Chronic maxillary sinusitis (CMS) is a much debated topic and the current clinical literature states that up to 40% of the maxillary sinusitis cases can be caused by dental disease. This is called...Show moreChronic maxillary sinusitis (CMS) is a much debated topic and the current clinical literature states that up to 40% of the maxillary sinusitis cases can be caused by dental disease. This is called odontogenic maxillary sinusitis (OMS). Unilateral CMS is even believed to be induced by dental disease in approximately 75% of the cases. In bioarchaeology, odontogenic sinusitis has been somehow understudied, since very few archaeological studies on sinusitis have taken dental disease into consideration. Studying the impact of dental disease can give more contextualisation to previous studies on respiratory disease, including CMS. Both CMS and dental disease can be observable in archaeological context as various skeletal changes. This thesis research aims to test if the presence of CMS is related to the presence of dental disease within two post-medieval populations from Arnhem and Middenbeemster. The dental pathological conditions that are included here are periapical abscesses, periodontal disease, ante-mortem tooth loss and oroantral fistulae. First, the relation between CMS and dental disease has been investigated for the sample in its entirety, as well as on the intrasite level. After this, differences in the prevalence rates of OMS were investigated on the intersite level (i.e., between populations and between sex groups across populations). Chi squared tests and the Fisher’s Exact Test were used to test the hypotheses. The results show that there is no statistically significant correlation between the presence of chronic maxillary sinusitis and the presence of dental disease. Moreover, the differences in the prevalence rates of CMS did not hold any statistical significance either. It can be suggested that other factors, such as climate, smoking, or hazards as the result of urbanisation, have played a bigger role in the development of chronic maxillary sinusitis in the current sample. Although not significant, there was a stronger correlation between CMS and dental disease in the rural sample than in the urban sample. A stronger relationship was also observed in females than in males. Therefore, it might be suggested that dental disease played a more important role in the development of CMS among these subgroups. Furthermore, it is observed that OMS is slightly more prevalent in the urban population and has a slight female predominance.Show less
Osteoarchaeological research is focused on profiling and understanding human remains of the past. The goal is to gather as much information as possible from the human remains. The first steps, and...Show moreOsteoarchaeological research is focused on profiling and understanding human remains of the past. The goal is to gather as much information as possible from the human remains. The first steps, and arguably the most important ones, are the estimation of sex, age and stature. These form the base of any osteoarchaeological research and help build a profile of the research population. The determination of an individual’s sex, age and stature will always be an estimation and can never be determined with 100% accuracy. This also means the process of building a profile is very time consuming. This difficulty is often exaggerated by the preservation of the human remains and methodology used. Osteoarchaeology also suffers greatly from inter and intraobserver variation. These problems become more severe when the sample size gets larger or when more traits are examined. Due to these problems, osteoarchaeological research can be very difficult and is never an exact science. Researchers are constantly trying to develop new methods to reduce the amount of time it takes to estimate sex, age and stature and to get the highest accuracy rates possible. For sex estimation, the skull and pelvis are regarded as the two most reliable aspects of the human skeleton. Several different methods have been developed focusing on these two aspects. New methods are often developed on a regional reference population. To implement such a method in a different region or country it is necessary to test its effectiveness on skeletal material with known data. In this thesis, a mathematical approach to sex estimation called the Diagnose Sexuelle Probabiliste method (DSP) is tested on a skeletal collection from the Middenbeemster, the Netherlands. Archival data was available for 118 individuals, of which 99 were eligible for the DSP method. The DSP method uses 4 to 10 measurements of the os coxa to estimate the chance of the individual being male or female. The big upside of this method, compared to other commonly used methods, is its ease of use. No extensive knowledge of the human skeleton is needed to gather the required measurement data for the method to be used. Even so, the creators of the method claim high accuracy levels and imply that DSP is equally, if not more, reliable than other existing methods. The results of this thesis indicate that, on Dutch populations, the DSP method is as accurate and robust as the creators claim. For the 99 individuals, DSP was able to estimate the sex of 85 of them (86%), with an accuracy of 97.6%. Only 2 individuals were incorrectly estimated to be male. From the measurements of the remaining 14 individuals the DSP method could not estimate the sex with enough certainty, leaving these individuals as undetermined. The DSP method proves to be robust and very accurate on Dutch skeletal material and should be considered a viable method for the estimation of sex. The ease of use of this method, compared to other sex estimation methods, is its strongest aspect. The method is not time consuming and can be performed without extensive knowledge on the subject, which could save a lot of time and effort in (osteo)archaeological research in the Netherlands.Show less
The commingling of human skeletal remains poses a recurrent challenge for osteoarchaeologists. Prior to any comprehensive analysis, the reassociation of these remains is required. Over the past...Show moreThe commingling of human skeletal remains poses a recurrent challenge for osteoarchaeologists. Prior to any comprehensive analysis, the reassociation of these remains is required. Over the past seven decades, numerous methodologies have emerged to address this challenge. However, each method exhibits limitations, prompting the necessity for the advancement of current techniques and the introduction of novel approaches. Among these evolving methods, the portable X-ray fluorescence technique stands out. Originally not designed for application on human remains, its appeal lies in its non-destructive nature and cost-effectiveness, drawing keen interest from osteoarchaeologists and forensic anthropologists. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of portable X-ray fluorescence in sorting commingled archaeological remains buried in the Netherlands. It involves the examination of 40 adults, 20 unearthed from Arnhem and 20 from Middenbeemster, dating back to the post-medieval period. The research initiates by investigating both intra-skeletal and inter-skeletal chemical variation, further exploring the potential factors contributing to these differences. Throughout the analysis, multiple sorting attempts are conducted to ensure a thorough exploration of the technique's capabilities. The results indicate statistically significant chemical variation within the same skeleton and among different individuals. In terms of intra-skeletal variation, from the 12 skeletal elements tested in each individual, only four pairs of bones (humerus–femur, rib–mandible, tibia–parietal, and tibia–rib) did not exhibit variation in the concentrations of chemical elements. With regard to inter-skeletal variation, 23 out of the 30 elements detected by the pXRF, and 14 out of the 15 ratios explored, demonstrated significant differences. Variation was also observed between males and females, as well as between sites. For the differences among the adult sub-groups that were noted, no generalizations can be made unless further research is conducted. Finally, the reassociation attempts reveal that the most successful sorting cases involved two individuals from different sites, utilizing principal components derived from ratios, while the tooth measurements were excluded. Key ratios influencing the sorting process included Mn/K, Mn/S, Mn/Fe, K/Fe, Sr/Ca, Ca/P, Pb/Ca, S/Sr, and Sr/Pb. While the method showed promise when a small number of individuals were involved, it lacked consistency. Therefore, it should be used in conjunction with other methods until further research is conducted.Show less
Biological kinship is a phenomenon inherent in all people. Therefore, it is no wonder that it is an often-researched topic in bioarchaeology. Even though a living person could speak about their kin...Show moreBiological kinship is a phenomenon inherent in all people. Therefore, it is no wonder that it is an often-researched topic in bioarchaeology. Even though a living person could speak about their kin, the bones of people long passed have another way of saying who their relatives are. The approach used in this research examines cranial non-metric traits, the morphological variants appearing on the skull. This study investigated the relationship between biological kinship and cranial non-metric traits in the Middenbemster skeletal collection. Examining these traits aimed to gain further insight into familial connections within the cemetery, adding to previous studies that only focused on dental non-metric traits and foot anomalies. To estimate the familial relationships in the Middenbeemster skeletal collection, the data on 27 cranial non-metric traits were collected in 213 adult individuals. The traits were visually scored as present, absent, or unobservable if skeletal material was missing or poorly preserved. After collection, data were statistically analyzed. Analysis of traits revealed that most traits were represented in the sample and that there is inconsistency in the sex dependence of the traits. The principal finding of this research was the identification of precondylar tubercle as a basis for further hypothesizing about kinship, as it appeared in a significantly higher frequency in the Middenbester sample compared to the reference sample. This finding was further used to form a hypothetical kinship group, which may further be used to explore kinship through the archival data. Moreover, this research adds to the previous research conducted on this topic in Middenbeemster and provides a fresh perspective.Show less
Sex estimations are an important step in the study of skeletons in osteoarcheology. Sex estimations are necessary for the estimations of age and stature of individuals. If sex, age, and stature are...Show moreSex estimations are an important step in the study of skeletons in osteoarcheology. Sex estimations are necessary for the estimations of age and stature of individuals. If sex, age, and stature are known comparisons with other individuals, contexts, or populations can be made. Sex estimations are also important for forensic archaeology because one of the first steps in identifying an individual in order to link this to a missing person is determining the sex. The Phenice method is a well-known morphological method used for estimating the sex of a skeleton by only looking at three traits of the pubic bone, namely the ventral arc, the subpubic concavity, and the medial aspect of the ischiopubic ramus. With just these three traits an accuracy of 96 % can be achieved (Phenice, 1969, p. 300). The Phenice method is a popular method to estimate the sex of skeletons in archaeology, including Dutch archaeology. But while this method is excessively tested on North American skeletal collections, there has been only one research on a Dutch skeletal collection. MacLaughlin and Bruce reviewed the Phenice method on a Dutch skeletal collection and only achieved an accuracy of 68 % (MacLaughlin & Bruce, 1989, p. 1387). Therefore, in this thesis research, the reliability of the Phenice method has been tested on a Dutch skeletal collection in order to determine if this method is reliable for a Dutch skeletal collection. The reliability of the Phenice method was tested by examining a sample of 105 skeletons of the Middenbeemster skeletal collection, an archaeological rural collection dating between 1829 and 1866 CE. The pubic bones of the skeletons have been examined for the three Phenice traits and sex estimations have been made for each individual trait. A final sex estimation for the skeleton has been made based on the sex estimations of the individual traits. Lastly, the final sex estimations got compared to the known sex of the skeletons. An overall accuracy of 88. 57 % was achieved for estimating the sex of the studied 105 individuals. Thus the Phenice method was found to be a reliable method to estimate the sex of adult skeletons of the Middenbeemster collection, and presumably other Dutch skeleton collections. Hereby is it important that the guidelines published by Phenice (1969) in his original paper are followed. However, there is a small bias towards male sex estimations, and the sex of young (<23 years) and old individuals (> 50 years) is also more likely to be estimated wrong. Nevertheless, the overall accuracy rate of the Phenice method is still high and it remains a reliable method for Dutch archaeology.Show less
The goal of this thesis research is to test if the prevalence of vertebral pathological conditions reflect hard labour/tough life in the Arnhem Eusebiuskerk population and a lowstatus, middle...Show moreThe goal of this thesis research is to test if the prevalence of vertebral pathological conditions reflect hard labour/tough life in the Arnhem Eusebiuskerk population and a lowstatus, middle-status and high-status population from London. The vertebral pathological conditions that have been compared are vertebral osteoarthritis, osteophytes, intervertebral disc disease, Schmorl’s nodes and fusion. First, the prevalence of the vertebral pathological conditions have been compared between the Arnhem population and the three London populations. After that, the prevalence has been compared between the males and females within each population followed by a comparison of the prevalence across the age categories. The latter has been done for each population as well. Lastly, the male and female sample of the populations have been compared separately between the Arnhem population and the three London populations. To summarise, there does seem to be a relationship between vertebral pathology and social status in the Arnhem and London populations. Most vertebral pathological conditions are namely more prevalent in the low-status Arnhem population than in the higher status London populations. The prevalence of the vertebral pathological conditions in the lowstatus St. Arnhem population is similar to that of the low-status St. Bride’s Lower Churchyard population. Based on this, it can be inferred that the vertebral pathological conditions are more common in the lower status populations than in the higher status populations of this thesis. This could have been the result of the kind of labour these status groups were involved in. Furthermore, there does seem to be a difference in the prevalence of the vertebral pathological conditions between males and females; in three out of four populations (all except the St. Benet Sherehog population) males may have had harder working conditions than the females. When the prevalence in the male and female sample of the population were compared between Arnhem and the three London populations separately, a trend can be seen that may indicate that at least the males of the Arnhem population had harder working conditions than those in the other populations. The results have also shown that there are some biases. The first bias is that the statistically significant differences in the vertebral pathological conditions are more influenced by the male sample than by the female sample in all populations with Schmorl’s nodes likely being influenced by biological variation to some extent. Furthermore, the development of many of the vertebral pathological conditions are, at least to some extent, influenced by age in all populations.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
open access
The human hand is a complex structure that is heavily involved in many everyday activities. As such, it can serve as a useful area for activity reconstruction in the past. Though its function and...Show moreThe human hand is a complex structure that is heavily involved in many everyday activities. As such, it can serve as a useful area for activity reconstruction in the past. Though its function and evolution have long been studied, parts of it still need to be better understood. There is evidence to suggest that the fifth ray of the hand contributes significantly to grip strength and stability in a way that has so far gone largely ignored. The aim of this study is two-fold. First, it seeks to gain a better understanding of the function and use of the fifth digit in habitual activity on the basis of three postmedieval Dutch populations. Second, it investigates habitual activity and occupation among the individuals that belonged to these communities to gain a better understanding of the lives led by people in the post-medieval Netherlands. In order to achieve those goals, the study analyses activity patterns among hand entheses through the “Validated Entheses-based Reconstruction of Activity” (VERA) method. The method is applied to 3D scans of the hand bones of 43 adult individuals. Multivariate statistics, including principal component analysis, are used for the analysis of the entheseal attachment sizes. The analysis showed that the muscles of the fifth ray are recruited in both precision and power grips in different capacities. It suggests that the fifth ray is an important supporting structure that aids in the execution of power and precision grips through its opposing position to the thumb. It is also used to provide stability by pulling it towards the other fingers. The results of this study support the assumption that the fifth ray of the hand plays a crucial role in everyday manual activity. They also suggest that a deeper understanding of its role could provide additional insights into different kinds of grasping activities in the past. The analysis further showed that the three different groups exhibit different activity patterns. The lower-class urban individuals or Arnhem exhibit a trend towards more intense power grasping, while the higher-class urban individuals from Zwolle showed a tendency for precision grasping activity. This is consistent with historical records that suggest the Zwolle individuals had worked as merchants, investors, and in similar professions, while the working poor in the city of Arnhem were probably working in factories and in the local tobacco production. The individuals from the rural community of Middenbeemster fell somewhat surprisingly in the middle of the other two groups, with a sizeable number of individuals exhibiting precision gripping patterns. This suggests that, despite this community having mainly revolved around dairy farming, individual life experiences were likely quite varied. Future analyses of the fifth ray should expand on the groundwork laid in this study by increasing the sample size, looking into individuals from different contexts and time periods, and looking into potential connections between the fifth ray and the fourth ray, wrist, and forearm.Show less
Otitis media, commonly known as middle ear inflammation, demonstrated a high prevalence rate in history. This trend also persists today. This condition is influenced by a combination of...Show moreOtitis media, commonly known as middle ear inflammation, demonstrated a high prevalence rate in history. This trend also persists today. This condition is influenced by a combination of environmental and genetic factors, of which the most important for the context of this thesis are urbanization and air pollution, joined by overcrowding. Mastoiditis is closely associated with otitis media, as it often arises as a consequence of untreated otitis media. In the field of osteology, various diagnostic methods are used to identify otitis media, leading to a problem in comparison and verification of results obtained through different methods. So, what is the interrelationship of these methods? Do they produce similar results? The main aim of this thesis was to answer this question. To investigate the interrelationship of these diagnostic methods, a sample of 97 individuals from post-medieval Arnhem, the Netherlands, was analyzed. The methods selected for the analysis were chosen from diverse case-studies, with each method focusing on the analysis of a specific skeletal element. These elements included auditory ossicles, the temporal bone around the external auditory meatus, and the mastoid process. The method focusing on the mastoid process is utilized for diagnosing mastoiditis, rather than otitis media. In addition to the three primary methods, two other diagnostic approaches were included in the analysis. These methods involved the utilization of computed tomography (CT) scans to assess mastoid air cells pneumatization and endoscopic examination of the cochlear promontory. Dataset collected by Casna et al. (2023a) was used, as they were the ones utilizing these two methods. The findings of this study revealed relatively low concurrence rates among the three primary diagnostic methods, and even lower rates when all five methods were compared. The presence of such results called for an exploration of explanatory models that would aim to explain such low concurrence rates. Additionally, factors possibly influencing the results were also considered. This research underscores the need for developing a universal and standardized method for diagnosing otitis media. The lack of agreement among the diagnostic methods suggests not all of them are linked to the same underlying cause, therefore signifying the need for a better approach. While this research provided valuable insight into the interrelationship of some of the diagnostic methods, further research that would compare other methods that have not been compared here is necessary for better understanding of the complexity of situation surrounding otitis media diagnosis in osteoarchaeology.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
open access
2024-01-31T00:00:00Z
Urbanization and urban living not only reshaped the social, cultural, political, and economical aspects of European societies, but also had a great impact on people’s health. These effects can be...Show moreUrbanization and urban living not only reshaped the social, cultural, political, and economical aspects of European societies, but also had a great impact on people’s health. These effects can be observed in the archaeological record through the analysis of skeletal remains from urban sites by comparing them to their rural counterparts. Although multiple studies have focused on investigating the effects of urbanization and urban living, few have researched the impact of urban living on infants, children, and maternal health. Therefore, this research focuses on assessing the effects of urban living in infant and maternal health during post medieval times in the Netherlands through the comparison of oral stress indicators from a rural (Middenbeemster) and an urban (Arnhem) collection of post-medieval Dutch non-adults and adults. To do so, frequencies and age-at-formation of linear enamel hypoplasia, as well as frequency of dental caries were recorded and analyzed for permanent and deciduous teeth, using age-categorical data to compare them between rural and urban individuals. The results from this research demonstrate that urban living had a negative impact on infant and maternal health, as found from the dental markers associated to the prenatal period. In addition, this research has shown that analyzing dental caries in deciduous teeth can demonstrate the maternal-infant relationship after birth, and that dental caries can be used as a proxy to determine frailty and resiliency of non-adult individuals.Show less
For decades, scholars studying the cultural influence of Egyptian colonialism on Nubian populations have relied on the concept of Egyptianisation. This approach created an oversimplified...Show moreFor decades, scholars studying the cultural influence of Egyptian colonialism on Nubian populations have relied on the concept of Egyptianisation. This approach created an oversimplified representation of cultural exchange in this context, portraying subjugated Nubian populations as passive receptors of Egyptian cultural elements. By considering indigenous agency, identity and local cultural practice, this research reevaluates this narrative, aiming to assess the impact of Egyptian colonialism on Nubian populations through an integral aspect of cultural expression, namely, food. Using an osteoarchaeological approach, Ancient Nile Valley diets were reconstructed by combining the analysis of caries, tooth wear and carbon and nitrogen isotope data, and were subsequently compared in an effort to identify patterns linked to colonising events. Including individuals from various spatial and temporal contexts, this diachronic study incorporated a skeletal sample consisting of Egyptian (Memphis and Qurneh), pre-colonial Nubian (Abu Fatima, Kerma) and colonial Nubian (Tombos, C-Group, Pharaonic and Shellal) individuals, amounting to a sample size of 845 individuals for dental analysis and 88 individuals for (collagen) isotope research. The results of this study reveal a complex image of dietary influence in Nubian colonial contexts, one whose intricacy refutes traditional expectations of inevitable acculturation in times of colonial occupation. Here, some individuals and groups seem to have chosen to adopt Egyptian dietary habits, showing a considerable degree of dietary acculturation (e.g. Pharaonic and Shellal), while other groups appear to have partly or completely maintained local dietary customs despite colonial interference (e.g. Tombos, C-Group). Furthermore, aside from individual and group choice, the adoption of Egyptian dietary habits by subjugated Nubian populations seems to have been influenced by factors such as location, timing and Egyptian imperial policy. This study stresses the complexity and variability of these colonial contexts, contributing to our knowledge of Nubian experiences of Egyptian colonisation. Moreover, it illustrates the potential of assessing the impact of colonialism on ancient populations through the study of food, a both continuous and culturally significant source of information.Show less
As individuals living in a society, our activities, diet, and health are influenced by our socioeconomic position in said society. This amongst others means that our socioeconomic standings play a...Show moreAs individuals living in a society, our activities, diet, and health are influenced by our socioeconomic position in said society. This amongst others means that our socioeconomic standings play a large part in our social and bodily experience, therefore also in the level and kind of labour we are involved in. Labour is often highly routinised, as certain actions and movements are performed day in day out. Therefore, labour is an important aspect of ones ‘lived experience’. Osteoarthritis, a condition causing the degeneration of synovial joints and surrounding soft tissue, is the most prevalent disease in past and current societies. It is also the most frequently used marker for establishing and examining activity patterns within archaeological populations. The aim of this study is to figure out how differences in socioeconomic status and strenuous labour are embodied in a post medieval Dutch city. In order to answer this, this study analyses the severity and prevalence of osteoarthritis in two skeletal population samples of different socioeconomic status from the same city, Eindhoven. The individuals of high status were buried inside of the St. Catharinakerk, while the low status individuals were buried in the cemetery outside of this church. The high status sample consists of 13 adult individuals and the low status sample consists of 52 adult individuals. In total 40 skeletal elements have been analysed per studied individual, 20 on the left side and 20 on the right side, by using the method proposed by Buikstra and Ubelaker (1994). Following this, the scores resulting from the study of the skeletal remains were statistically analysed using ANCOVA (Analysis of Covariance). This allows to control the sample population for a covariant, in this research age-at-death was controlled for. The statistical analysis showed that the low socioeconomic status individuals were significantly more affected by osteoarthritis in the acromial end of the left clavicle and right humeral head, while the high socioeconomic status individuals were significantly more affected in the distal radii and both left and right scaphoid. The most likely explanation for this is that the low and high socioeconomic status populations engaged in different types of activities. The low socioeconomic status individuals would have likely been subjected to repetitive and strenuous activities involving the shoulder such as lifting, pulling, holding, and carrying heavy objects. Yet, while the high socioeconomic status individuals of Eindhoven probably did not engage in the same repetitive and strenuous activities as the low socioeconomic status individuals, the prevalence and severity of osteoarthritis in the wrist does indicate that they too did experience strain on joints. This would have most likely been caused by the amount of writing the high socioeconomic status individuals had to withstand. Hence, this study concludes that osteoarthritis and thus strenuous labour is embodied differently among the high and low socioeconomic status populations of post-medieval Eindhoven.Show less
The estimation of sex is very important in the analysis of skeletal remains in both archaeological and forensic contexts. It is generally the first step that is taken to establish the...Show moreThe estimation of sex is very important in the analysis of skeletal remains in both archaeological and forensic contexts. It is generally the first step that is taken to establish the osteoarchaeological biological profile as the other elements of the profile (e.g. stature and age-at-death) are sex specific. Morphological sex estimation methods require a visual assessment of various features of the pelvis and skull, however, in practice the pelvis and skull are not always assessable when the skeletal elements are in a fragmentary state or are completely absent from the context. Therefore, it is useful to create methods that can be applied to a wider variety of bones and can handle incomplete skeletal elements. Metric methods have shown high accuracy rates on bones like the radius, ulna, femur, calcaneus, and many more. Previous research has shown that the talus is also a sexually dimorphic bone that can be used for sex estimation, however, the discriminant function equations that are created in previous research are population specific. This study extends the line of research done on the talus by testing its sex estimation ability in a post-medieval Dutch population using the Middenbeemster collection. A total of nine measurements were obtained from 111 individuals of known sex (47 males and 64 females). These measurements are based on previous studies and are the talar length, talar width, talar height, trochlear length, trochlear breadth, head-neck length, head height, length of the posterior articular surface, and the breadth of the posterior articular surface. Descriptive statistics and discriminant function analysis was applied to the acquired data. Basic statistics showed the sex discriminating potential of the talus in this Dutch post-medieval population. Univariate analysis reached accuracies between 62.3% and 88.8% while multivariate analysis reached even higher accuracies of between 82.5% and 97.4%. To further investigate the need for population specific equations, the Dutch data has been entered into multiple functions obtained from three previously researched populations. The accuracies obtained here proofed to be less than the accuracies obtained when using their own data suggesting the need for population specific equations. In conclusion, this study has established that the talus of Dutch individuals is effective in sex estimation.Show less
Adult body size, including body mass and stature, is usually influenced by genetic factors and nutrient levels during an individual’s life, while the nutrient level of an individual can largely be...Show moreAdult body size, including body mass and stature, is usually influenced by genetic factors and nutrient levels during an individual’s life, while the nutrient level of an individual can largely be affected by external stresses, such as diet, environment, and disease. In societies with social status inequality, the stresses faced by high-status and low-status groups are usually different, which might result in intrapopulation differences in body size. Inequality between social statuses prevailed in Europe in the post-Medieval period. So, did social inequality result in body size variations between the high-status and low-status populations in the post-Medieval Netherlands? The main purpose of this research is to answer this question, through intrapopulation and inter-sexual comparison of body size of two post-Medieval urban skeletal collections with different social statuses from Arnhem and Zwolle, the Netherlands. The stature of samples has been estimated based on the Trotter (1970) equations of maximum femur length, and the body mass of samples has been estimated based on the Ruff et al. (2012) equations of femoral head diameter and the Ruff et al. (1991) equations of stature/bi-iliac breadth separately. Estimated data have been statistically analyzed. Results have shown no statistically significant differences in body size between the two samples, although slight differences can be observed through descriptive statistics and visualizations. For the inter-sexual comparison, significant sexual dimorphism in body size is presented. Therefore, this research suggests that the inequality in post-Medieval Dutch society did not result in observable population body size differences in the skeletal collections of different social status groups. It cannot, however, prove that social inequality in populations did not impact body size differences. Further and improved research is needed to solve the questions.Show less
