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Sudron EL, Kinaston RL, Cawte H, Kleffmann T, Kumar A, Kramer R, Stirling C, Reid M, Barr D, McStay A, Lawrence M, King K, Halcrow SE. Extracting the truth through chemical analyses: Early life histories of Victorian-era dental patients in Aotearoa New Zealand. Am J Biol Anthropol 2024; 183:141-156. [PMID: 37925739 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES There are few bioarcheological analyses of life experiences in colonial period Aotearoa New Zealand, despite this being a time of major adaptation and social change. In our study, early life histories are constructed from multi-isotope and enamel peptide analysis of permanent first molars associated with Victorian era dental practices operating between AD 1881 and 1905 in Invercargill. Chemical analyses of the teeth provide insight into the childhood feeding practices, diet, and mobility of the people who had their teeth extracted. MATERIALS AND METHODS Four permanent left mandibular first molars were analyzed from a cache of teeth discovered at the Leviathan Gift Depot site during excavations in 2019. The methods used were: (1) enamel peptide analysis to assess chromosomal sex; (2) bulk (δ13 Ccarbonate ) and incremental (δ13 Ccollagen and δ15 N) isotope analysis of dentin to assess childhood diet; and (3) strontium (87 Sr/86 Sr) and oxygen (δ18 O) isotope analysis of enamel to assess childhood residency. Two modern permanent first molars from known individuals were analyzed as controls. RESULTS The archaeological teeth were from three chromosomal males and one female. The protein and whole diets were predominately based on C3 -plants and domestic animal products (meat and milk). A breastfeeding signal was only identified in one historic male. All individuals likely had childhood residences in Aotearoa. DISCUSSION Unlike most bioarcheological studies that rely on the remains of the dead, the teeth analysed in this study were extracted from living people. We suggest that the dental patients were likely second or third generation colonists to Aotearoa, with fairly similar childhood diets. They were potentially lower-class individuals either living in, or passing through, the growing colonial center of Invercargill.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma L Sudron
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia
| | - Rebecca L Kinaston
- Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia
- BioArch South, Waitati, New Zealand
| | - Hayden Cawte
- New Zealand Heritage Properties, Dunedin and Invercargill, New Zealand
| | - Torsten Kleffmann
- Centre for Protein Research, Research Infrastructure Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Abhishek Kumar
- North Region Environmental, California Department of Transportation, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Robyn Kramer
- Centre for Trace Element Analysis, Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Claudine Stirling
- Centre for Trace Element Analysis, Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Malcolm Reid
- Centre for Trace Element Analysis, Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - David Barr
- Centre for Trace Element Analysis, Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Amy McStay
- New Zealand Heritage Properties, Dunedin and Invercargill, New Zealand
| | - Megan Lawrence
- New Zealand Heritage Properties, Dunedin and Invercargill, New Zealand
| | - Kathryn King
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Siân E Halcrow
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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