Sex estimation of non-adult skeletal remains has long been regarded as a problematic or even an unattainable objective within physical anthropology and forensic science. Few extant methods have...Show moreSex estimation of non-adult skeletal remains has long been regarded as a problematic or even an unattainable objective within physical anthropology and forensic science. Few extant methods have been able to match the accuracy rates of methods designed for adult remains and those that have failed to achieve similarly acceptable rates when tested on a population other than the one on which the method was originally developed. Due to this, children are habitually excluded from archaeological investigations since a major component of their biological profiles is considered inaccessible. A definitive and reliable technique to estimate sex in non-adult osteological remains would contribute greatly to the field of osteoarchaeology, allowing for the refinement of osteological age estimation and growth studies as well as more perceptive interpretations of the social, economic, or environmental implications of osteological evidence. In this thesis, a population-specific statistical approach to non-adult sex estimation based on the crown and cervical dimensions of the permanent canines and maxillary first molars was tested on the documented post-medieval skeletal collection of Middenbeemster, the Netherlands. The odontometrics of the adult component of the population (n = 76) were used to develop 14 binomial logistic regression formulae, which were subsequently applied to the non-adult individuals of the same population (n = 15). Though the two formulae based on the maxillary first molar odontometrics performed little better than chance, all 12 of the formulae based on the permanent canines achieved accuracy rates above 75%, with eight surpassing 85% and five achieving 100% accuracy. It was demonstrated that as little as one dimension of the permanent maxillary or mandibular canine can be used to estimate sex with an acceptable level of confidence. Due to the necessity of a permanent canine, this method is only applicable to individuals aged five years and above at the time of death, including adult individuals whose state of preservation does not allow for morphometric sex estimation or whose morphological sex estimate was indeterminate. By allowing reliable sex estimation in non-adult skeletal remains, this method makes it possible to gain insights into the past lives of non-adult individuals, who all too often seem invisible in archaeological and historical narratives.Show less
Thesis on the link between caries and diet when studying the Roman populations of the Western and Southern cemeteries in London with the use of the MOLA database.
The process of urbanisation was important during the Late Middle Ages in Europe. Traditionally, the rise of urban centres has been associated with unhealthier living conditions, compared to the...Show moreThe process of urbanisation was important during the Late Middle Ages in Europe. Traditionally, the rise of urban centres has been associated with unhealthier living conditions, compared to the countryside. However, this so-called ‘urban graveyard effect´ has been challenged by more recent historical and osteological research. Particularly, osteoarchaeologists have assessed the possible difference in living conditions between urban and rural areas through physiological stress markers, such as linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH). In the Netherlands, up to date, a specific and detailed osteoarchaeological analysis of the effect of urbanisation in children has not been done. To address this question, this thesis has studied the individuals from the Late Medieval urban centre of Alkmaar and rural village of Klaaskinderkerke, focusing on the prevalence, number of episodes, and age distribution of LEH in canines. The results show a lack of difference between Alkmaar and Klaaskinderkerke. High levels of prevalence and number of episodes are present in both populations; in addition, the defects followed a similar age distribution. Therefore, as historical sources also point out, these socioeconomic changes did not only affect the city but also the countryside. In the Netherlands, both spaces changed during the Late Middle Ages, and both had great importance in the rising Dutch economy. The high levels of physiological stress in the city and the countryside support the idea that this Dutch economic development did not mean an improvement in living conditions for people. In summary, living in the countryside was as physiologically stressful as living in the city.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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Mobility and exchange have been important concepts in Caribbean archaeology, but their potential to address the role of the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) in ancient Amerindian societies has been...Show moreMobility and exchange have been important concepts in Caribbean archaeology, but their potential to address the role of the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) in ancient Amerindian societies has been overlooked. This pilot study investigates the possibility of exploring the mobility and/or exchange of the dog by employing strontium isotope analysis (87Sr/86Sr) on archaeological dog dental elements (n=10). Here, strontium isotope analysis was successfully applied to dog teeth from two Ceramic Age sites on Grande-Terre in Guadeloupe: Anse á la Gourde (AD 900-1350) and Morel (300 BC – AD 1400). Three out of ten (30%) dog elements were determined to be non-local (one from Anse à la Gourde and two from Morel). Potential origins of these dogs are consistent with multiple localities throughout the circum-Caribbean. These mobility patterns of dogs can be caused by complex processes involving their movement and/or exchange. In this study the concepts of migration, spheres of exchange, social valuable and inalienability, have been employed to address dog mobility. Using strontium isotopic analysis it is possible to investigate these processes in ways that can complement the information derived from archaeological, ethnohistoric and ethnographic contexts. This multi-disciplinary approach allows for a comparison of the various interactions of humans with dogs across time and space in Amerindian societies of the circum-Caribbean. The obtained information on this interaction and the strontium isotopic results of the dog teeth can be compared with available (bio)archaeological evidence on patterns of human mobility and artefact exchange. This comparison leads to a more conclusive interpretation of dog mobility patterns and contributes to a better understanding of the networks of mobility and exchange present during the Ceramic Age in the Antilles. This research has highlighted the potentials of the study of human-animal interaction and the contributions that strontium isotope analysis can offer to the understanding of the complex processes of mobility and exchange at work in the circum-Caribbean.Show less
