutionary history of noncommunicable diseases. F1000Res 2023; 12:109. [PMID: 37065506 PMCID: PMC10090864 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.129036.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) have played a critical role in shaping human evolution and societies. Despite the exceptional impact of NCDs economically and socially, little is known about the prevalence or impact of these diseases in the past as most do not leave distinguishing features on the human skeleton and are not directly associated with unique pathogens. The inability to identify NCDs in antiquity precludes researchers from investigating how changes in diet, lifestyle, and environments modulate NCD risks in specific populations and from linking evolutionary processes to modern health patterns and disparities. In this review, we highlight how recent advances in ancient DNA (aDNA) sequencing and analytical methodologies may now make it possible to reconstruct NCD-related oral microbiome traits in past populations, thereby providing the first proxies for ancient NCD risk. First, we review the direct and indirect associations between modern oral microbiomes and NCDs, specifically cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer's disease. We then discuss how oral microbiome features associated with NCDs in modern populations may be used to identify previously unstudied sources of morbidity and mortality differences in ancient groups. Finally, we conclude with an outline of the challenges and limitations of employing this approach, as well as how they might be circumvented. While significant experimental work is needed to verify that ancient oral microbiome markers are indeed associated with quantifiable health and survivorship outcomes, this new approach is a promising path forward for evolutionary health research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail S Gancz
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Laura S Weyrich
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, 16802, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, 16802, USA
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Fojas CL. Abandonment of the Middle Cumberland Region of Tennessee during the Mississippian period: Temporal and sex differences in survivorship. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2022; 177:425-438. [PMID: 36787732 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The current research explores survivorship differences in the Middle Cumberland Region of Tennessee during the Mississippian period (ca. 1000-1500 AD). Using updated paleodemographic methods, this study investigates whether individuals from the Late Mississippian period had lower survivorship compared to individuals from the Early Mississippian period, foreshadowing groups on the brink of abandonment. Additionally, this study examines whether there were sex disparities in survivorship. MATERIALS AND METHODS Adult age-at-death estimates from human skeletal remains (n = 545) were calculated using Transition Analysis, a Bayesian maximum likelihood method. Survivorship was reconstructed using Gompertz and Gompertz-Makeham hazards models, with Akaike Information Criterion compared to determine the best fitting model. RESULTS For individuals surviving into adulthood, mean age-at-death decreased by 7 years from the Early Mississippian to Late Mississippian period. Marked differences between the sexes indicate lower survivorship of females compared to males. Male survivorship decreased sharply from the Early Mississippian to Late Mississippian period, from a mean age-at-death of 57.99 years to 44.45 years. Female survivorship remained constant throughout the Mississippian period (41 years). DISCUSSION Temporal differences in male survivorship may be the result of interactions between climate change, decreased maize harvests, and sociopolitical strife. Sustained maternal mortality may have destabilized small-scale communities that characterized the Mississippian MCR, thereby precipitating population decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina L Fojas
- Department of Physical Therapy, Marist College, Poughkeepsie, New York, USA
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Dent SC, Berger SM, Griffin JS. Biocultural pathways linking periodontal disease expression to food insecurity, immune dysregulation, and nutrition. Am J Hum Biol 2020; 33:e23549. [PMID: 33300640 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES In this article, we test theoretical pathways leading to and resulting from periodontal disease to better understand how periodontal disease, which is measurable in both past and present populations, integrates biocultural context and affects whole-body physiology. METHODS We use data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2004 and logistic and linear regressions to test pathways linking psychosocial stress to periodontal disease, and periodontal disease to serum vitamin C levels. We then use causal mediation analysis to test the role of mediating variables in these pathways (n = 1853 individuals). RESULTS Food insecurity was positively associated with periodontal disease and negatively associated with serum counts of C-reactive protein (CRP) and neutrophils. Neither CRP nor neutrophils significantly mediated the relationship between food insecurity and periodontal disease. Periodontal disease was negatively associated with serum vitamin C levels and positively associated with neutrophil counts. Neutrophils may mediate the relationship between periodontal disease and vitamin C. CONCLUSIONS We identify two main findings: (a) periodontal disease contributes to and may result from immune dysregulation, particularly of neutrophils, and (b) an immune response to chronic infection such as periodontal disease is metabolically expensive for the body to maintain and likely depletes serum micronutrient levels. Both micronutrient status and serum neutrophil counts affect multiple skeletal and physiological phenotypes and thus position periodontal disease in whole-body context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia C Dent
- Department of Anthropology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, USA
| | - Steph M Berger
- Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Jacob S Griffin
- Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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Ham AC, Temple DH, Klaus HD, Hunt DR. Evaluating life history trade-offs through the presence of linear enamel hypoplasia at Pueblo Bonito and Hawikku: A biocultural study of early life stress and survival in the Ancestral Pueblo Southwest. Am J Hum Biol 2020; 33:e23506. [PMID: 32924230 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Revised: 08/23/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Due to the indelible nature of enamel, bioarchaeologists use linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) to detect early investments in surviving stress and have identified an association between LEH presence and constraints in growth and maintenance as well as an increased susceptibility to future stress events. This study evaluates heterogenous frailty and susceptibility to death in relation to episodes of early life stress, as reflected by LEH presence, in the Ancestral Pueblo Southwest. This study hypothesizes that LEH presence will be associated with decreased survivorship and an increased likelihood of mortality in both samples. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study uses two samples, one from Pueblo Bonito (A.D. 800-1200; n = 28) and the second from Hawikku (A.D. 1300-1680; n = 103). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis with a log-rank test was used to evaluate the effect of LEH presence on survivorship for the two samples. RESULTS Survival analysis reveals statistically significant differences in mortality risk between individuals with and without LEH for the Hawikku sample, but no significant differences for the Pueblo Bonito sample. CONCLUSION The results demonstrate differences in the response to early life stress at the Hawikku and Pueblo Bonito sites, likely reflecting context. The Pueblo Bonito sample represents a high-status group, and survival following LEH may be the result of cultural buffering. Hawikku dates to a period associated with increased levels of disease and malnutrition as well as Spanish colonization. This environment may have exacerbated mortality risk for individuals in the region who survived early life stress and signifies the consequences of European colonialism in the New World.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison C Ham
- Department of Anthropology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Daniel H Temple
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA
| | - Haagen D Klaus
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA
| | - David R Hunt
- Physical Anthropology Division, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
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Perry MA, Lieurance AJ. The Nabataean Urban Experiment and Dental Disease and Childhood Stress. BIOARCHAEOLOGY AND SOCIAL THEORY 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-53417-2_17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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