Keith P. Jacobi

Bones of the Maya: Studies of Ancient Skeletons

Includes an indexed bibliography of the first 150 years of Maya osteology. This volume pulls together a spectrum of bioarchaeologists that reveal remarkable data on Maya genetic relationship, demography, and diseases.

Bioarchaeological Studies of Life in the Age of Agriculture: A View from the Southeast

Investigations of skeletal remains from key archaeological sites reveal new data and offer insights on prehistoric life and health in the Southeast.The shift from foraging to farming had important health consequences for prehistoric peoples, but variations in health existedwithin communities that had made this transition. This new collection draws on the rich bioarchaeological record of the Southeastern United States to explore variability in health and behavior within the age of agriculture. It offers new perspectives on human adaptation to various geographic and cultural landscapes across the entire Southeast, from Texas to Virginia, and presents new data from both classic and little-known sites.The contributors question the reliance on simple cause-and-effect relationships in human health and behavior by addressing such key bioarchaeological issues as disease history and epidemiology, dietary composition and sufficiency, workload stress, patterns of violence, mortuary practices, and biological consequences of European contact. They also advance our understanding of agriculture by showing that uses of maize were more varied than has been previously supposed.Representing some of the best work being done today by physical anthropologists, this volume provides new insights into human adaptation for both archaeologists and osteologists. It attests to the heterogeneous character of Southeastern societies during the late prehistoric and early historic periods while effectively detailing the many factors that have shaped biocultural evolution.Contributors include: Patricia S. Bridges, Elizabeth Monaham Driscoll, Debra L. Gold, Dale L. Hutchinson, Keith P. Jacobi, Patricia M. Lambert, Clark Spencer Larsen, Lynette Norr, Mary Lucas Powell, Marianne Reeves, Lisa Sattenspiel, Margaret J. Schoeninger, Mark R. Schurr, Leslie E. Sering, David S. Weaver, and Matthew A. Williamson

Gender and Health Among the Colonial Maya of Tipu, Belize

The health of the Colonial-period Maya from Tipu, Belize, was evaluated using a skeletal series to explore differential effects of European contact by sex. Variables addressed were nutrition and disease patterns, reproductive patterns, and occupational stress. Results suggest that females enjoyed fewer childhood health disruptions, likely as a result of greater genetic buffering. No evidence of male preferential treatment was observed. Frequencies of indicators were similar to those reported for precontact Maya. Markers of adult activity patterns, including timing of parity, were also comparable to those of earlier groups. These findings support the cultural continuity with the Postclassic suggested by the archaeological and ethnohistorical records at Tipu.

Limited Circumstances: Creating a Better Understanding of Prehistoric Peoples Through the Reanalysis of Collections of Commingled Human Remains

Recent reanalysis of the curated Lewis Jones Cave Ossuary (1Sc42) assemblage of commingled human remains provides insight into the burial behavior and lived experiences of prehistoric peoples living in northern and central Alabama during the Middle Woodland period (A.D. 1–500). Salvage excavated from a natural cave site in St. Clair County, Alabama, the assemblage of human remains exemplifies Copena mortuary practices through the inclusion of copper and galena burial goods. Reanalysis of the assemblage involved the recording of age, sex, bone abnormalities, pathological indicators, and taphonomic features of nearly 1300 skeletal elements. Observation of the characteristics of each bone element, specifically the biological features, indicated a diverse population interred within the cave ossuary including individuals of both sexes, all ages, and with varying pathological conditions. Conducting a reanalysis of curated assemblages of commingled human remains, such as the Lewis Jones Cave Ossuary assemblage, provides another way of learning about the lived experiences of prehistoric communities.