In the post-medieval Netherlands (c. 1650 to 1850 CE), large socioeconomic differences within urban centres existed, which appear to correlate with the diet each socioeconomic group had access to....Show moreIn the post-medieval Netherlands (c. 1650 to 1850 CE), large socioeconomic differences within urban centres existed, which appear to correlate with the diet each socioeconomic group had access to. While low socioeconomic status (SES) often evokes the association of low body mass as a result of having little access to food, modern-day studies show that people living in poverty actually have a higher body mass than contemporaries of higher socioeconomic status. This thesis aims to study to what extend the relationship between body mass and socioeconomic status existed in the post-medieval Netherlands, with a focus on the role of diet and lifestyle. This was done by studying two post-medieval urban populations: one with a low SES from the Eusebiuskerk in Arnhem and one with a high SES from the Broerenkerk in Zwolle. Body mass was estimated by applying body mass estimation equations developed by Ruff et al. (2012) to measurements of the femoral head breadth. Statistical analyses were applied to compare the mean body mass between the high- and low SES samples. The males and females were compared separately. The results showed a positive relation between body mass and low SES. However, this relation was only statistically significant between the male samples. As males had more access to food because of their role in the household, the calorie-dense diet of low SES males could have allowed them to consume more calories than their high SES male counterparts who had access to a more varied diet with overall less calories. Low SES males furthermore performed more physically intense labour than the high SES males, increasing their muscle mass. Both female groups likely had less access to food in general, thus it is plausible that bottom line they consumed similar amount of calories. Also, both female groups would have mostly performed similar household tasks leading to no difference in muscle mass. Lastly, the femoral head is less responsive to changes in body mass in females which could attribute to these results. It can thus be concluded that that body mass can change as a result of status-differences in diet and labour. Based on the sites of Zwolle and Arnhem there seems to be a positive relation between low socioeconomic status and body mass in the post-medieval Netherlands.Show less
Estimation of stature is important because it can indicate health trends, diet, and evolution. Pablos et al. (2013) devised a new method using talar bones but has yet to be compared to the well...Show moreEstimation of stature is important because it can indicate health trends, diet, and evolution. Pablos et al. (2013) devised a new method using talar bones but has yet to be compared to the well-used method of Trotter and Gleser or the Fully method. This thesis compares these three methods using a Wilcoxon-signed rank test and descriptive analysis. The comparison shows that the Fully method statistically compares to the Trotter and Gleser method for the female sex, while not for the male sex. When comparing the Pablos et al. (2013) method test shows that the method does not compare statistically to the Trotter and Gleser method or the Fully method. When looking at the standard error range for both sexes the Trotter and Gleser method overlaps with both the Fully method and the Pablos et al. (2013). But the Pablos et al. (2013) method and the Fully method do not overlap.Show less
The purpose of my thesis is to research how individuals from the lower class with severe and visible disabilities were cared for during the Early modern period in the Dutch city of Arnhem. To be...Show moreThe purpose of my thesis is to research how individuals from the lower class with severe and visible disabilities were cared for during the Early modern period in the Dutch city of Arnhem. To be able to say something about care for these individuals I use historic literature, which functions as a historical framework, and I apply a bioarchaeological method known as the Index of Care, in which pathology found on skeletal remains form an important source of information. I will use pathology found on three skeletal individuals, from Arnhem, to say something about the living conditions of these people and what their quality of life might have looked like considering their disability. Based on the historic literature I provide the reader with an image of what care might have looked like for these individuals. And I research what this says about Arnhem’s population of the time and what their perspective was on their disabled and sick community. Arnhem would have different facilities in which people could be provided with care. Guesthouses played a major role in the caring for the city’s poor, sick and disabled community. In these guesthouses people could stay for a certain period of time up until a lifetime, depending on the guesthouses’ regulations. The church offered food, prayers and housing (also through guesthouses) to those in need as well. Additionally there were physicians and apothecaries that took care of the medical aspects of care for those who could afford it. However we must not forget that most of the disabled and sick individuals were most likely cared for by their relatives. The three individuals I analysed, must all have been cared for, for a longer period of time, most likely till their death. Based on these results and the historic framework, it is known that the lower class of Arnhem that was harshly disabled or sick would have been able to receive care if they needed to, and that this was provided by parties from different angles of society such as the church, the individual’s own social circle and the local guesthouses. This means that the early modern Arnhem cared for their disabled and sick population and that these people were seen as individuals that are entitled to housing, food a normal live and (medical)-care.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
An inclusive model of community-based Indigenous physical anthropological research projects has been conducted by constructing dialogues between researchers and Indigenous descendant communities in...Show moreAn inclusive model of community-based Indigenous physical anthropological research projects has been conducted by constructing dialogues between researchers and Indigenous descendant communities in a global context. Acknowledging the ownership of Indigenous communities over the ancestral human remains, physical anthropologists often support repatriation by closely working with community members. However, in Japan, the repatriation of human remains of the Indigenous Ainu people has not successfully collaborated with physical anthropologists. The relationship between physical anthropologists and Ainu people who are being critical of the use of “stolen”, unethically excavated ancestral human remains on scientific research is in much tension and they are far from an inclusive model. This thesis addresses the issues surrounding the attempts of communication between these parties. By understanding the social and historical background of the situation, as well as comparing occasional dialogues and opinions of stakeholders with successful cases of an inclusive model in global context, I was able to identify the issues. Despite the acknowledgement of the rights of the Ainu over their heritage in the code of ethics, the attempts of making communication are insufficient in terms of the recognition of Ainu kotan (community) with their ownership over the ancestral remains, and there are misconceptions and ignorance between each other. In order to move forward towards an inclusive model, physical anthropologists should approach to the Ainu sincerely to construct dialogue by charanke, a discussion in Ainu manner. Understanding the specific demands and feelings of Ainu kotan and being aware the socio-political impacts of their research outcomes are also essential. Through these efforts, an inclusive model may be achieved in the future, working with the Ainu as sisamu, good neighbour.Show less
Estimating the age of individuals becomes increasingly more difficult with advancing age due to the effects of life history, random individual variation and the genetic framework. This makes it...Show moreEstimating the age of individuals becomes increasingly more difficult with advancing age due to the effects of life history, random individual variation and the genetic framework. This makes it also increasingly more complicated to relate chronological and biological age, and thus to estimate age-at-death above approximately 45 years. In 2015 however, Dr. C.G. Falys and Dr. D. Prangle published a newly developed method to estimate age of older adults specifically, based on the sternal end of the clavicle. The method evaluates the degeneration of three distinct features: surface topography, porosity and osteophyte formation. These features are scored individually, after which these scores are added up to form a composite score, which is used to ascribe an age stage to an individual. This thesis has aimed to test this method on a post-medieval Dutch skeletal collection with individuals of known ages-at-death from the 18th-19th century. The collection originates from a cemetery in Middenbeemster, Noord-Holland, and is well-documented due to the availability of a cemetery ledger and military document describing names, ages, sexes, marriages, etc. of many individuals. Out of the 118 individuals listed in these archival records, 57 individuals were suitable for this analysis (98 clavicles). The overall levels of agreement between the three different observers were calculated using Cohen’s kappa (k), which revealed a relatively low agreement, varying from slight to moderate (k = 0.100 to 0.534). Fortunately, these results did not influence the accuracy of the method greatly, which varied between 87% and 94%, depending on the side chosen to estimate age. Unfortunately the age ranges that are used in the method are too large for the method to be deemed precise. Previously existing methods are however not at all capable of subdividing the 45+ category into smaller stages. Although the age stages are large, the method is thus capable of recognizing the older members within a society and place them into a more specific age class than other methods currently can. The method does need more testing and revising, but can currently be concluded to accurately estimate olders adults’ ages-at-death in Dutch post-medieval collections.Show less
The aim of this thesis is to determine where individual CM 72B, buried at El Chorro de Maíta, Cuba, originates from. Characteristics as intentional cranial and dental modification, isotopic levels,...Show moreThe aim of this thesis is to determine where individual CM 72B, buried at El Chorro de Maíta, Cuba, originates from. Characteristics as intentional cranial and dental modification, isotopic levels, and burial position indicate a non-local origin. This thesis focuses on cultural characteristics of the osteological remains and the burial of CM 72B. These cultural characteristics are part of the identity of an individual. Thus based on these markers it is possible to find a certain group of people that share these characteristics with CM 72B, and therefore share the same group-identity as this individual. The cranial modification of CM 72B (fronto-occipital parallel modification) occurs on a large scale in Mesoamerica, mainly the Maya lowland region. The dental modification of CM 72B is consistent with types A4 and C2 or C3 of a modification chart made by Romero Molina, that categorizes Mesoamerican dental modification into a standard typology. This type of modification mainly occurs in the coastal areas of the Yucatán peninsula and in Post-Classic Lamanai. The oxygen, carbon, and strontium isotopic values of individual CM 72B fall outside the local range of El Chorro de Maíta. This indicates a non-locale origin. CM 72B is buried prone with flexed legs to the back. This type of burial occurs on a large scale in Lamanai and Ambergris Caye (Both in Belize). By combining the areas where these characteristics occur altogether the possible origin of CM 72B could be Lamanai or on Ambergris Caye. CM 72B was probably taken during Spanish slave raids that occurred along the Belizean coast. The site San Pedro (Ambergris Caye) is the only known place along the Belizean coast where the prone burial practice still occurred during the contact period. San Pedro is located on the Caribbean sea side of Ambergris Caye it would have been an easy target for the Spanish Slave raiders. Therefore it could be that CM 72B was taken from San Pedro by the Spaniards and then taken to Cuba and forced to be part of the encomienda system.Show less
