Stressed Out: Reconsidering stress in the study of archaeological human remains

Edinborough, Marija; Rando, Carolyn

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2020.105197

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…In addition, the above listed osteoarchaeological markers of potential social status (skeletal occupational markers, markers of physiological stress etc.) suffer from inherent limitations mostly linked to the fact that their expression is multifactorial ( Domett et al, 2017 ; Edinborough and Rando, 2020 ; Michopoulou et al, 2015 ); hence, they should be used critically and in combination when assessing status. Ideally, such skeletal markers should also be used in conjunction with material cultural evidence of social status as a complementary line of evidence (though with its own inherent biases) ( Robb et al, 2001 ).…”

Section: Combining Osteoarchaeological Parameters With Dental Calculusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond dirty teeth: Integrating dental calculus studies with osteoarchaeological parameters

Radini

Nikita

2023

Quaternary International

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Section: Combining Osteoarchaeological Parameters With Dental Calculusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond dirty teeth: Integrating dental calculus studies with osteoarchaeological parameters

Radini

Nikita

2023

Quaternary International

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“…While the word “stress” is somewhat controversial, for example, Edinborough and Rando (2020), we use the term here to refer to physiological disruptions resulting from environmental, nutritional, pathological (illness, disease), or social strains placed on a developing person (Goodman et al, 1984; Goodman & Armelagos, 1989; Goodman & Martin, 2005; Larsen, 2015; Reitsema & McIlvaine, 2014). The children included in this study suffered from physiological disruptions in the form of illness, disease, and nutrient deficiencies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Skeletal manifestations of disease experience: Length of illness and porous cranial lesion formation in a contemporary juvenile mortality sample

O’Donnell

Buikstra

Hill

et al. 2023

American J Hum Biol

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ObjectivesPorous lesions of the orbit (cribra orbitalia [CO]) and cranial vault (porotic hyperostosis [PH]) are used as skeletal indicators of childhood stress. Because they are understudied in contemporary populations, their relationship to disease experience is poorly understood. This paper examines the relationship between length of childhood illness and CO/PH formation in a clinically documented sample. “Turning points,” which identify the window for lesion formation for CO/PH, are defined, implications for hidden heterogeneity in frailty are considered.MethodsData are from 333 (199 males; 134 females) pediatric postmortem computed tomography scans. Individuals died in New Mexico (2011–2019) and are 0.5 to 15.99 years (mean = 7.1). Length of illness was estimated using information from autopsy and field reports. Logistic regression was used to estimate predicted probabilities, odds ratios, and the temporal window for lesion formation.ResultsIllness, single bouts, or cumulative episodes lasting over 1 month is associated with higher odds of CO; individuals who were never sick have lower odds of having PH. This relationship was consistent for fatal and incidental illnesses that did not cause death. The developmental window for CO formation appears to close at 8 years.ConclusionsThose ill for over 1 month are more likely to have CO/PH than those with acute illnesses. Some individuals lived sufficiently long to form CO/PH but died of illness. Others with lesions died of circumstances unrelated to disease. This indicates hidden variation in robusticity even among ill individuals with CO/PH, which is vital in interpreting lesion frequencies in the archeological record.

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“…Stress and its direct link to poor or good “health” has been problematized particularly following the osteological paradox (Edinborough & Rando, 2020; Lambert, 2009; Pilloud & Schwitalla, 2020; Wood et al, 1992). For example, Pilloud and Schwitalla (2020) show that biological responses to stress change through time and with different cultural practices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A community in transition: Analysis of health and well‐being in people living during and following aridification

Caine

Roberts

Kennet

2022

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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This paper considers skeletal and dental lesions to assess the effects of aridification on two skeletal samples from the Bronze Age in what is now the United Arab Emirates (UAE), located on the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. This paper hypothesized that the sample from Qarn al‐Harf (QAH) Tomb 6 would show a greater prevalence of skeletal and dental lesions in comparison with that from QAH Tomb 5, because QAH Tomb 6 dates to a period of aridification when compared with the wetter Wadi Suq period (~2000 B.C.). The skeletal remains from two tombs from QAH cemetery are studied: one dated to the transition period from the Umm an‐Nar to Wadi Suq period (~2000 B.C.) (Tomb 6, n = 141) and one Wadi Suq period tomb (Tomb 5, n = 44; 2000–1600 B.C.). Skeletal and dental lesions, including carious lesions, antemortem tooth loss, dental enamel hypoplasia, periosteal new bone formation, cribra orbitalia, and porotic hyperostosis, were recorded and used to assess differential lived experience. Findings from the two tombs are compared with five contemporary sites of the Umm an‐Nar and Wadi Suq periods. Fisher's exact tests found more statistically significant differences in the prevalence of cribra orbitalia (p = 0.0050) and non‐adult mortality (p = 0.0118) for the QAH Tomb 6 skeletal sample than that from QAH Tomb 5. No other skeletal or dental lesions were significantly different according to Fisher's exact tests. While not significant, periosteal new bone formation rates in QAH 6 in conjunction with cribra orbitalia rates suggest individuals were experiencing stressors that were not impacting QAH Tomb 5 individuals. Skeletal and dental lesion rates are not directly attributable to climate change; however, we argue that intense aridification around 2000 B.C. caused desiccated crops and an increased reliance on marine sources for QAH Tomb 6. This reliance likely promoted nutritionally deficient diets manifesting as observed higher rates of cribra orbitalia and periosteal new bone formation.

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Stressed Out: Reconsidering stress in the study of archaeological human remains

Cited by 9 publications

References 57 publications

Beyond dirty teeth: Integrating dental calculus studies with osteoarchaeological parameters

Beyond dirty teeth: Integrating dental calculus studies with osteoarchaeological parameters

Skeletal manifestations of disease experience: Length of illness and porous cranial lesion formation in a contemporary juvenile mortality sample

A community in transition: Analysis of health and well‐being in people living during and following aridification

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