Detection of temporospatially localized growth in ancient Southeast Asia using human skeletal remains

McFadden, Clare; Buckley, Hallie R.; Halcrow, Siân E.; Oxenham, Marc

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2018.08.010

Cited by 16 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Instead, the reliance of dry rice farming on mild seasonal flooding may have increased the exposure of Neolithic inhabitants to malarial vectors 42 , particularly as they continued to exploit forested areas through mixed farmer-foraging practices 50 . While Pre-Neolithic foragers in northern Vietnam and southern China were arguably primarily sedentary, an increase in sedentism and significant population growth during the transition to agriculture in MSEA 51,52 would have increased the transmission potential within human populations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forager and farmer evolutionary adaptations to malaria evidenced by 7000 years of thalassemia in Southeast Asia

Vlok

Buckley

Miszkiewicz

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Thalassemias are inherited blood disorders that are found in high prevalences in the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. These diseases provide varying levels of resistance to malaria and are proposed to have emerged as an adaptive response to malaria in these regions. The transition to agriculture in the Holocene has been suggested to have influenced the selection for thalassemia in the Mediterranean as land clearance for farming encouraged interaction between Anopheles mosquitos, the vectors for malaria, and human groups. Here we document macroscopic and microscopic skeletal evidence for the presence of thalassemia in both hunter-gatherer (Con Co Ngua) and early agricultural (Man Bac) populations in northern Vietnam. Firstly, our findings demonstrate that thalassemia emerged prior to the transition to agriculture in Mainland Southeast Asia, from at least the early seventh millennium BP, contradicting a long-held assumption that agriculture was the main driver for an increase in malaria in Southeast Asia. Secondly, we describe evidence for significant malarial burden in the region during early agriculture. We argue that the introduction of farming into the region was not the initial driver of the selection for thalassemia, as it may have been in other regions of the world.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forager and farmer evolutionary adaptations to malaria evidenced by 7000 years of thalassemia in Southeast Asia

Vlok

Buckley

Miszkiewicz

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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“…It is not possible to estimate the population density of the Man Bac community because the number of burials is not likely representative of the numbers in the living population and the full extent of the site has not been excavated. However, the Man Bac cemetery sample is characterized by a high fertility ratio and high rate of natural population growth with 47.5% of individuals under the age of 5 years (McFadden et al 2018). All burials, with the exception of three flexed inhumations, were in a supine extended position (Fig.…”

Section: The Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The increase in fertility and population growth at Man Bac was likely associated with an increase in infants and children within the community, who are known to be the primary transmitters of yaws(McFadden et al 2018;Mitjà et al 2013). Given the age-based hierarchy, possible relocation of resources to older individuals in the community may have promoted malnutrition in younger individuals further encouraging disease transmission in children(Hill 1953;.…”

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confidence: 99%

Two Probable Cases of Infection with Treponema pallidum during the Neolithic Period in Northern Vietnam (ca. 2000–1500 B.C.)

Vlok¹,

Oxenham²,

Domett³

et al. 2020

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Skeletal evidence of two probable cases of treponematosis, caused by infection with the bacterium Treponema pallidum, from the northern Vietnamese early Neolithic site of Man Bac (1906–1523 cal B.C.) is described. The presence of nodes of subperiosteal new bone directly associated with superficial focal cavitations in a young adult male and a seven-year- old child are strongly diagnostic for treponemal disease. Climatic and epidemiological contexts suggest yaws (Treponema pallidum pertenue) as the most likely causative treponeme. This evidence is the oldest discovered in the Asia-Pacific region and is the first well-established pre-Columbian example in this region in terms of diagnosis and secure dating. The coastal ecology, sedentary settlement, and high fertility at the site of Man Bac all provided a biosocial context conducive to the spread of treponemal disease among inhabitants of the site. Co-morbidity with scurvy in both individuals demonstrates that malnutrition during the agricultural transition may have exacerbated the expression of treponematosis in this community. Man Bac is a site of great regional importance owing to its role during the Neolithic transition of Mainland Southeast Asia. During this transition, approximately 4,000 years ago, farmers migrating from southern China into Southeast Asia influenced a number of changes in subsistence and demography and potentially introduced new infectious diseases such as treponematosis to indigenous forager communities. The findings presented here may encourage reevaluation of existing Southeast Asian skeletal samples and demonstrate the importance of using weighted diagnostic criteria for future reporting of treponematosis cases. Hai trường hợp nhiều khả năng mắc bệnh ghẻ cóc do nhiễm vi khuẩn Treponema pallidum, thuộc di chỉ Mán Bạc sơ kì đá mới Việt Nam (cal 1906–1523 B.C.) được mô tả trên bằng chứng di cốt. Sự có mặt của các hạt xương mới dưới màng xương trực tiếp liên quan đến các lỗ ổ bề mặt ở một nam trẻ tuổi trưởng thành và một trẻ em 7 tuổi là chẩn đoán nhiều khả năng cho bệnh này. Bối cảnh khí hậu và dịch tễ học cho thấy bệnh ghẻ cóc do nhiễm xoắn khuẩn Treponema pallidum pertenue là nguyên nhân phổ biến nhất. Bằng chứng trên được phát hiện muộn nhất ở khu vực Châu Á-Thái Bình Dương và là một ví dụ điển hình đầu tiên giai đoạn tiền Columbia trong khu vực này dựa vào chẩn đoán và định niên đại chính xác. Sinh thái biển, lối sống ít di động, và tỷ lệ sinh sản cao ở di chỉ Mán Bạc, tất cả đã tạo ra sự tương tác giữa các yếu tố sinh học và xã hội thuận lợi cho việc lây lan bệnh ghẻ cóc giữa các cư dân thuộc di chỉ này. Cùng với đó là sự mắc bệnh thiếu vitamin C (scurvy) ở cả hai cá thể trên chỉ ra rằng sự suy dinh dưỡng trong suốt quá trình chuyển tiếp nông nghiệp có thể trầm trọng hơn và biểu hiện bệnh ghẻ cóc ở cộng đồng này. Mán Bạc là một di chỉ vùng quan trọng bởi vì nó nằm trong ranh giới giai đoạn chuyển tiếp Đá Mới của Đông Nam Á lục địa. Trong suốt bước chuyển này, khoảng 4000 năm cách đây, các cư dân nông nghiệp di cư từ miền nam Trung Quốc vào Đông Nam Á đã ảnh hưởng nhiều thay đổi trong phương thức sinh kế, dân số, và mang theo bệnh nhiễm trùng mới tiềm ẩn như là bệnh ghẻ cóc vào các cộng đồng nông nghiệp bản địa . Các phát hiện trình bày trên đây hi vọng sẽ là khởi đầu đánh giá lại về sự tồn tại các di cốt Đông Nam Á và minh họa tầm quan trọng của việc sử dụng tiêu chí chẩn đoán tin cậy về các trường hợp bệnh ghẻ cóc cho nghiên cứu tiếp theo.

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“…Skeletally based palaeodemography may offer greater spatial and, in many cases, temporal specificity, permitting comparison between samples that are closely located (e.g. McFadden et al [59]); however, the confidence of these conclusions may be limited by small sample sizes. One way of overcoming the limitations of both approaches is by combining their results.…”

Section: The Presentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In doing so, some historical issues in skeletal palaeodemography, namely non-stationarity of populations and age-estimation error, have arguably been overcome. The promise of these methods has been recognized [61] and through application to archaeologically derived skeletal samples, their utility has been demonstrated [59]. However, there are persistent issues to be addressed.…”

Section: The Futurementioning

confidence: 99%

The past, present and future of skeletal analysis in palaeodemography

McFadden

2020

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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The study of past population dynamics is imperative to our understanding of demographic processes in the context of biology, evolution, environment and sociocultural factors. Retrospective consideration of a population's capacity to resist and adapt to change aims to contribute insights into our past, a point of comparison to the present and predictions for the future. If these aims are to be achieved, the accuracy and precision of palaeodemographic methods are of paramount importance. This article considers the emergence of skeletally based palaeodemographic methods, specifically life tables and demographic proxies, and early controversies and issues. It details the process of methodological development and refinement, and success in addressing many of the historical limitations. The contribution and potential of skeletally based methods are discussed and comparisons and contrasts made with alternative palaeodemographic approaches, and avenues for future research are proposed. Ultimately, it is concluded that skeletal analysis provides unique opportunities to investigate population dynamics with spatial specificity, examine individuals and groups within a population, and integrate demographic and pathological information to evaluate population health in the past. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Cross-disciplinary approaches to prehistoric demography'.

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Detection of temporospatially localized growth in ancient Southeast Asia using human skeletal remains

Cited by 16 publications

References 44 publications

Forager and farmer evolutionary adaptations to malaria evidenced by 7000 years of thalassemia in Southeast Asia

Forager and farmer evolutionary adaptations to malaria evidenced by 7000 years of thalassemia in Southeast Asia

Two Probable Cases of Infection with Treponema pallidum during the Neolithic Period in Northern Vietnam (ca. 2000–1500 B.C.)

The past, present and future of skeletal analysis in palaeodemography

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