Enamel is the most highly mineralized and durable tissue of the mammalian body. As enamel does not undergo remodeling or repair, disturbances of enamel formation leave a permanent record in the tissue that can be used for life history reconstruction. This study reports light and scanning electron microscope findings on hypoplastic enamel defects, and on the chronology of crown growth in the molars of sheep and goats. A marked reduction of enamel extension rates in cervical compared with more cuspal crown portions of sheep and goat molars was recorded, with formation of the cervical 25% of the crown taking about the same time as that of the upper 75% of the crown. This explains the more frequent occurrence of enamel hypoplasia in cervical compared with upper and middle crown portions. Regarding the identification of hypoplastic enamel defects by external inspection, our results suggest a dependence on the type of defect and the associated presence of smaller or larger amounts of coronal cementum. Defects considered to reflect a slight to moderate impairment of secretory ameloblast function can normally be correctly diagnosed as they are not occluded by thick layers of cementum. In contrast, defects denoting a severe impairment of enamel matrix secretion can typically not be correctly identified because they are occluded by large amounts of cementum, so that neither depth nor extension of the defects can be assessed on external inspection. In these cases, microscopic analysis of tooth sections is required for a correct diagnosis of the hypoplastic enamel defects.

Dental enamel hypoplasia is a developmental defect in enamel caused by physiological stress during dental development. Previous analysis of enamel hypoplasia in sheep has demonstrated that variation in its frequency can be linked to nutrition levels, with animals suffering from malnutrition more susceptible to enamel hypoplasia formation. Variation in enamel hypoplasia frequency has also been linked to climatic and ecological factors, leading to variation in the availability of fodder supplies and, consequently, variation in nutritional intake. In this paper, the occurrence of enamel hypoplasia in two modern sheep populations is, for the first time, correlated with known seasonal physiological and nutritional stress events. Using known age‐at‐death data, the dental development rates for sheep are reconstructed, allowing the position of enamel hypoplasia on the tooth crown to be linked to known periods of malnutrition and physiological stress. Both populations live under identical climatic conditions but with very different diets. Clear differences are observed between the two populations, with peaks of enamel hypoplasia correlating with different seasonal periods of malnutrition as well as common physiological stressors linked to birth and weaning. This is the first time that a clear correlation has been made between seasonal variation in nutrition and the occurrence of hypoplastic enamel defects in caprine populations. As such, this study provides a baseline from which the nutritional impact of caprine foddering and husbandry practices can be determined in future archaeological studies.

This paper outlines the first methodology for recording dental enamel hypoplasia in the highcrowned dentition of modern and archaeological caprine teeth. The method has been developed and on five caprine populations from Orkney (UK); two modern populations (Shetland and North Ronaldsay breeds) and three Neolithic assemblages from the archaeological sites of Knap of Howar, Skara Brae and Holm of Papa Westray. Problems associated with differential tooth wear, as well as the presence of coronal cementum are discussed, and recommendations are given on the identification and recording of hypoplastic dental defects in caprines.

Coastal shell middens represent a well-known element of the archaeological record of island and coastal regions across the world and shellfish have been an important resource for subsistence since the mid Holocene. However, the factors that influence shell-fishing remain poorly understood and in many regions investigations into the role of shellfish gathering have often remained focused on prehistoric examples to the detriment of shell middens of later dates. This article reports on the emerging evidence for large-scale exploitation of shellfish during a hitherto understudied period for shell midden archaeology in Northwest Europe: the first millennium AD. The article includes a review of a series of previously unknown large mussel-dominated middens in eastern Scotland, an outline of their chronology and character, including Bayesian modelling of dates, and a synthesis of the emerging evidence for shellfish gathering in Northwest Europe during the first millennium AD. The research represents the first investigation of large-scale early medieval middens in Britain and the first review of their international parallels and the important new information they can provide for the early medieval economy. Keywords shell middens, coastal archaeology, early medieval, first millennium AD, Scotland, Northwest Europe INTRODUCTIONCoastal shell middens represent an important, but poorly understood element of the archaeological record of Europe. They survive in a multitude of forms and have great variability in terms of

Avulsion fractures of the transverse processes of vertebrae have not been previously identified in the archaeological record. This paper provides a case study of a 21-25 year old male skeleton from the 10 th century cemetery at Raunds Furnells (Northamptonshire, UK) with bilateral avulsion fractures of the transverse processes of the first thoracic vertebra. Possible aetiologies of this condition are discussed and conclusions drawn about the impact of this condition upon the individual.