The Balkans

Ruff, Christopher B.; Holt, Brigitte

doi:10.1002/9781118628430.ch13

Cited by 4 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 48 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Interestingly, the reduction in mobility at Cis‐Baikal was accompanied by an increase in sexual dimorphism, where female mobility reduced over time. Another study found that male femoral A‐P bending strength was consistently higher at the Schela Cladovei site in the Iron Gates region of the Danube River when compared with other Mesolithic coastal hunter‐fisher‐gatherers across Europe, though female A‐P bending strength at Schela Cladovei fell within the range of European coastal Mesolithic females (Ruff & Holt, 2018). These results are consistent with a higher magnitude of sexual dimorphism among riverine hunter‐gatherers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Sexual dimorphism in lower limb diaphyseal morphology is pronounced among coastal hunter‐gatherers from South Africa (Stock & Pfeiffer, 2004), the Andaman Islands (Stock & Pfeiffer, 2001), and Japan (Kimura, 2006), while large‐scale reviews find that this trend is apparent across North America (Ruff, 1987, 2005; Ruff & Larsen, 2014). However, reduced sexual dimorphism among coastal hunter‐fisher‐gatherer communities from Mesolithic Europe has been reported, especially when compared with riverine sites surrounded by mountainous landscape (Ruff & Holt, 2018). This suggests that the behavioral environment of each group must be carefully considered in exploring factors that contribute to sexual dimorphism in lower limb diaphyseal morphology.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Reductions in cross‐sectional areas and second moments of area in long bone diaphyses are found where intensity of activity and mobility decline, while increases in these values occur among more active and mobile populations (Bridges, 1989; Bridges et al, 2000; Hill et al, 2016; Holt, 2003; Holt et al, 2018; Larsen, 1982; Larsen et al, 1996; May & Ruff, 2016; Ruff, 1999; Ruff et al, 1984; Ruff & Larsen, 1990). Diversity in long bone diaphyseal morphology has been reported among hunter‐gatherers from differing biomes and subsistence regimes (Cameron & Stock, 2018; Holt, 2003; Ruff & Holt, 2018; Shackleford, 2014; Stock & Macintosh, 2016; Stock & Pfeiffer, 2001, 2004). Variation in terrain also influences intensity of bone strain (Ruff, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Variation in terrain also influences intensity of bone strain (Ruff, 2019). Populations who traversed rugged terrain have greater bone rigidity and strength in the lower limb, while those with reduced intensity of activity from regions with flatter terrain have reduced rigidity/strength (Cameron & Stock, 2018; Holt, 2003; Holt et al, 2018; Holt & Whittey, 2019; Marchi, 2008; Marchi et al, 2011; Ruff, 2019; Ruff & Holt, 2018). Taken together, these results suggest that the contextual study of long bone cross‐sectional properties is a useful adjunct to understanding patterns of behavior and landscape usage in past populations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Adapting in the Arctic: Habitual activity and landscape interaction in Late Holocene hunter‐gatherers from Alaska

Temple

Rosa

Hunt

et al. 2021

American J Phys Anthropol

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objectives This study compares lower limb diaphyseal robusticity between Native Alaskan hunter‐gatherers to reconstruct patterns of mobility and engagement with terrain. Materials and methods Ancestral remains included in this study date between 600 and 1800 C.E. and were divided into three regions: Coastal Bay, Far North Coastal, and Inland/Riverine. Cross‐sectional properties were determined at femoral and tibial midshafts and standardized by powers of body mass and bone length. Results Consistently elaevated areas and second moments of area were found in ancestral remains from the Far North Coastal, while the Coastal Bay remains had reduced diaphyseal robusticity. Individuals from the Inland/Riverine region were intermediate in robusticity for male femora, but similar to the Coastal Bay group for females. Sexual dimorphism was greatest in the Inland/Riverine ancestral remains and comparable between Coastal Bay and Far North Coastal regions. Conclusions Ancestral remains from the Far North Coastal region have the greatest diaphyseal robusticity in response to intensive hunting and travel over rugged terrain. Reduced sexual dimorphism in the Far North Coastal region suggest female participation in hunting activities. Intermediate diaphyseal robusticity among Inland/Riverine males and increased sexual dimorphism reflects diverse patterns of mobility in relation to the hunting cycle between males and females. Reduced diaphyseal robusticity and sexual dimorphism among the Coastal Bay group is associated with sedentary villages established around net fishing in regions with low relief. Such findings argue against technocentric views of sedentism in hunter‐gatherer lifeways and generally reflect diverse adaptive strategies and interaction with local terrain among Indigenous Late Holocene hunter‐gatherers of Alaska.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Adapting in the Arctic: Habitual activity and landscape interaction in Late Holocene hunter‐gatherers from Alaska

Temple

Rosa

Hunt

et al. 2021

American J Phys Anthropol

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…To obtain phenotpyic data, stature estimation from long bones is relatively straightforward, assuming reasonable preservation of skeletal remains, and there is an excellent record of changes in stature in many parts of the world (Bogin & Keep, 1999 ; Cohen & Crane‐Kramer, 2007 ; Rosenstock et al, 2019 ; Ruff, 2018 ). On a population level, changes in polygenic score in Europe computed from ancient DNA qualitatively track trends in stature in the European skeletal record (Cox et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting skeletal stature using ancient DNA

Cox

Moots

Stock

et al. 2021

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objectives: Ancient DNA provides an opportunity to separate the genetic and environmental bases of complex traits by allowing direct estimation of genetic values in ancient individuals. Here, we test whether genetic scores for height in ancient individuals are predictive of their actual height, as inferred from skeletal remains. We estimate the contributions of genetic and environmental variables to observed phenotypic variation as a first step towards quantifying individual sources of morphological variation. Materials and methods:We collected stature estimates and femur lengths from West Eurasian skeletal remains with published genome-wide ancient DNA data (n = 182, dating from 33,000-850 BP). We also recorded genetic sex, genetic ancestry, date and paleoclimate data for each individual, and δ 13 C and δ 15 N stable isotope values where available (n = 69). We tested different methods of calculating polygenic scores, using summary statistics from four different genome wide association studies (GWAS) for height, and three methods for imputing missing genotypes.Results: A polygenic score for height predicts 6.3% of the variance in femur length in our data (n = 132, SD = 0.0069%, p = 0.001), controlling for sex, ancestry, and date. This is consistent with the predictive power of height PRS in present-day populations and the low coverage of ancient samples. Comparatively, sex explains about 17% of the variance in femur length in our sample. Environmental effects also likely play a role in variation, independent of genetics, though with considerable uncertainty (longitude: R 2 = 0.033, SD = 0.008, p = 0.011). Genotype imputation did not improve polygenic prediction, and results varied based on the GWAS summary statistics we used.Discussion: Polygenic scores explain a small but significant proportion of the variance in height in ancient individuals, though not enough to make useful predictions of individual phenotypes. However, environmental variables also contribute to phenotypic outcomes and understanding their interaction with direct genetic predictions will provide a framework with which to model how plasticity and genetic changes ultimately combine to drive adaptation and evolution.

show abstract

Twenty‐first century bioarchaeology: Taking stock and moving forward

Buikstra

DeWitte

Baker

et al. 2022

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article presents outcomes from a Workshop entitled “Bioarchaeology: Taking Stock and Moving Forward,” which was held at Arizona State University (ASU) on March 6–8, 2020. Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the School of Human Evolution and Social Change (ASU), and the Center for Bioarchaeological Research (CBR, ASU), the Workshop's overall goal was to explore reasons why research proposals submitted by bioarchaeologists, both graduate students and established scholars, fared disproportionately poorly within recent NSF Anthropology Program competitions and to offer advice for increasing success. Therefore, this Workshop comprised 43 international scholars and four advanced graduate students with a history of successful grant acquisition, primarily from the United States. Ultimately, we focused on two related aims: (1) best practices for improving research designs and training and (2) evaluating topics of contemporary significance that reverberate through history and beyond as promising trajectories for bioarchaeological research. Among the former were contextual grounding, research question/hypothesis generation, statistical procedures appropriate for small samples and mixed qualitative/quantitative data, the salience of Bayesian methods, and training program content. Topical foci included ethics, social inequality, identity (including intersectionality), climate change, migration, violence, epidemic disease, adaptability/plasticity, the osteological paradox, and the developmental origins of health and disease. Given the profound changes required globally to address decolonization in the 21st century, this concern also entered many formal and informal discussions.

show abstract

The Balkans

Cited by 4 publications

References 48 publications

Adapting in the Arctic: Habitual activity and landscape interaction in Late Holocene hunter‐gatherers from Alaska

Adapting in the Arctic: Habitual activity and landscape interaction in Late Holocene hunter‐gatherers from Alaska

Predicting skeletal stature using ancient DNA

Twenty‐first century bioarchaeology: Taking stock and moving forward

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About