Health and well‐being, history of

Abstract

The history of health and well‐being has been a primary topic of bioarchaeology, the excavation and analysis of human skeletal remains. Paleopathology (the study of diseases in the past) has elucidated our understanding of how humans have adapted to changing circumstances in their physical and sociocultural environments. Transitions in human behavior, such as changes in subsistence, settlement patterns, and contact between groups, have had profound effects on health and well‐being. While shifting conditions do not always result in a decline in health, it is often juvenile individuals and those with fewer socioeconomic resources who are adversely affected. Through the use of a bioarchaeological approach that uses varying types of data to reconstruct the context of past human experiences, in addition to standard data collection and methodological advancements, the variation in susceptibility to disease and adaptability of individuals and groups to transitions provides comprehensive interpretations of past human health.