Inferring ancient human activities through skeletal study: An example from Archaic Greece. In Biocultural Evolution: An Agenda for Integrative Approaches

Abstract

This paper critically evaluates the range of skeletal attributes available for identifying activity patterns in the past. Our investigation is contextualized in the study of Phaleron, an Archaic Greek site where non-elite individuals were buried. We consider the following skeletal attributes: fractures, osteoarthritis, entheseal remodeling, bone cross-sectional diameters, bone density, and trabecular patterning as possible sources of information, finding that entheseal remodeling and long bone shape and density imaging hold the greatest potential. Studies of fracture patterning will also be employed to explore the risk of interpersonal violence and accidental bone breaks.