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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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Kinkopf KM, Agarwal SC, Goodson C, Beauchesne PD, Trombley TM, Candilio F, Rubini M, Coppa A. Economic access influences degenerative spine disease outcomes at rural Late Medieval Villamagna (Lazio, IT). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 174:500-518. [PMID: 33247981 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Revised: 09/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Degenerative joint disease in the spine is heavily influenced by genetic, environmental, and epigenetic factors, as well as exacerbated by physical activity and injury. The objective of this study was to investigate the multivariate relationship between known predictors of degenerative joint disease in the spine, such as age and sex, with mortuary indicators of economic access such as grave inclusions, burial location, and burial type. MATERIALS AND METHODS The presence and severity of vertebral osteophytosis (VO) and vertebral osteoarthritis (VOA) was recorded for the vertebral columns of N = 106 adult individuals from the Late Medieval period at the rural monastery of San Pietro at Villamagna in Lazio, Italy (1300-1450 AD). Multiple skeletal indicators of degenerative joint disease, morphological sex, and age were compared with differences in mortuary treatment across four regions of the spine. RESULTS There are marked differences in severe joint disease outcome between groups with more and less economic access. Relative risk ratios suggest that males and females with less economic access have elevated risk for VO and VOA in specific spine regions, although this effect is reduced among females. DISCUSSION Current research on the consequences of economic and social inequality point to the important role of economic inequality in shaping disease outcomes. Our results suggest that biocultural effects of reduced economic access at the intraclass level may increase vulnerability to the downstream effects of risk exposure (e.g., biomechanical injure, physical activity, biochemical imbalance), and ultimately increase the risk and prevalence for severe degenerative disease outcomes in medieval Italy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine M Kinkopf
- Department of Geography and Anthropology, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Pomona, California, USA
| | - Sabrina C Agarwal
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.,Archaeological Research Facility, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | | | - Patrick D Beauchesne
- Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of Michigan, Dearborn, Dearborn, Michigan, USA
| | - Trent M Trombley
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.,Archaeological Research Facility, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Francesca Candilio
- Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per la città metropolitana di Cagliari ele province di Oristano e Sud Sardegna, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Mauro Rubini
- Department of Archaeology, Foggia University, Foggia, Italy.,Anthropological Service, S.A.B.A.P.-RM-MET, S.A.B.A.P.-LAZ, Rome, Italy
| | - Alfredo Coppa
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Miller MJ, Dong Y, Pechenkina K, Fan W, Halcrow SE. Raising girls and boys in early China: Stable isotope data reveal sex differences in weaning and childhood diets during the eastern Zhou era. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 172:567-585. [PMID: 32141612 PMCID: PMC7496748 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2019] [Revised: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Objectives Using stable isotope analysis of incremental dentin segments, we reconstruct breastfeeding, weaning, and childhood dietary patterns of Eastern Zhou period (771–221 BC) individuals from the Central Plains of China. Previous isotopic research on the Eastern Zhou demonstrated dietary difference between male and female diets in adulthood via bone collagen analysis. To understand the development of gendered dietary patterns we must examine the early life period. We aim to identify the timing of the weaning process, whether childhood diets were the same as adulthood diets, and if there were differences between the diets of boys and girls during childhood. Materials and Methods We present incremental dentin and bone collagen δ13C and δ15N isotope data from 23 individuals from two Eastern Zhou archaeological sites (Xiyasi 西亚斯and Changxinyuan 畅馨苑). Results Weaning was completed between ages 2.5 and 4 years. Females were weaned slightly earlier than males. Early childhood diets show significant incorporation of C3 foods, such as wheat and soybean, for almost all children, while later adulthood diets indicate greater incorporation of C4 foods (millets), particularly for males. Discussion Childhood diets included greater amounts of C3 foods than expected, suggesting that grains such as wheat may have been adopted in these communities as foods for children. Nevertheless, dietary differentiation between females and males began in childhood, with boys eating more millets (C4 foods) than girls. The findings suggest that feeding children was a significant aspect of socialization and cultural gendering of individuals in ancient China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie J Miller
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.,Archaeological Research Facility, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Yu Dong
- Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Kate Pechenkina
- Department of Anthropology, Queens College, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Wenquan Fan
- Research Division of Shang and Zhou Dynasties, Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Siân E Halcrow
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease of the articular cartilage with subchondral bone lesions. Osteoarthritis etiologies are mainly related to age, obesity, strain, trauma, joint congenital anomalies, joint deformities, and other factors. Osteoarthritis seriously affects the quality of life; however, there is no effective way to cure osteoarthritis. Aerobic exercise refers to a dynamic rhythmic exercise involving the large muscle groups of the body with aerobic metabolism. More and more evidence shows that exercise has become a useful tool for the treatment of osteoarthritis. This chapter will discuss the role of exercise in the prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Chen
- Department of Spine Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yan Yu
- Department of Spine Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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Myszka A, Krenz-Niedbała M, Tomczyk J, Zalewska M. Osteoarthritis: A problematic disease in past human populations. A dependence between entheseal changes, body size, age, sex, and osteoarthritic changes development. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2019; 303:2357-2371. [PMID: 31680482 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Osteoarthritis is a problematic trait in terms of etiology and interpretation in past human populations. The relationships between osteoarthritic changes (osteophytes, porosity, and eburnation) and entheseal changes, body mass, stature, bone massiveness, sex, and age on the basis of skeletal material from Łekno (Poland) are analyzed here. Entheses were the strongest contributor to the prediction of osteophyte expression and when all types of changes and all joints were taken together. Stature demonstrates a negative dependence on porosity. When each joint was analyzed separately, entheses were the strongest contributor to the prediction of arthritis expression in the wrist and hip. Age was the strongest contributor to the prediction of arthritis expression in the elbow. Body mass, stature, bone massiveness, and sex had no effect on osteoarthritic changes in any of the examined joints. The results of the present study suggest an important dependence between entheses and osteoarthritic changes. Other factors had little to no effect on differences in OA severity. These results do not dispel all doubts but enrich knowledge about the effect of etiological factors on osteoarthritic change formation. This knowledge is essential for proper, reliable interpretation of osteoarthritic changes in the context of past human biology, ecology, and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Myszka
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Jacek Tomczyk
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marta Zalewska
- Department of the Prevention of Environmental Hazards and Allergology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
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Becker SK. Evaluating elbow osteoarthritis within the prehistoric Tiwanaku state using generalized estimating equations (GEE). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2019; 169:186-196. [PMID: 30821354 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2018] [Revised: 01/26/2019] [Accepted: 02/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Studies of osteoarthritis (OA) in human skeletal remains can come with scalar problems. If OA measurement is noted as present or absent in one joint, like the elbow, results may not identify specific articular pathology data and the sample size may be insufficient to address research questions. If calculated on a per data point basis (i.e., each articular surface within a joint), results may prove too data heavy to comprehensively understand arthritic changes, or one individual with multiple positive scores may skew results and violate the data independence required for statistical tests. The objective of this article is to show that the statistical methodology Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) can solve scalar issues in bioarchaeological studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using GEE, a population-averaged statistical model, 1,195 adults from the core and one colony of the prehistoric Tiwanaku state (AD 500-1,100) were evaluated bilaterally for OA on the seven articular surfaces of the elbow joint. RESULTS GEE linked the articular surfaces within each individual specimen, permitting the largest possible unbiased dataset, and showed significant differences between core and colony Tiwanaku peoples in the overall elbow joint, while also pinpointing specific articular surfaces with OA. Data groupings by sex and age at death also demonstrated significant variation. A pattern of elbow rotation noted for core Tiwanaku people may indicate a specific pattern of movement. DISCUSSION GEE is effective and should be encouraged in bioarchaeological studies as a way to address scalar issues and to retain all pathology information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara K Becker
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California
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Hardy E, Merrett DC, Zhang H, Zhang Q, Zhu H, Yang DY. Possible case of pressure resorption associated with osteoarthritis in human skeletal remains from ancient China. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2019; 24:1-6. [PMID: 30245227 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2018.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Revised: 07/12/2018] [Accepted: 07/24/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Osteoarthritis, one of the most common pathological conditions observed in human skeletal remains, is traditionally thought to only affect the structures within the joint capsule. We examined the osteoarthritic distal femora of an individual from Ancient North China, ca. 475-221 BCE. The standard signs of osteoarthritis, marginal lipping and extensive eburnation, were observed in the patellofemoral compartment of the knee joint. In addition however were bilateral pressure-caused fossae on the extra-articular anterior surfaces of the distal femora 10 mm proximal to the large osteophytes at the apex of the patellar surfaces. Anatomy and possible pathogenesis of knee arthritis are explored in order to come to a tentative aetiology of the extra-articular lesions. These lesions are suggested to be a new criterion for identifying severe knee arthritis. The osteological phenomenon is then placed into archaeological context of the Warring States period of ancient China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan Hardy
- Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada; SFU-JLU Joint Centre for Bioarchaeological Research, Department of Archeaology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada.
| | - Deborah C Merrett
- Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada; SFU-JLU Joint Centre for Bioarchaeological Research, Department of Archeaology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada.
| | - Hua Zhang
- Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada; SFU-JLU Joint Centre for Bioarchaeological Research, Department of Archeaology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Quanchao Zhang
- Research Centre for Chinese Frontier Archaeology, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130012, China; SFU-JLU Joint Centre for Bioarchaeological Research, Department of Archeaology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Hong Zhu
- Research Centre for Chinese Frontier Archaeology, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130012, China; SFU-JLU Joint Centre for Bioarchaeological Research, Department of Archeaology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Dongya Y Yang
- Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada; SFU-JLU Joint Centre for Bioarchaeological Research, Department of Archeaology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada.
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