The person‐years construct: ageing and the prevalence of health related phenomena from skeletal samples

130

103

Over the last four decades, bioarchaeology has experienced significant technical growth and theoretical maturation. Early 21st century bioarchaeology may also be enhanced from a renewed engagement with the concept of biological stress. New insights on biological stress and disease can be gained from cross-disciplinary perspectives regarding human skeletal variation and disease. First, pathophysiologic and molecular signaling mechanisms can provide more precise understandings regarding formation of pathological phenotypes in bone. Using periosteal new bone formation as an example, various mechanisms and pathways are explored in which new bone can be formed under conditions of biological stress, particularly in bone microenvironments that involve inflammatory changes. Second, insights from human biology are examined regarding some epigenetic factors and disease etiology. While epigenetic effects on stress and disease outcomes appear profoundly influential, they are mostly invisible in skeletal tissue. However, some indirect and downstream effects, such as the developmental origins of adult health outcomes, may be partially observable in bioarchaeological data. Emerging perspectives from the human microbiome are also considered. Microbiomics involves a remarkable potential to understand ancient biology, disease, and stress. Third, tools from epidemiology are examined that may aid bioarchaeologists to better cope with some of the inherent limitations of skeletal samples to better measure and quantify the expressions of skeletal stress markers. Such cross-disciplinary synergisms hopefully will promote more complete understandings of health and stress in bioarchaeological science.

Section: Age Structures In Skeletal Samples and Measures Of Prevalencementioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Age Structures In Skeletal Samples and Measures Of Prevalencementioning

confidence: 95%

Frontiers in the bioarchaeology of stress and disease: Cross‐disciplinary perspectives from pathophysiology, human biology, and epidemiology

Klaus

2014

130

103

“…The age-at-death profile of the observed crania was categorized into Late Adolescent/Young Adult (15-35 years old), Mid-Adult (35-50 years old), Old Adult (50þ years old), and a general category of Adult (15þ years old). Because advanced age can expose a person to more years of risk for trauma, samples with older individuals can bias the sample, leading to higher rates of trauma relative to samples with younger individuals (Glencross and Sawchuk, 2003). Conchopata and Beringa show similar age structures, but La Real differs from those in that more than half of the sample is Young Adults (Fig.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trauma and violence in the Wari empire of the Peruvian Andes: Warfare, raids, and ritual fights

Tung¹

2007

129

135

This study examines bioarchaeological evidence for violence during the period of Wari imperialism in the Peruvian Andes through analysis of skeletal trauma from three populations dating to AD 650-800. The samples are from contemporaneous archaeological sites: Conchopata, a Wari heartland site in central highland Peru; Beringa, a community of commoners in the Majes valley of the southern Wari hinterland; and La Real, a high status mortuary site, also in the Majes valley. Given the expansionist nature of Wari and its military-related iconography and weaponry, it is hypothesized that Wari imperialism was concomitant with greater levels of violence relative to other prehispanic groups in the Andes. It is also hypothesized that differential articulation with the Wari empire (e.g., heartland vs. hinterland groups) affected the frequency and patterning of trauma.Results show that cranial trauma frequency of the three Wari era samples is significantly greater than several other Andean skeletal populations. This suggests that Wari rule was associated with high levels of violence, though it may not have always been related to militarism. The three adult samples show similar frequencies of cranial trauma (Conchopata ¼ 26%; Beringa ¼ 33%; La Real ¼ 31%). This may suggest that differential positioning in the Wari empire had little effect on exposure to violence. Sex-based differences in cranial trauma frequencies are present only at La Real, but wound patterning differs between the sexes: females display more wounds on the posterior of the cranium, while males show more on the anterior. These data suggest that

“…Similarly, rough age categories 3 were created based on cranial suture closure and tooth wear when there were no postcranial remains available. Given the ''cumulative impact'' of trauma over the course of an individual's life, these categories were used to assess whether or not the age of individuals in a population biased the results (Glencross and Sawchuk, 2003). We noted evidence of healed trauma on the cranium in the form of depressions on the vault, facial fractures, and projectile injuries.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interpersonal violence in prehistoric San Pedro de Atacama, Chile: Behavioral implications of environmental stress

Torres‐Rouff

Junqueira

2005

117

The prehistoric population of San Pedro de Atacama lived through periods marked by prosperity and interregional interaction, as well as times of severe drought, social stress, and widespread poverty. A sample of 682 crania was analyzed for evidence of cranial trauma in order to assess changing patterns of interpersonal violence during the occupation of the oasis. It was hypothesized that the level of traumatic injuries in this population would parallel some of the changes seen in the archaeological record. Low fracture rates would be expected in periods of affluence and environmental stability, while periods characterized by environmental extremes and state collapse would yield elevated rates of aggression. This analysis found that rates of trauma escalated from 5.1% (5/99) in the earliest period, to 10.9% (10/92) in the Middle Horizon (AD 600-950). Although it may reflect problems related to increasing population density in the oasis, this increase is surprising, given that the early period witnessed the shift to permanent settlements, and the middle period was one of prosperity and plentiful resource availability. Trauma rates peaked at 35.6% (16/45) in an early Late Intermediate period (AD 950-1400) cemetery, with other Late Intermediate cemeteries demonstrating similarly high rates of traumatic injury. The elevated trauma rates during this period correlate with major droughts, the concentration of settlements on the oasis' east side, fortified structures, and material poverty, all reflected in the archaeological record. As the Late Intermediate waned and environmental conditions improved, trauma concomitantly decreased (7.0%), and remained low throughout the Inka occupation (AD 1400-1532). This indicates that while the Atacama was not peaceful, violence became commonplace only during periods of great social change and resource stress.