Using dental and activity indicators in order to explore possible sex differences in an adult rural medieval population from Thebes (Greece)

Abstract

Assessing the subsistence strategies of past populations; through their dietary and occupational patterns; could provide important information regarding social status and possible gender differences, especially in turbulent historical periods, as the one of the Crusader's occupation in Greece (1204-1460. Therefore, the human sample from Aghia Triada in Thebes (13 th -14 th c. AD) serves as the ideal skeletal material. Diet was explored through two dental indicators; dental caries and tooth wear, while occupational stress was explored through three activity markers; osteoarthritis (OA), spinal facet remodeling and Schmorl's nodes. The aims of the present study are to assess the dietary and activity patterns of the stated population and explore possible sex differentiations. A total of 126 teeth and 350 vertebrae have been examined. The entire population presents a caries rate of 16.7%, and males present a much higher caries frequency than females (25.5% males vs. 9.9% females). Furthermore, females present significantly higher rates of osteophytes than males, whereas no significant sex differences were found regarding facet remodeling and Schmorl's nodes. Dental results confirm historical information of medieval Thebes having an agricultural economy and are also in agreement with isotopic data. In addition, our findings suggest very intense physical activity for both sexes, whereas the distribution of facet remodeling along the spine could indicate a possible gender division of labor. Our study proposes two positive correlations; between facet remodeling and osteophytes, and between Schmorl's nodes and facet remodelling; as activity indicators in past or/and modern populations. Finally, we strongly encourage the inclusion of spinal facet remodelling in studies focusing on occupational stress.

Caries prevalence and other dental pathological conditions in Vikings from Varnhem, Sweden

“…It was, however, possible to study correlations regarding age, tooth loss, and caries prevalence. The positive correlation found in the current study between biological age and ante-mortem tooth loss was not surprising and similar results have been reported in other historical populations [ 10 , 12 , 15 , 30 , 31 ]. It is plausible that the problem of dental caries contributed to the tooth loss, but other factors including periodontitis and trauma must be considered [ 2 ].…”

Assessment of the Relationship between the Total Occlusal Area of the Human Permanent Upper First and Second Molars and the Robusticity of the Facial Skeleton in Sex-Different Cranial Samples of Homo Sapiens: A Preliminary Study

“…We describe and explain these limitations in “Discussion”. The second of two scales of dentine exposure in the occlusal surface of the crown of the permanent molars is commonly considered as more precise than the first, mentioned above, and universally used in the sense of being applicable to archaeological/historical human populations derived from geographically different areas, e.g., [ 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 ]. However, it is important to note that in our study these two scales were not used to assess the age at death of the examined specimens, but only to obtain the data about the stages of the wear of the crowns of the examined molars.…”

Dental health indicators of the Chernyakhov population from Shyshaki (Ukraine)

“…Odontological studies of ancient populations represent different indicators related to health state, lifestyle and diet of humans, and dental caries is the most visible from them (Lanfranco and Eggers 2012). The social and cultural environment has an impact on human health diet and activity, and differences in oral health between the sexes in different ancient populations could been interpreted with reference to diet (Klaus and Tim 2010;Miliauskienė and Jankauskas 2015;Michael et al 2017).…”