Aspects of health in prehistoric mainland Southeast Asia: Indicators of stress in response to the intensification of rice agriculture

Numerous bioarcheological investigations have suggested that as agriculture intensifies, levels of physiological stress and poor health increase. However, previous research in Southeast Asia suggests that a decline in health was not universal. This study aimed to provide the first investigation of human health during the intensification of rice agriculture in the large skeletal sample from the prehistoric site of Ban Non Wat, Northeast Thailand (1750–420 b.c .). Health was analysed using two indicators of childhood stress, the prevalence of linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH), a measure of early childhood stress, and stature, as a measure of late childhood stress, were collated for 190 adults. Sex‐specific diachronic relationships between the prevalence of LEH and stature were explored. For both sexes, initially the prevalence of LEH was found to decrease and then increase over time. Stature remained constant over time for males, although for females stature increased initially, then decreased. Early childhood stress was not significantly correlated with stature in females (P = 0.185), but high levels of LEH were unexpectedly correlated with taller male stature (P = 0.017). Our findings suggest an initial improvement in health during agricultural intensification at this site, likely related to a reduction in physiological perturbations and maintenance of a nutritious diet during this time. The subsequent deterioration in health may reflect geomorphologically and archaeologically indicated variation in environmental conditions and consequential sociocultural changes. We suggest that the sex‐differences in the relationship between stature and LEH may relate to the timing of stress and/or catch‐up growth. Am J Phys Anthropol 153:484–495, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Patterns of systemic stress during the agricultural transition in prehistoric Japan

This study documents and interprets systemic stress during the agricultural transition in prehistoric Japan using linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) defects and cribra orbitalia (CO) lesions. Middle to Final Jomon cultures (5000–2300 BP) from Honshu Island represent the foraging samples, while Yayoi cultures (2500–1700 BP) represent the early agricultural samples. Jomon foragers from eastern Japan had broad‐based, intensive economies. Jomon foragers from western Japan had a greater focus on seasonally available, nutritionally poor resources, while Yayoi people were descendents of migrants from the East Asian continent and introduced wet rice economies to Japan. This study tests the hypotheses that wet rice economies will be associated with a lower prevalence of teeth/individuals affected by LEH defects in western Japan, while few differences in the prevalence of teeth/individuals with LEH defects will be observed between eastern Jomon people and Yayoi farmers. It is further predicted that similar CO prevalence will be observed between Jomon and Yayoi people given environmental similarities. Significantly greater frequencies of teeth affected by LEH defects are observed among western Jomon compared to Yayoi people. The prevalence of teeth with LEH defects is slightly elevated among eastern Jomon foragers compared to Yayoi agriculturalists. Significant differences in CO prevalence are not observed. Systemic stress prevalence in western Japan likely declined following wet‐rice agriculture because this crop provided a predictable, renewable resource base. Systemic stress prevalence was similar between eastern Jomon and Yayoi people because both groups practiced intensive subsistence strategies. Similar CO prevalence reflects infectious diseases associated with living conditions. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Population continuity or population change: formation of the ancient Egyptian state

The origins of the ancient Egyptian state and its formation have received much attention through analysis of mortuary contexts, skeletal material, and trade. Genetic diversity was analyzed by studying craniometric variation within a series of six time-successive Egyptian populations in order to investigate the evidence for migration over the period of the development of social hierarchy and the Egyptian state. Craniometric variation, based upon 16 measurements, was assessed through principal components analysis, discriminant function analysis, and Mahalanobis D(2) matrix computation. Spatial and temporal relationships were assessed by Mantel and Partial Mantel tests. The results indicate overall population continuity over the Predynastic and early Dynastic, and high levels of genetic heterogeneity, thereby suggesting that state formation occurred as a mainly indigenous process. Nevertheless, significant differences were found in morphology between both geographically-pooled and cemetery-specific temporal groups, indicating that some migration occurred along the Egyptian Nile Valley over the periods studied.     

Stature and robusticity during the agricultural transition: Evidence from the bioarchaeological record

The population explosion that followed the Neolithic revolution was initially explained by improved health experiences for agriculturalists. However, empirical studies of societies shifting subsistence from foraging to primary food production have found evidence for deteriorating health from an increase in infectious and dental disease and a rise in nutritional deficiencies. In Paleopathology at the Origins of Agriculture (Cohen and Armelagos, 1984), this trend towards declining health was observed for 19 of 21 societies undergoing the agricultural transformation. The counterintuitive increase in nutritional diseases resulted from seasonal hunger, reliance on single crops deficient in essential nutrients, crop blights, social inequalities, and trade. In this study, we examined the evidence of stature reduction in studies since 1984 to evaluate if the trend towards decreased health after agricultural transitions remains. The trend towards a decrease in adult height and a general reduction of overall health during times of subsistence change remains valid, with the majority of studies finding stature to decline as the reliance on agriculture increased. The impact of agriculture, accompanied by increasing population density and a rise in infectious disease, was observed to decrease stature in populations from across the entire globe and regardless of the temporal period during which agriculture was adopted, including Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, South America, and North America.     

From the mouths of babes: Dental caries in infants and children and the intensification of agriculture in mainland Southeast Asia

Many bioarchaeological studies have established a link between increased dental caries prevalence and the intensification of agriculture. However, research in Southeast Asia challenges the global application of this theory. Although often overlooked, dental health of infants and children can provide a sensitive source of information concerning health and subsistence change. This article investigates the prevalence and location of caries in the dentition of infants and children (less than 15 years of age) from eight prehistoric mainland Southeast Asian sites collectively spanning the Neolithic to late Iron Age, during which time rice agriculture became an increasingly important subsistence mode. Caries prevalence varied among the sites but there was no correlation with chronological change. The absence of evidence of a decline in dental health over time can be attributed to the relative noncariogenicity of rice and retention of broad‐spectrum subsistence strategies. No differences in caries type indicating differences in dental health were found between the sites, apart from the Iron Age site of Muang Sema. There was a higher prevalence of caries in the deciduous dentition than the permanent dentition, likely due to a cariogenic weaning diet and the higher sensitivity of deciduous teeth to decay. The level of caries in the permanent dentition suggests an increased reliance on less cariogenic foods during childhood, including rice. The absence of a temporal decline in dental health of infants and children strengthens the argument that the relationship between caries and agricultural intensification in Southeast Asia was more complex than the general model suggests. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Dental caries prevalence as evidence for agriculture and subsistence variation during the Yayoi period in prehistoric Japan: biocultural interpretations of an economy in transition

The Yayoi period represents the earliest point of agricultural dependence in Japan, dating from approximately 2500 BP to AD 300. Yayoi period people consumed wet-rice as a primary subsistence base. This article uses dental caries prevalence to interpret the biocultural implications of agriculture among these people by testing the following hypotheses: 1) Yayoi period agriculturalists had greater frequencies of carious teeth than Jomon period foragers, 2) regional variation in carious tooth frequencies will be observed among Yayoi period agriculturalists, while 3) variation in carious tooth frequencies will be observed between male and female agriculturalists. Statistically significant differences in carious teeth were observed between the agriculturalists from Southern Honshu and all other samples. These differences suggest greater reliance on cariogenic plants among farmers from Southern Honshu and are consistent with an agricultural economy. The people of the Yayoi period from Tanegashima Island and Northern Kyushu did not have significantly different carious tooth frequencies compared to Jomon period foragers. This suggests that rice alone was not a more cariogenic dietary substance than those consumed by Jomon period foragers but a cariogenic food nonetheless. Dietary heterogeneity between the prehistoric people of the Yayoi period from Southern Honshu and those from Northern Kyushu and Tanegashima Island is also inferred from these differences. Significantly greater frequencies of carious teeth among older aged Yayoi period females compared with males suggest dietary differences between the sexes.     

禄丰古猿牙齿釉质发育不全的观察研究

对出自禄丰石灰坝的26个禄丰古猿下颌齿列的246枚恒齿进行了观察研究,发现禄丰古猿具有普遍的带状釉质发育不全（LEH）现象,个体LEH比例为100%,恒齿LEH比例为85%。乳齿几乎没有LEH现象,第一恒臼齿的LEH比例也很低仅57%。根据牙齿萌出顺序及现代大猿的牙齿发育年龄特征,作者推断2—3岁之前的幼儿古猿很少出现釉质发育不全现象,这可能与母体的营养关照有关。禄丰古猿的LEH的发生频率具有明显的季节性,结合中新世晚期气候变化特征、古猿的生态环境、生活习性及食性特征分析,作者推测：季节性营养不良可能是造成禄丰古猿釉质发育不全的主要原因。     

Evolutionary demography of agricultural expansion in preindustrial northern Finland

A shift from nomadic foraging to sedentary agriculture was a major turning point in human evolutionary history, increasing our population size and eventually leading to the development of modern societies. We however lack understanding of the changes in life histories that contributed to the increased population growth rate of agriculturalists, because comparable individual-based reproductive records of sympatric populations of agriculturalists and foragers are rarely found. Here, we compared key life-history traits and population growth rate using comprehensive data from the seventieth to nineteenth century Northern Finland: indigenous Sami were nomadic hunter-fishers and reindeer herders, whereas sympatric agricultural Finns relied predominantly on animal husbandry. We found that agriculture-based families had higher lifetime fecundity, faster birth spacing and lower maternal mortality. Furthermore, agricultural Finns had 6.2% higher annual population growth rate than traditional Sami, which was accounted by differences between the subsistence modes in age-specific fecundity but not in mortality. Our results provide, to our knowledge, the most detailed demonstration yet of the demographic changes and evolutionary benefits that resulted from agricultural revolution.     

The Relative Decline in Women's Contribution to Agriculture with Intensification

This paper suggests why the intensification of agriculture is associated with a relative decline in women's participation in agriculture. The statistical evidence described here is consistent with the theory that women contribute relatively less to agriculture when it becomes intensive because their domestic work and fertility have increased. It is also argued that most men may be able to contribute more to agriculture in societies cultivating intensively because hunting, warfare, and trade are not so likely to pull them away from crop production [women's contribution to subsistence, agricultural intensification, time allocation, fertility, cross-cultural]     

Evaluation of the weed flora of Egypt from Predynastic to Graeco-Roman times

Macrofossils of weeds retrieved from archaeological sediments in Egypt are discussed in terms of their presence, preservation and representation significance. The study reveals 112 field weeds from 61 archaeological sites dating from Predynastic times (4500 B.C.) up to the Graeco-Roman period (A.D. 395). Most of the remains were preserved by desiccation. The 112 listed species include 24 taxa from Predynastic Hierakonpolis (3800–3500 B.C.) identified for the first time. This study is based on a selection of 97 species from the entire list. Interpretation of field weed finds from the archaeological contexts is discussed. The highest number of species, 63, is recorded from the Pharaonic period. The Predynastic era is represented by 46 species and the Graeco-Roman period by 34. The intensive archaeological excavation of Pharaonic settlements may explain the rich flora of that period compared with the two others. Floristic analysis shows that 57 species were introduced in association with crops from the Middle East and 40 may belong to the native vegetation of the Nile valley.     

Health and agricultural intensification in the prehistoric Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico

The effects of agricultural intensification on health are examined in prehistoric populations of the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico. Agriculture was practiced in the Valley of Oaxaca by the beginning of the Early Formative period (ca. 1400 B.C.), and had intensified by the Late Formative (ca. 500 B.C.). Skeletal remains from 14 archaeological sites in the Valley are pooled by temporal affiliation into a nonintensive agriculture group (1400-500 B.C.) and an intensive agriculture group (500 B.C.-1400 A.D.). The health effects of agricultural intensification are assessed by comparing the frequency of periosteal reactions, cribra orbitalia, and enamel hypoplasia between the intensive and nonintensive agricultural groups. Overall, no significant differences (alpha = 0.05) are found between the nonintensive and intensive groups. Power analyses of the chi-square tests indicate that the tests have a high probability of rejecting a false null hypothesis. The intensification of agriculture does not appear to have had a deleterious effect on the health of the prehistoric population of the Valley. The differences between this study and previous studies of health and agricultural development may be explained by differences between the processes of intensification and development or by differences between primary and secondary centers of agricultural development.     

Brief communication: linear enamel hypoplasia and the shift from irregular to regular provisioning in Cayo Santiago rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

This study investigates changes in the prevalence of linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) before and after the shift from irregular to regular provisioning in the Cayo Santiago rhesus monkey population. Prior to 1956, monkeys on this island colony did not receive consistent provisions, and were reported to be in poor health (Rawlins and Kessler [1986] The Cayo Santiago Macaques; Albany: State University of New York Press). A regular provisioning program, instituted in August 1956, resulted in the improved health of individuals and the growth of the population (Rawlins and Kessler [1986] The Cayo Santiago Macaques; Albany: State University of New York Press). LEH, a developmental defect of enamel, is a sensitive indicator of systemic physiological stress (Goodman and Rose [1990] Yrbk. Phys. Anthropol. 33:59-110). It was therefore hypothesized that the prevalence of LEH would be higher in monkeys who were irregularly provisioned than in monkeys who experienced regular provisioning. To test this hypothesis, teeth were examined for LEH in a sample of 181 female rhesus monkeys. The results support the hypothesis: the mean number of defects was statistically significantly higher in the preprovisioned group than it was in the postprovisioned one. When LEH prevalence was assessed using only defects occurring on antimeric pairs, the preprovisioned group again had a higher prevalence than the postprovisioned one, although the difference was not statistically significant, most likely because of the reduced sample size. The results of this study indicate that changes in LEH prevalence, at least in this population of rhesus monkeys, are associated with changes in nutritional status.     

Linear enamel hypoplasia in gibbons (Hylobates lar carpenteri)

This study describes the expression of linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH), a sensitive dental indicator of physiological stress, in Thailand gibbons (Hylobates lar carpenteri). Previous studies of enamel hypoplasia in hominoids have focused on great apes, with little attention given to the expression of this stress indicator in gibbons. In that gibbons differ from both monkeys and great apes in numerous life history features, LEH expression in gibbons might be expected to show significant differences from both. In this study, 92 gibbon specimens from two sites in Thailand were compared with several samples of monkeys and great apes in their expression of LEH. The intertooth distribution of LEH in gibbons was compared to that of chimpanzees and rhesus monkeys. Gibbon populations from both sites exhibit LEH frequencies intermediate between those of the monkey samples, in which LEH prevalence is usually low, and those of the great ape samples, in which LEH prevalence is high. Gibbons differ significantly from monkeys, but not great apes, in the number of individuals whose teeth record multiple stress events. Multiple episodes of stress are rarely recorded in the teeth of monkeys, while multiple stress events occur with higher frequency in gibbons and great apes. Taxonomic variation in the duration of crown formation, the prominence and spacing of perikymata on dental crowns, life history features, and/or experience of physiological stress may explain these patterns. The intertooth distribution of LEH in gibbons is, for different reasons, unlike that of either chimpanzees or rhesus monkeys. The mandibular canines of gibbons have significantly more LEH than any of their other teeth. Aspects of crown morphology, perikymata prominence/spacing, enamel thickness, and crown formation spans are potential causes of taxonomic variation in the intertooth distribution of LEH.     

Cultural ecology of prehistoric parasitism on the Colorado Plateau as evidenced by coprology

The study of coprolites (desiccated feces) is recognized as a viable method for analyzing parasitism of prehistoric peoples. Eight species of helminth parasites, including nematodes, cestodes, and acanthcephalans, have been recovered from archaeological sites on the Colorado Plateau. The comparative analysis of parasitological findings illustrates the effects of changing subsistence strategies and varying life-style on prehistoric human parasitism. This comparative study is based on the analysis of coprolites recovered from one Archaic hunter-gatherer site and two Anasazi agricultural villages. Hunter-gatherers are represented by coprolites from Dust Devil Cave in south-eastern Utah. Coprolites of prehistoric agriculturalists from Antelope House in Canyon de Chelly, Arizona, and from Salmon Ruin in northwestern New Mexico were studied. The results demonstrate that helminth parasitism increased with the advent of agriculture. Between the agricultural sites, differences in patterns of excreta disposal, foraging behavior, and local ecology resulted in pronounced variations in both percentage of coprolites containing parasite remains and the number of parasite species represented.     

Hypoplasia and health status: a comparison of two lifestyles

Enamel hypoplasia was recorded for the primary and permanent teeth of Natufians (terminal Pleistocene Hunter-Gatherers) and Early Arabs (Subsistence farmers). Minimal hypoplasia was found in the primary teeth of the Natufians, but in the Early Arab population, 31% of upper first primary molars showed enamel defects. In the permanent teeth, the Early Arab population again showed a significantly higher frequency of hypoplasia, with all teeth affected. In the Natufians, only later developing teeth showed enamel defects. These findings suggest that health status in the Early Arab population was poor throughout life, affecting pregnant mothers, their foetuses, young infants and children. These results confirm other studies that have shown deterioration in health status of early agriculturalists relative to hunter- gatherers. Comparisons of these findings with those of recent populations indicate that health status in the Natufians was comparable to that of modern populations with subsistence diets and mediocre health care. Health status in the Early Arab population was comparable to that of modern populations suffering from severe malnutrition and chronic disease.     

Variation in ancient Egyptian stature and body proportions

Stature and the pattern of body proportions were investigated in a series of six time-successive Egyptian populations in order to investigate the biological effects on human growth of the development and intensification of agriculture, and the formation of state-level social organization. Univariate analyses of variance were performed to assess differences between the sexes and among various time periods. Significant differences were found both in stature and in raw long bone length measurements between the early semipastoral population and the later intensive agricultural population. The size differences were greater in males than in females. This disparity is suggested to be due to greater male response to poor nutrition in the earlier populations, and with the increasing development of social hierarchy, males were being provisioned preferentially over females. Little change in body shape was found through time, suggesting that all body segments were varying in size in response to environmental and social conditions. The change found in body plan is suggested to be the result of the later groups having a more tropical (Nilotic) form than the preceding populations.     

Early Life Conditions and Physiological Stress following the Transition to Farming in Central/Southeast Europe: Skeletal Growth Impairment and 6000 Years of Gradual Recovery

Early life conditions play an important role in determining adult body size. In particular, childhood malnutrition and disease can elicit growth delays and affect adult body size if severe or prolonged enough. In the earliest stages of farming, skeletal growth impairment and small adult body size are often documented relative to hunter-gatherer groups, though this pattern is regionally variable. In Central/Southeast Europe, it is unclear how early life stress, growth history, and adult body size were impacted by the introduction of agriculture and ensuing long-term demographic, social, and behavioral change. The current study assesses this impact through the reconstruction and analysis of mean stature, body mass, limb proportion indices, and sexual dimorphism among 407 skeletally mature men and women from foraging and farming populations spanning the Late Mesolithic through Early Medieval periods in Central/Southeast Europe (~7100 calBC to 850 AD). Results document significantly reduced mean stature, body mass, and crural index in Neolithic agriculturalists relative both to Late Mesolithic hunter-gatherer-fishers and to later farming populations. This indication of relative growth impairment in the Neolithic, particularly among women, is supported by existing evidence of high developmental stress, intensive physical activity, and variable access to animal protein in these early agricultural populations. Among subsequent agriculturalists, temporal increases in mean stature, body mass, and crural index were more pronounced among Central European women, driving declines in the magnitude of sexual dimorphism through time. Overall, results suggest that the transition to agriculture in Central/Southeast Europe was challenging for early farming populations, but was followed by gradual amelioration across thousands of years, particularly among Central European women. This sex difference may be indicative, in part, of greater temporal variation in the social status afforded to young girls, in their access to resources during growth, and/or in their health status than was experienced by men.     

Plasticity and constraint in response to early‐life stressors among late/final jomon period foragers from Japan: Evidence for life history trade‐offs from incremental microstructures of enamel

This study evaluates two hypotheses that address how Late/Final Jomon period people responded to early‐life stress using linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) and incremental microstructures of enamel. The first hypothesis predicts that Jomon people who experienced early‐life stressors had greater physiological competence in responding to future stress events (predictive adaptive response). The second hypothesis predicts that Jomon people traded‐off in future growth and maintenance when early investment in growth and survival was required (plasticity/constraint). High resolution tooth impressions were collected from intact, anterior teeth and studied under an engineer's measuring microscope. LEH were identified based on accentuated perikymata and depressions in the enamel surface profile. Age of formation for each LEH was estimated by summing counts of perikymata and constants associated with crown initiation and cuspal enamel formation times. The relationship between age‐at‐first‐defect formation, number of LEH, periodicity between LEH, and mortality was evaluated using multiple regression and hazards analysis. A significant, positive relationship was found between age‐at‐death relative to age‐at‐first‐defect formation and a significant, negative relationship was found between number of LEH relative to age‐at‐first‐defect formation. Individuals with earlier forming defects were at a significantly greater risk of forming defects at later stages of development and dying at younger ages. These results suggest that Late/Final Jomon period foragers responded to early‐life stressors in a manner consistent with the plasticity/constraint hypothesis of human life history. Late/Final Jomon period individuals were able to survive early‐life stressors, but this investment weakened responses to future stress events and exacerbated mortality schedules. Am J Phys Anthropol 155:537–545, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Sexual Division of Labor in Agriculture

Female agricultural contributions decline with agricultural intensification. We formulate and test a theory of the processes of agricultural intensification that explains a high proportion of the variance in female contributions to agriculture. Five variables show replicable effects across two or more regions of the world. These are number of dry months, importance of domesticated animals to subsistence, use of the plow, crop type, and population density. Of these, the first two are the most powerful predictors of female agricultural contributions, while population density has only very weak effects.
MICHAEL L. BURTON is Professor of Anthropology. School of Social Sciences. University of California. Irvine. CA 92717.
DOUGLAS R. WHITE is Professor of Anthropology. School of Social Sciences. University of California. Irvine.     

Diet and health changes at the end of the Chinese neolithic: the Yangshao/Longshan transition in Shaanxi province.

In this paper we discuss diet and health changes of millet agriculturists in Northern China, Shaanxi province, during the period 7,000-4,000 BP. An episode of intensive climatic oscillations that preceded the onset of colder climate circa the fifth millennium BP divides the period (Shi et al. [1993] Global Planet. Change 7:219-233). The onset of the cooler climate marks the decline of the egalitarian society of Yangshao and the rise of the chiefdom-like society of Longshan. Skeletal materials from the two sites of Beiliu and Jiangzhai are from the earlier phases of Yangshao culture (7,000-6,000 BP), while remains from the Shijia site were excavated from the terminal phase of Yangshao culture (6,000-5,000 BP), a phase that would be expected to show adjustments to strong climatic fluctuations. Human remains from the Longshan culture (5,000-4,000, BP) were found at the Kangjia site. In order to investigate whether the trajectory of diet and health changes persisted beyond the Longshan, a skeletal sample from the Xicun site of the Western Zhao Dynastic period (3,800-2,200 BP) is included in our analyses. All Yangshao sites in our study are characterized by low frequencies of anemia and carious lesions. Some subsistence changes probably occurred during the later phase of Yangshao culture that resulted in elevated masticatory stress and occlusal macrowear among the Shijia people. However, deterioration of community health did not begin until the Longshan, when increased occurrence of porotic hyperostosis and caries is accompanied by decreased adult stature. The transition to softer, more extensively processed food during Longshan is evident in decreased rates of occlusal wear. Increased population density and diminished food values were most likely responsible for these changes. Poor health persisted into the subsequent Dynastic period of Western Zhao.