This research uses the disease of osteoarthritis in order to investigate the activity patterns of a rural and an urban environment in the Netherlands during the post-medieval period. It produced...Show moreThis research uses the disease of osteoarthritis in order to investigate the activity patterns of a rural and an urban environment in the Netherlands during the post-medieval period. It produced two datasets with matching criteria obtained from the skeletal assemblages of the heavily researched rural site of Middenbeemster and the relatively new urban site of Arnhem. Historical literature is combined with osteoarthritis prevalence give a more clear and detailed image of past activity patterns. This literature has provided this research with the knowledge that Middenbeemster was a dairy farming community, while Arnhem was a city with a focus on the beer brewing industry. Different markers on the bones associated with osteoarthritis resulted in differences in osteoarthritis prevalence. This differences were not only investigated within the environments but also between the environments. In the urban environment a sexual division of labour was seen, while in the rural environment men and women performed similar strenuous activities. Besides this, it is evident that industrial city life was more strenuous on the bodies of individuals than farming life was during the post-medieval period in the Netherlands.Show less
This Bachelor thesis studies the differences in lower limb bone morphology between post medieval rural and urban populations within the Netherlands. To demonstrate these differences two human...Show moreThis Bachelor thesis studies the differences in lower limb bone morphology between post medieval rural and urban populations within the Netherlands. To demonstrate these differences two human skeletal remains collections originating from Middenbeemster (rural) and Zwolle (urban) have been compared statistically. The study presented within this thesis aims to link possible differences within lower limb bone morphology to the socioeconomic environments, where the introduction of industrialization is one of the major changes compared to late medieval socioeconomic environments is an important factor. These new changes to the areas in which these populations lived their lives, happened quite differently for both the rural and urban areas which should results if these differences are indeed visible within the human skeletal remains. Post medieval Zwolle and Middenbeemster both experienced the changes that the industrialization brought to the Netherlands differently, whereas Zwolle was industrialized whilst Middenbeemster did yet have to feel the “arrival” of industrialization, which means differences between the rural and urban areas should exist. Most differences between rural and urban areas are known from historical context. Looking at the human skeletal remains to see if there are bone morphological differences between rural and urban populations however, could shed some more light on the different socioeconomic environments present within the Netherlands. Lower limb bone morphology is a small part of this but nevertheless important because it gives an insight on the mobility patterns and the amount of mechanical loading experienced by the individuals living in both Middenbeemster and Zwolle. The study shows that industrialization, rural and urban life and class differences between and within the populations indeed have an impact on bone morphological changes within the lower limbs. This means that differences in mobility and mechanical loading are present between and within both populations.Show less
The patterns of LEH thus far recognized within the skeletal collection of Alkmaar have produced significant results regarding multiple topics: the differences in distribution of LEH patterns...Show moreThe patterns of LEH thus far recognized within the skeletal collection of Alkmaar have produced significant results regarding multiple topics: the differences in distribution of LEH patterns between men and women, the timing of LEH episodes and between the age-at-death and the prevalence of LEH. Within this dataset, there is no significant difference recognized between males and females regarding the prevalence of LEH, this stress-marker occur in the same frequency for both sexes. This however does not mean that there are no differences observed between men and women in the age distribution of LEH and the timing of the LEH episodes. The female individuals found in Alkmaar tend to suffer from malnutrition from a younger age then the males and the prevalence of LEH lasts longer, for some individuals into their early teens. Males however have a higher prevalence of LEH then females after the age of one, but there are no signs of LEH in males after six years old. Lastly, the patterns recognized when analyzing the correlation between LEH and longevity of life seems to indicate a connection between the presence of and an increase in risk of dying at a younger age. This risk seems to increase in individuals that have severe LEH where multiple markers of malnutrition episodes are present, this correlation between childhood health events and its impact on health at adulthood can be used when constructing the biological profile of individuals if investigated properly. LEH has proven to be a rich source of information that can provide a useful insight into the Alkmaar dataset, but more research into the dental records will be needed in order to properly understand and explain the significant patterns presented in this thesis.Show less
In this study, a selection of articles on trepanation in Pre-Columbian Peru were chosen to represent the four departments of Amazonas, Apurímac, Lima and Cusco. The available data was extracted...Show moreIn this study, a selection of articles on trepanation in Pre-Columbian Peru were chosen to represent the four departments of Amazonas, Apurímac, Lima and Cusco. The available data was extracted from these articles, and combined in order to greater understand the variations between the method, location, biological profiles and frequency of trepanations in Peru before the Spanish conquest. The survival rate for this sample, at 54% (n=136), suggests a lower rate than shown in previous studies. This result is discussed, in relation to surrounding issues within trepanation studies to understand the true implications of the results. The lack of available data, as well as the future improvements imaging technology encourage for further research into the subject of survival and the nature of Peruvian trepanations, hopefully exceeding the problems encountered in the making of this study, as well as previous studies, on trepanation.Show less
