John J. Crandall

Advancements, challenges, and prospects in the paleopathology of scurvy: Current perspectives on vitamin C deficiency in human skeletal remains

Every human being who has ever lived has shared an underying vulnerability to scurvy. This disease arose from a random utation that occurred in a basal anthropoid ancestor. Monkeys, pes, and hominins are unable to endogenously synthesize ascorbic cid, or vitamin C, which must be obtained from our diets. Among odern humans, deficiency of this vitamin is related to fundamenal intersections between underlying biology, diet, economy, social rganization, ecology, and behavior. Despite the fact that scurvy is metabolic disease that has such wide-ranging bioanthropological ignificance, it has been a neglected subject in paleopathology. This special issue of the International Journal of Paleopatholgy showcases recent advances in the study of scurvy in skeletal emains. It is also dedicated to the memory of Dr. Donald J. Ortner 1939–2012). His work represented singular contributions to the tudy of scurvy. Ortner helped to bring scurvy out of obscurity by eveloping modern diagnostic criteria to recognize the disease in keletal remains. He then applied those methods in the reconstrucion of the history and patterning of scurvy in the ancient Western emisphere. We seek to honor his career and memory in this colection of rigorous, anthropological studies that bring together the esearch of scholars from around the globe. Some of the papers escribe evidence of scurvy where it has not been documented reviously, and others focus on regional perspectives of scurvy in

The Bioarchaeology of Postmortem Agency: Integrating Archaeological Theory with Human Skeletal Remains

Taking the social agency of dead bodies as its main theme, this introduction discusses the articles in this special section on the bioarchaeology of post-mortem agency and discusses theoretical concerns relevant to the (bio)archaeological analysis of agency. In particular, the argument that only biological living persons have social agency or impact the direction of social processes, or the decisions of others is challenged. The challenges of defining and archaeologically detecting such agency of past humans as well as socially alive entities such as ghosts, corpses, relics and totem heads are discussed. A review of the ways investigations of the agency of the dead might unify bioarchaeologists and further integrate social archaeology into future research is also presented. It is argued that a holistic anthropological approach to humans and their ability to impact their surroundings is not complete if the symbolic and material effects of the dead are not considered.

Scurvy in the Greater American Southwest: Modeling micronutrition and biosocial processes in contexts of resource stress

As Donald Ortner and other scholars have noted, the prevalence of subadult scurvy ranges widely among skeletal assemblages. Prevalence variation across the Americas has been attributed to seasonality and environmental instability, although no cohesive model has been proposed. Integrating new evidence from an analysis of 31 burials found in an ancestral Tepehaun cave site (A.D. 571-1168), this paper proposes a model of biosocial change and nutritional stress for the Prehispanic American Southwest. The role of warfare and social control are emphasized to complement prior studies that have focused on the role of droughts and aggregation. Bioarchaeological evidence demonstrates that scurvy prevalence increases among subadults in association with violence and exploitation by regional political centers. Hinterland communities exhibit higher prevalence rates of scurvy than found within nearby political centers. This is consistent with hypotheses that social control involved complex inequalities in resource redistribution in the Southwest that negatively impacted the communities from which food resources were extracted. Evidence of scurvy also appears to be found most often in assemblages associated with violent conflict. Further exploration of the role structural inequalities play in shaping nutrition will enable a better understanding of how to improve health in contexts of resource instability.

Evidence of Child Sacrifice at La Cueva de los Muertos Chiquitos (660-1430 AD)

The La Cueva de los Muertos Chiquitos site (AD 660-1430) is located just north of Durango, Mexico. A reanalysis of the human remains from this site, excavated in the 1950s by Sheilagh and Richard Brooks, has yielded important new information. This cave site contains at least 25 burials of infants and children (n=21 being 0-3 years of age) and at least three adult burials all associated with the Gabriel San Loma Cultural Phase. Using long bone lengths and radiographic analysis of dental development, age approximations for the subadults were obtained. All of the complete juvenile burials exhibit active cases of non-specific periosteal reactions on the cranium. Sixty percent of these burials also exhibit periosteal reactions on the long bones. In addition, porotic hyperostosis (n=7) and cribra orbitalia (n=5) are present. A number of cases of possible juvenile scurvy (n>5) were also identified. Taphonomic indicators of the mortuary context revealed evidence of burning and sequenced internment involving matting, burial fabric, and intentional placement of burials provide evidence of ritualized burial treatment. Results from the analysis of coprolites and quids found in the cave (Reinhard, et al. 1988) provide additional information on diet and health. Large quantities of food and extralocal jewelry was also a part of the ritual offering. Vegetative data noting the presence of botanicals used for drug production at the site (Foster 1984), suggests that an unusual occurrence such as ritual sacrifice likely precipitated the deaths of up to 25 infants and children.

Caught in a Cataclysm: Effects of Pueblo Warfare on Noncombatants in the Northern Southwest

The biological and societal effects of warfare reach far beyond the effects on the combatants themselves. In this chapter, we examine bioarchaeological data for the Pueblo residents of the northern San Juan region for evidence of warfare-associated morbidity and mortality among noncombatants, primarily women and children. Analytic data for a large collection of remains from Mesa Verde National Park, as well as from settlements such as Sand Canyon, Castle Rock, and Goodman Point pueblos in the Montezuma Valley, were examined as part of this study. The data indicate that, during times of heightened warfare, both warriors and noncombatants suffered significant levels of antemortem trauma and lethal-level perimortem trauma; health-stress indicators such as enamel hypoplasia, cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis, and periostitis are also present. Violence and warfare in the form of raiding and full-scale attacks on settlements exacted a heavy toll on the physical and mental welfare of many women and children in the region during cycles of elevated warfare, which coincided with pronounced environmental downturns and preceded significant population movements. The results of this study provide a means to discover the wider societal impacts of warfare on noncombatants in prehistoric Pueblo society and an opportunity to scrutinize the socially mediated role of warfare within the fabric of a pre-state society in the US northern Southwest.

Rails Built of the Ancestors’ Bones: The Bioarchaeology of the Overseas Chinese Experience

AbstractBetween 1865 and 1869, thousands of Chinese immigrants came to the United States to construct the transcontinental railroad. Their impact went beyond labor and helped to develop the social and economic landscape of the country through their ingenuity. Archaeological analyses are especially important for understanding the Chinese in historical America because of the lack of written records. Bioarchaeology can contribute by providing a glimpse into the lives of these resourceful and diverse laborers who toiled to contribute to the development of the railways in the 19th century. The reanalysis of the remains of 13 Chinese men recovered from a cemetery in Carlin, Nevada, reveals that most individuals exhibited widespread musculoskeletal development suggesting frequent, repeated bodily strain. Additionally, all 13 individuals exhibited skeletal trauma or pathologies. The men recovered from Carlin reveal the extent to which Chinese railroad workers endured exploitative oppression and racism, while simultaneously embodying resilience.Chouxiàng在1865 至 1869 年间, 成千上万的中国移民来到美国修建横 贯大陆铁路。他们所带来的影响远不止其劳动力。他们的 创造力促进了整个美国社会与经济的发展。由于缺少文字 记载, 考古学分析对我们理解这些中国工人十分重要。生 物考古学则尤为重要, 因为它可以展现这些工人的足智多 谋、多样化的生活。本文对内华达州卡林镇一处公墓中发 掘的13具中国工人遗骸进行了重新分析。分析结果显示, 这些人的肌骨骼发展暗示了频繁和重复性的身体劳损。除 此之外, 这13个人都显示出骨骼的损伤与病兆。卡林工人 的遗骸揭示了中国铁路工人所受的剥削性压迫和种族歧视 的程度, 却也同时展现了他们不屈不挠的精神。