Analysis of ante mortem trauma in three modern skeletal populations

Abstract

When archaeological skeletons are assessed, the incidences of trauma are important. The number of fractures observed is interpreted in order to gain insight into the occurrence of interpersonal violence, workload, living conditions, etc. However, the question remains as to how these results should be interpreted -i.e., what constitutes high or low levels of trauma. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of trauma in a population of modern Greeks living on Crete, as well as South African (SA) whites and blacks in the Pretoria Bone and Raymond Dart collections. The sample comprises mostly of older individuals (n = 90 -100 of each sex-population group). Each skeleton was studied for healed trauma. For the vertebrae only spondylolysis was assessed. In Greeks it was found that 42% of the males and 46% of females had at least one fracture, with corresponding figures of 63% and 44% for SA whites and 83% and 69% for SA blacks. Radius, rib and femur fractures were most common in Greeks, with skull, radius and ribs most common in SA whites and skull, ulna and ribs in SA blacks. These incidences of trauma are high, but the composition of the samples (mostly of lower socio-economic origin) should be kept in mind. It may also be questioned whether these individuals reflect the society as a whole. It seems that the fractures in Greeks are mostly related to old age due to falls and accidents (e.g., Colles and hip), while the SA black sample reflects high incidences of interpersonal violence (e.g., cranial vault and parry fractures). The SA white sample follows an in between pattern. These comparative figures may be useful when assessing trauma in other skeletal populations.

Estimating age of mature adults from the degeneration of the sternal end of the clavicle

“…The Hamann-Todd Human Osteological Collection (HT) is an early 20th century U.S. skeletal collection, and is housed at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Ohio, USA (Mensforth and Latimer, 1989). The Pretoria Bone Collection (PBC) contains the remains of individuals who died in the late 20 th century, and is held in the Department of Anatomy at the University of Pretoria, South Africa (Steyn et al, 2010). The historic St. Bride's Documented Skeletal Collection (SB) dates from the 18th to 19th centuries (Scheuer and Black, 1995), and is still housed in the crypt of St. Bride's Church, Fleet Street, London, UK.…”

The Osteological Paradox 20 Years Later: Past Perspectives, Future Directions

“…The majority of these papers analyze historical collections (Assis et al 2011;Capasso 2007;Crist and Sorg 2014;Palubeckait_ e et al 2006) or collections associated with historically significant events (Geber and Murphy 2012;Mitchell 2006), which define the short duration of use. Several adopt a forensics perspective on trauma analysis using modern or near-modern collections (Nagaoka 2012;Steyn et al 2010;van der Merwe et al 2010). These papers are not relevant to the Osteological Paradox.…”

Multiple Injury and Health in Past Societies: An Analysis of Concepts and Approaches, and Insights from a Multi‐Period Study

“…For example, although Steyn et al . () identified IRs in their sample of modern skeletal material, they excluded injuries to the dentition, extremities, and sternum and therefore, likely under‐estimated the number of IRs present. Until quite recently, the thorax, extremities, and dentition were ignored during analysis, although injuries to these regions are ubiquitous in clinical trauma studies (e.g.…”

“…Our ability to identify past individuals with multiple injuries is directly influenced by which skeletal, and dental changes are considered to be traumatic, and how these data are recorded (Judd, 2002;Judd & Redfern, 2012). For example, although Steyn et al (2010) identified IRs in their sample of modern skeletal material, they excluded injuries to the dentition, extremities, and sternum and therefore, likely under-estimated the number of IRs present. Until quite recently, the thorax, extremities, and dentition were ignored during analysis, although injuries to these regions are ubiquitous in clinical trauma studies (e.g.…”