Bioarchaeology of violent death

Osterholtz, Anna J.; Martin, Debra L.; Harrod, Ryan P.

doi:10.1002/9781119806394.ch5

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…Violent deaths. These burials follow the material patterns of ritualized murder [80]: they were found face down or bound with evidence of cutting, blunt trauma, or wounds to the head (Fig 4D -4I) [32,56]. They were left in refuse pits without burial architecture or grave goods.…”

Section: Placing Bodiesmentioning

confidence: 97%

The center cannot hold: A Bayesian chronology for the collapse of Tiwanaku

Marsh,

Vranich,

Blom

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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The timing of Tiwanaku’s collapse remains contested. Here we present a generational-scale chronology of Tiwanaku using Bayesian models of 102 radiocarbon dates, including 45 unpublished dates. This chronology tracks four community practices: residing short- vs. long-term, constructing monuments, discarding decorated ceramics, and leaving human burials. Tiwanaku was founded around AD 100 and around AD 600, it became the region’s principal destination for migrants. It grew into one of the Andes’ first cities and became famous for its decorated ceramics, carved monoliths, and large monuments. Our Bayesian models show that monument building ended ~AD 720 (the median of the ending boundary). Around ~AD 910, burials in tombs ceased as violent deaths began, which we document for the first time in this paper. Ritualized murders are limited to the century leading up to ~AD 1020. Our clearest proxy for social networks breaking down is a precise estimate for the end of permanent residence, ~AD 1010 (970–1050, 95%). This major inflection point was followed by visitors who used the same ceramics until ~AD 1040. Temporary camps lasted until roughly ~AD 1050. These four events suggest a rapid, city-wide collapse at ~AD 1010–1050, lasting just ~20 years (0–70 years, 95%). These results suggest a cascading breakdown of community practices and social networks that were physically anchored at Tiwanaku, though visitors continued to leave informal burials for centuries. This generation-scale chronology suggests that collapse 1) took place well before reduced precipitation, hence this was not a drought-induced societal change and 2) a few resilient communities sustained some traditions at other sites, hence the chronology for the site of Tiwanaku cannot be transposed to all sites with similar material culture.

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Section: Placing Bodiesmentioning

confidence: 97%

The center cannot hold: A Bayesian chronology for the collapse of Tiwanaku

Marsh,

Vranich,

Blom

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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“…In the last case, only traumas involving also periosteum, ligaments, and tendons that leave marks on the skeleton could be identifiable. From a causative point of view, trauma can be distinguished as accidental (deriving from hazards of day-to-day life), inflicted (linked to interpersonal violence and aggression), or caused by other pathological conditions behavior lead to characteristic patterns of skeletal injuries, and the analysis of these patterns in ancient populations can therefore inform on the historical, environmental, and cultural factors associated with these behaviors (Tremblay and Reedy 2020; Mant et al 2021;Osterholtz et al 2023). In particular, the study of traumatic injuries in human skeletal remains from archaeological contexts can thus inform about many aspects of past societies: their environment and living conditions, general health status, economy and subsistence base, level of physical and occupational activity, social organization and occupational roles, in addition to the eventual presence of interpersonal violence and aggressiveness (Judd and Redfern 2011;Martin and Harrod 2012;Redfern et al 2017;Pasini et al 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Skeletal trauma in an Iron age context: new insight into the Etruscan population from Spina (Ferrara, Italy)

Manzon,

Rinaldo,

Gualdi-Russo

2024

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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The analysis of traumatic injuries in human skeletal remains from archaeological contexts offers important challenges for the reconstruction of past populations’ behaviors. In this study, a sample of 303 buried skeletons retrieved from the Etruscan necropolis of Spina (Ferrara, Italy) and dated back to the 5th to the 3rd century BC, were macroscopically analyzed for traumatic injuries. The sample consisted of 38% males, 22% females, and 40% undetermined individuals. Subadults represented 25% of the entire sample. The aim of this study was to collect and describe new data on antemortem and perimortem injuries in the Spina Etruscans, bringing a new perspective to the understanding of social behaviors in this population. In the sample of Etruscans examined 16 individuals showed evidence of one injury and two individuals of two injuries. The analysis revealed 18 cases of antemortem trauma and 2 cases of perimortem trauma. No traumatic injuries were detected among subadults, while men and women presented different types of traumas: women were more prone to stress fractures involving the spine, whereas men were affected by antemortem and perimortem inflicted traumas, suggesting a division of labor and a major exposition of the latter to interpersonal violence. The reduced presence of sharp force traumas found exclusively in males (3 cases, 1.3% of the adult sample) is basically consistent with archaeological and historical data that described this site as a free port without an explicit history of violence.

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“…This trauma can include both antemortem and perimortem fractures, which can be interpreted to explore how those injuries occurred and if that trauma is more likely violence‐related or not. This information aids in reconstructing events and processes and provides important comparative data that can be used to explore regional patterns of violence, which are culturally specific and shaped by social and historical dynamics (Osterholtz et al, 2023). Currently, one of the largest samples of human skeletal remains from ATCP destruction layers in central Anatolia has been excavated from Kaman‐Kalehöyük in Kırşehir, Türkiye (Figure 1) by the Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology (JIAA) under the direction of Dr. Sachihiro Omura.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining evidence for violence at the end of the Assyrian trading colonies period at Kaman‐Kalehöyük

Anderson

2024

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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The end of the Assyrian Trading Colonies Period (ATCP) in Anatolia represents a time of significant change in the region. Historical and archaeological evidence suggests that considerable conflict and turmoil were associated with the end of the ATCP, but thus far little evidence from human skeletal remains has been available to support this hypothesis. One of the largest human skeletal samples dating to the end of the ATCP has been excavated at Kaman‐Kalehöyük in central Anatolia. A minimum of 73 individuals have been found in and around areas of the site that have signs of destruction and burning. These individuals appear to be associated with a battle that occurred in the town in the mid‐18th century BCE. The results show that the victims of the battle included individuals of all age groups and both sexes. The degree of burning and fragmentation made the identification of perimortem trauma challenging; however, perimortem trauma was observed in at least two individuals. An additional five individuals had evidence of antemortem trauma that was likely the result of interpersonal violence prior to the attack on the town. The skeletal evidence for trauma further supports the idea that a battle occurred at the site. This battle may have also been a part of a regional pattern of violence corresponding with the end of the ATCP, as suggested by the textual and archaeological evidence.

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Bioarchaeology of violent death

Cited by 4 publications

References 76 publications

The center cannot hold: A Bayesian chronology for the collapse of Tiwanaku

The center cannot hold: A Bayesian chronology for the collapse of Tiwanaku

Skeletal trauma in an Iron age context: new insight into the Etruscan population from Spina (Ferrara, Italy)

Examining evidence for violence at the end of the Assyrian trading colonies period at Kaman‐Kalehöyük

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