Osteoarthritis is a multifactorial and one of the most common diseases to be found in human bones and has a long history of research in medical as well as in archaeological studies. A number of...Show moreOsteoarthritis is a multifactorial and one of the most common diseases to be found in human bones and has a long history of research in medical as well as in archaeological studies. A number of variables have been suggested as risk factors, some of which are nutrition, hormones, diseases, age, sex, bone density, and body size. In particular body size either tested as an entity or as stature, body mass and bone robusticity separately has been suggested to be associated with the prevalence of the disease in the joints. Since body size is considered a risk factor for osteoarthritis, it was decided to test its relation to the disease in a sample from a Nubian site called Tombos. The sample consisted of 32 complete burials and a number of 373 individually bones coming from a commingled context. Osteoarthritis was recorded out of 12 joint surfaces and was separated into three categories which represented the three different types of osteoarthritic changes (lipping, porosity, eburnation). The rates of osteoarthritis were particularly low and almost no severe manifestation of development was recorded. The most prominent osteoarthritic change to be found was the lipping. Correlations for testing the relationship between osteoarthritis and body size were conducted with the help of statistical tests from the SPSS program. For the tests only the joints of the lower limbs were selected as the aim was to test the weight bearing joints. Stress in these joints is related with body size and as hypothesized, with osteoarthritis, considering that mechanical stress towards a joint can lead to development of the disease. In contrast with our speculation, body size did not correlate with any osteoarthritic change and in any of the joints except for the acetabulum one. Significant correlation presented in the acetabulum only with lipping. Porosity displayed negative and insignificant correlations with body size in all of the joints. The same was recorded as well in the femurs from the commingled context. This outcome implies an association of small-size individuals with prevalence of porosity in the joints. However with such low significant values no certain statement can be given. The same holds true for the positive correlation showed with lipping. What is important to mention is that in this research it was observed that the different types of osteoarthritis correlate differently with each variable and thus indicate independence in their occurrence.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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A database of Neanderthal raw material transports and fauna from assemblages across Europe has been compiled with the aim to explore the evolution of the Neanderthals’ mobility behaviour with...Show moreA database of Neanderthal raw material transports and fauna from assemblages across Europe has been compiled with the aim to explore the evolution of the Neanderthals’ mobility behaviour with regard to the environment from the beginning of the Late Saalian (191 ka BP) to the demise of Neanderthals (40 ka BP). Mobility, as observed from the lithic transports in the Palaeolithic, is often interpreted as mirroring the social organisation of a group. As the study of Neanderthal mobility normally focuses on the maximum transport distances of lithics, such a methodology is seen as inadequate because three equifinal processes (subsistence activity, social transactions, and semi-random lithic scavenging) can account for these distances. Here, two different indicators of Neanderthal mobility are created based on the transport distances, quantities, and number of utilised raw material sources. These mobility variables and their relationship to the changing environment are then analysed using novel statistical techniques.Show less
