In the 1980s, archaeological studies near the village of Valkenburg, South-Holland, unearthed the skeletal remains of individuals buried at the Valkenburg-Marktveld cemetery during the Roman period...Show moreIn the 1980s, archaeological studies near the village of Valkenburg, South-Holland, unearthed the skeletal remains of individuals buried at the Valkenburg-Marktveld cemetery during the Roman period. Part of multiple Roman fortifications along the Limes dating from 40 A.D. onwards, the cemetery was likely used as a burial ground for inhabitants of the Valkenburg fort or nearby vicus, a civilian settlement. The cemetery comprised at least 250 cremated individuals as well as 47 inhumations, which is a striking find that contradicts the common Roman practice of cremation. Due to these inhumated skeletal remains, the site provides an unique opportunity to employ osteoarchaeological analysis to reconstruct the lives of individuals that lived in the Roman Frontier region. This thesis utilizes cross-sectional geometry and bilateral asymmetry analysis to infer activity patterns among individuals at the Valkenburg-Marktveld cemetery, as current research on the differences in bone geometry between different demographic groups within Roman communities in the Lower Rhine area is limited. The study further investigates the factors and potential activity patterns that might influence those variations, such as biological age and sex. To do so, it builds on the initial osteoarchaeological study conducted by Lonnée and Maat (1998), who reported the estimated sex and age-at-death of each individual. Following this, each relevant bone in the upper and lower limbs was measured on various points to generate the indices for each point of measurement, as well as calculate the percentage directional asymmetry (DA%) and absolute asymmetry (AA%). The resulting values were then compared statistically between the biological sexes and age-at-death categories. While statistical significance is limited, the interpretation of data highlights the potential of these analyses in inferring activity patterns. Results from the analysis indicate that males tend to display more robust and symmetric upper and lower limbs than females, which are likely attributable to biological factors or a wider range of activities in males. Age-at-death categories exhibited inconsistencies with patterns described in other study, which is possibly due to natural variation or the limited preservation and availability of the skeletal material. Despite the limited number of individuals that could be examined, this thesis contributes valuable insights into the application of cross-sectional geometry and bilateral asymmetry analysis in osteoarchaeological studies, complementing historical data and broadening our understanding of activities in Roman frontier regions.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
This thesis aims to study the use of analysis on skeletal remains in order to understand more about life histories of individuals from population in warfare during the late medieval and early...Show moreThis thesis aims to study the use of analysis on skeletal remains in order to understand more about life histories of individuals from population in warfare during the late medieval and early modern eras. This research was done by comparing the data presented by four different literary sources. Each of them represents a collection from a specific battle and set. The sites that were used were the battle of Towton in 1461, England, the battle of Lützen in 1632 Germany, the battle of Good Friday in 1520 Uppsala, Sweden, and the Siege of Alkmaar in 1573, the Netherlands. The data on sex and age at death estimation, ante-mortem, peri-mortem and any existing stress related pathological condition was presented and later compared. The analysis and comparison done to the data reveals a majority of young adult males in these populations, they all present ante-mortem and peri-mortem trauma that correlates to the historical context of the battle as well as presenting injuries that can evidence the extent of violence that was seen in this time period. The pre-existing stress related conditions revealed that Schmorl's nodes were the most substantial evidence and that it was predominantly seen in young adults. The results that this thesis presented when compared, show a lot of similar information across all of these sites, when added together they reveal a full picture of the extent of life of these individuals. The evidence for pre-existing conditions in young adults points to a life of hard labour, and since this is something seen in two of the collections, comparison can be made and it can be interpreted that life in these two territories was not easy. At the same time a predominant majority of young adult males correlated to what is expected to find in medieval armies, however the evidence for females and young children can reveal a new perspective to the information, seeing as how warfare could affect not only those we were in direct involvement with the military. It was later shown that in comparison to each other, all of these collections can id in the creation of a basis for further studies in the area of life histories of individuals from the late medieval and early modern North-western Europe.Show less
Estimating the age-of-death is very important in both bioarchaeological and forensic studies. The estimation of the age-at-death can contribute identifying an individual, but it can also be...Show moreEstimating the age-of-death is very important in both bioarchaeological and forensic studies. The estimation of the age-at-death can contribute identifying an individual, but it can also be interesting to understand the aging pattern and sexual dimorphism when it comes to the morphological changes in, for example, the vertebral elements. There are methods to estimate this age-at-death of an individual, using different bones. These traditional methods are cranial suture closure, dental wear, sternal rib end, pubic symphysis, and auricular surface. It can be extremely interesting to investigate whether this age-at-death estimation can be made in other ways because it can contribute to identifying an individual, but also to obtaining this age-at-death estimation more accurately. This is the reason why it was investigated for this study whether it is possible to accurately estimate this age-at-death using the osteophytes, or bone outgrowths, on the vertebral column. A 19th-century European collection from the Middenbeemster cemetery, where the age data is known, was used for this. A total of 90 individuals, of which 40 males and 50 females, were scored for the degree of osteophyte formation on the vertebral column, using three different scoring models. An age-at-death estimation was obtained for 20% of the total amount of individuals. This age-at-death estimation was obtained by first developing population-specific regression equations for all three methods tested in this study. This was done by performing linear regressions with cross-validation, using 80% of the total dataset to develop population-specific regression equations and the other 20% was used to estimate the age-at-death. In addition, the age-at-death of these 18 individuals was also estimated using regression equations developed from a Thai population and therefore not population-specific for this study. Based on this research, it can be concluded that it is possible to make an age-at-death estimation using the osteophyte formation on the vertebral column. Since there is a high correlation between the age-at-death and the vertebral osteophyte formation, this method can be used to make an age-at-death estimation, but a combination of age-at-death estimation methods will provide a more accurate result. The use of population-specific regression equations yields more accurate age-at-death results and it is therefore recommended to use population-specific equations when estimating an individual's age-at-death. The population-specific regression equations developed in this study can be used for this.Show less
This research has focussed on frailty and stress in the late medieval and early modern populations of the Broerenkerk in Zwolle and the Eusebiuskerk in Arnhem, in order to understand how stress...Show moreThis research has focussed on frailty and stress in the late medieval and early modern populations of the Broerenkerk in Zwolle and the Eusebiuskerk in Arnhem, in order to understand how stress affected individuals from different sexes, age categories, and status. To understand this, three methods were used: linear enamel hypoplasia, cribra orbitalia, and porotic hyperostosis. In total, 84 skeletons were analysed. The populations have been analysed with each other as well as on their own. The methods have been compared to each other to understand whether they might relate to each other and whether it was likely that they occurred within a skeleton simultaneously. Results showed that there was no statistical significance within or between the sex and age-at-death categories within and between the populations, except for the cribra orbitalia results between the population of the Eusebiuskerk and the Broerenkerk. This has been linked to status: the population buried in the Broerenkerk was of a higher status than the population of the Eusebiuskerk. Although they were likely not extremely rich, as illustrated by the job names presented on the covering slabs, they likely had better access to food. The population of the Eusebiuskerk was likely to be of a very poor status due to trade tokens found with the individuals and because they were buried in the northern church grounds. The fact that the individuals from Zwolle showed less linear enamel hypoplasia might be the result of them experiencing less long term stress. Poor individuals lived close together in guesthouses, which means that illnesses could spread faster. So, it is clear that stress affected statuses differently, and that individuals from Arnhem were more fragile as a result. Yet, care must be taken as limitations are present.Show less
Dental root translucency (alsoroot transparency, apical translucencyor transparency or root dentine sclerosis) has long been used to estimate age-at-death in forensic as well as archaeological...Show moreDental root translucency (alsoroot transparency, apical translucencyor transparency or root dentine sclerosis) has long been used to estimate age-at-death in forensic as well as archaeological human remainsbut has never been tested on a Dutch archaeological collection with known sex and age-at-death individuals. This thesis testedseven already existing (sets of) formulae using dental root translucency as a parameter, that weredeveloped on samples from various geographical regions, on the known sex and age-at-death sample from the Middenbeemster Collection housed at the Laboratory of Human Osteoarchaeology at the Faculty of Archaeology in Leiden University, The Netherlands. A total of 77 individuals werestudied, resulting in age-at-death estimations for 67 of theseindividuals. To test if a more accurate formula could be developed for the Middenbeemster Collection, and even Dutch osteoarchaeological human remains, several new formulaewere trailedresulting in the following formula (T = translucency in mm):Age =19.832+7.667*T +-0.299*T2.With this formula, no statistical difference was found between males and females and seemed not to be affected by dental disease.The new formula was tested on twenty-onenew individuals from the Middenbeemster Collection and twenty individuals from Arnhem, Eusebiuskerk, allonly having an estimated osteological age category. The newly derived formula performed well in the forty-one newly studied individuals, bringing the total number of studied individuals with an age-at-death estimation to 108 individuals. The small sample size and slight underrepresentation should be addressed in future research that either has to enlarge the known age-at-death sampleand/or enlarge the estimated age-at-death sampleto test the presented formula of this thesis.Show less
A sample of 101 individuals from the osteological collection of Middenbeemster, a 19th century Dutch rural population, was analysed for scorbutic lesions denoting the prevalence of scurvy within...Show moreA sample of 101 individuals from the osteological collection of Middenbeemster, a 19th century Dutch rural population, was analysed for scorbutic lesions denoting the prevalence of scurvy within the population. The method used for this analysis was recently published by Snoddy et al. (2018), and collected features described throughout the paleopathological and clinical literature, as well as adding two new lesions to create a system with a weighted diagnosis. The sample was analysed for the presence or absence of these features and the individuals were given a diagnosis ranging from a probable, to possible, to an unlikely diagnosis of scurvy. The prevalence was found to be 74,5% in the total sample, with 80,95% within the non- adults, and 73,75% in the adults respectively. The individuals diagnosed with probable scurvy were found to also exhibit lesions associated with rickets, osteomalacia, and iron deficiency anaemia. It was also found that younger individuals under 6 years of age and adults over 50 were the most likely demographic to suffer from scurvy. Further research should further investigate Snoddy et al.’s (2018) proposed lesions, examine comorbidity with associated conditions, and investigate a genetic predisposition towards the development of the disease.Show less
Sex estimation methods commonly used in osteoarchaeology involve the pelvis and skull. If the pelvis, cranium or other big-sized bones are damaged or cannot be found in a burial, new methods for...Show moreSex estimation methods commonly used in osteoarchaeology involve the pelvis and skull. If the pelvis, cranium or other big-sized bones are damaged or cannot be found in a burial, new methods for estimating sex are needed. This study aims to determine the degree of sexual dimorphism from the first proximal hand phalanges, in order to explore the possibility of using this particular bone for sex estimation. The sample used in this study was taken from Middenbeemster skeletal collection housed in Human Osteoarchaeology Laboratory, Leiden University. The skeletal collection from the 17th - 19th century was chosen because it has individuals of known sex and age. A total of 103 first proximal hand phalanges obtained from 64 adult individuals (22 males and 42 females) were used in this study. There were seven measurements used to analyze the degree of sexual dimorphism, including maximal length and diaphyseal and epiphyseal widths, both mediolaterally and anteroposteriorly. The degree of sexual dimorphism in the first proximal hand phalanx of Middenbeemster skeletal collection is up to 22.38%, indicated by left APWM. The lowest degree of sexual dimorphism is shown by the left ML. Five out of seven measurements used in this study show the left side has a higher degree of sexual dimorphism than the right. The results of this study indicate that the first proximal hand phalanx can potentially be used for sex estimation.Show less
Establishing age-at-death is important to forensic and biological anthropologists for identification and demographic analyses, but some degree of error is unavoidable. In human osteoarchaeology,...Show moreEstablishing age-at-death is important to forensic and biological anthropologists for identification and demographic analyses, but some degree of error is unavoidable. In human osteoarchaeology, there is a general assumption that there is worse preservation with increasing age of adult skeletal remains resulting in inaccuracies in paleodemographic reconstructions. This thesis examines skeletal material from the 17th to 19th-century Middenbeemster cemetery in the Netherlands to understand taphonomic processes that cause age and sex biases in the preservation of the adult pelvic girdle. Skeletal age estimation techniques have focused on the iliac auricular surface and pubic symphysis. However, the morphological features that are considered for age estimation methods of the pubic symphyseal surface, iliac auricular surface, and sacrum get destroyed or damaged to the point where the morphological features are no longer or only partially observable, which, in turn, affects the accuracy of these age estimation methods. The degeneration pattern in human remains from individuals aged 50 years and older becomes too unclear to put into smaller age groups, which is further complicated by taphonomic factors. Differences in bone preservation are caused by several taphonomic processes that affect the pelvic girdle of old adults more than young and middle aged adults. The general results show that the pelvic girdle of old adults is less well-preserved than young and middle adults, and that adult female pelvises are less complete than males. This research supports the view that age biases in preservation are more important than sex biases.Show less
Deciduous dentition can provide valuable insight into the life of an individual during early childhood; information that is usually lost as deciduous teeth are replaced by the permanent dentition....Show moreDeciduous dentition can provide valuable insight into the life of an individual during early childhood; information that is usually lost as deciduous teeth are replaced by the permanent dentition. The purpose of this thesis is the application of micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) to assess the enamel thickness and density distribution of a sample of deciduous canines and first molars from the Middenbeemster site, an 18th – 19th century, non-industrial, rural society in the Netherlands. The main objectives are to assess trends and correlations between enamel properties (thickness and density) and dental disease and wear, as well as investigating sexual dimorphism in a known-sex subsample. The sample consists of 38 individuals who are macroscopically evaluated to determine the presence of dental disease and extent of dental wear. The latter was conducted using a modified method for dental wear scoring, involving an average score for the entire dentition. A strong correlation (R2 = 0.6715) between age and dental wear score was identified, building upon previous studies showing a positive correlation between age and dental wear, and provides initial insights into the benefits of developing a novel method for subadult age-estimation. Of the 38 individuals in the sample, 35, represented by 33 deciduous canines and 30 deciduous first molars, were scanned and analysed using fixed-point measurements and threshold-based 3D evaluation with an integrated micro-CT software. The enamel thickness within the sample ranged between 0.38 mm and 0.66 mm, while the enamel density ranged between 1914 and 2173 mgHA/ccm. No significant differences (p > 0.05) were found to indicate that enamel thickness and density play a significant role in the progression of dental wear or the presence and/or rate of dental disease. Enamel hypomineralisation and hypoplasia were identified; however, the impact of these on the overall enamel thickness and density distribution was seemingly limited. Archival data provided known-sex for 20 individuals (13 females, 7 males). This study investigated this small subsample of known-sex individuals focusing on the two key variables, enamel thickness and density. No significant differences were found in the statistical comparison of means, and the applied logit model failed to show sufficient discriminatory ability. The results of the analysis were considered in conjunction with confounding factors involving the use of skeletal samples to make population inferences, and the current limitations of micro-CT technology. Overall, this study represents an exploratory investigation into various enamel properties of an archaeological population, adding to the still under-represented data acquired from deciduous dentition, and emphasises the benefits and contributions of micro-CT to human osteoarchaeology research.Show less
