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Minding the Gaps: A Methodological Approach to Inter-Individual Variability in Skeletal Completion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Jess L. Beck
Jess L. Beck*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109 (jessbeck@umich.ed)
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Abstract

In order to ensure sufficient sample sizes, bioarchaelogical studies of individual health in prehistory must often rely on assemblages that demonstrate high inter-individual variability in skeletal completion. Determining whether higher insult frequencies in particular individuals result from their greater skeletal preservation is a key step in understanding ancient health and disease. This study uses a simple new z-score residual approach to control for inter-individual differences in skeletal completion while comparing multiple variables. To test this method, a sex- and age-balanced sample of 85 adult individuals was selected from five Middle and Late Woodland sites in Illinois: Helton (11GE540), Gibson (11C5), Ledders (11C132), Ray (11BR104,) and Carter (11GE624). Data on the frequency of nine different health indicators were collected, and statistically significant period- or sex-based differences in osteoarthritis, alveolar resorption, and hypoplasias were observed, illustrating the utility of this approach for bioarchaeologists concerned with the effects of skeletal completion on assessments of prehistoric health.

Las investigaciones bioarqueológicas sobre la salud del individuo en la prehistoria frecuentemente se basan en conjuntos que demuestran una alta variabilidad interindividual en la preservación del esqueleto para garantizar tamaños de muestras suficientes. Un aspecto clave para comprender la salud y las enfermedades antiguas es determinar si las frecuencias más altas de patologías en ciertos individuos son el resultado de su mayor preservación en el esqueleto. Esta investigación compara múltiples variables utilizando una nueva y sencilla aproximación residual z-score para controlar las diferencias interindividuales en la preservación del esqueleto. Para poner a prueba este método se seleccionó una muestra de sexo y edad balanceada de 85 individuos de cinco sitios del Woodland medio y tardío en Illinois – Helton (11GE450), Gibson (11C5), Ledders (11C132), Ray (11BR104) y Carter (11GE624). Se recogieron datos sobre la frecuencia de nueve indicadores de salud y se observaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas basadas en el período o el sexo para la osteoartritis, la resorción alveolar y la hipo-plasia, lo cual demuestra la utilidad de esta aproximación para los bioarqueólogos interesados en los efectos del esqueleto completo en las evaluaciones de la salud prehistórica.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 81 , Issue 1 , January 2016 , pp. 148 - 156
Copyright
Copyright © 2016 by the Society for American Archaeology.

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References

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