Jerome C. Rose

Patterns of stress, disease and mortality in two prehistoric populations from North American

Abstract Archaeological data from the Dickson Mounds site was employed to reconstruct the cultural-ecological context of two prehistoric American Indian populations. These populations were identified as the Mississippian Acculturated Late Woodland (A.D. 1050–1200) and the Spoon River Focus of the Middle Mississippian (A.D. 1200–1300). The cultural-ecological data was then employed to interpret some of the biological parameters of the two skeletal populations. The cultural-ecological variables included: (a) subsistence technology; (b) population density and degree of sedentarism; and (c) the extent and intensity of contacts with surrounding social groups. The biological parameters included: (a) infectious disease; (b) micro-structural dental defects; and (c) mortality. The results of the analysis suggested that as alterations occurred in the cultural-ecological adaptations of the populations in the form of an increased reliance upon maize agriculture, an increase in population density and sedentarism, and an increase in social contacts; there occurred an increase in the frequency of infectious disease, micro-structural dental defects and mortality.

Biological consequences of segregation and economic deprivation: a post-slavery population from southwest Arkansas.

The author examines the biological consequences of segregation and economic deprivation of blacks through analysis of 80 skeletons interred in Cedar Grove Arkansas between 1890 and 1927. The physical data is compared with historic accounts and interpretations of textual data. The high frequencies of skeletal lesions indicating dietary deficiencies and infectious disease demonstrates that this was a highly stressed population and that Cedar Grove participated in the historically documented nationwide decline of Afro-American health. The evidence is overwhelming that congenital syphilis was a major contributor to high infant mortality and population decline. (EXCERPT)

Life, death and beyond in Akhenaten's Egypt: excavating the South Tombs Cemetery at Amarna

The authors report a summary of the results of six seasons of excavation at one of the cemeteries of Tell el-Amarna, the celebrated city of the ‘monotheistic’ revolutionary, Akhenaten. The osteology shows a workforce enduring stress and injuries to bone and muscle. The burial rites indicate low investment and personal interpretations as to spiritual meaning. In this exploration of a slice of a whole Egyptian urban society, the contrast between the working lives of the elite and its workforce becomes striking.

Paleodiet Reconstruction of Human Remains from the Archaeological Site of Natfieh, Northern Jordan

This investigation concerns human teeth and bones from the site of Natfieh, north Jordan. Nitrogen and carbon isotope analyses were used to model the paleo-economy by reconstructing Natfiehs paleodiet during a specific time period. 14 C dating of human teeth and bones from the site of Natfieh, north Jordan, demonstrate that they belong to the Early Roman period and match the archaeological date from the tomb and grave goods typology. Stable isotope analyses of these humans have provided new information about the subsistence and society of individuals buried at Natfieh. Natfieh is today agriculturally productive and must have been so in antiquity with most of the foodstuffs having been produced locally. The long distance between Natfieh and the closest aquatic food source (Mediterranean Sea and Lake Tiberias) and the high cost of land transportation might be the reason for the low consumption of marine protein. The results agree with past research on the Roman diet showing that plants were the common source of food for the Romans and fish may have been restricted to elite members of the society.

Chronological Reconstruction of Natfieh Tombs, Northern Jordan

Abstract This research radiocarbon dates human teeth and bones sampled from seven tombs from the archaeological site of Natfieh, Northern Jordan. The small number of artifact fragments uncovered, looting and disruption of the tombs in antiquity and/or recent times, and the continuity between the Greek and Roman burial traditions and similarity in tomb architecture impede determining accurate dates and chronology of the tombs. This research aims to ascertain the archaeological dates and the chronological sequence of the tombs and the artifacts uncovered. Results show that the probable earliest use of these tombs was between 90 BC and AD 20, and their probable latest use was from AD 126–236. Most probably, at Natfieh new tombs spread northward and carving the tombs started in the lower rock layers and later in the upper layers.