Lead exposure in italy: 800 BC-700 AD

Certain social and industrial activities that were common among Imperial Age Romans have been suggested to have caused lead poisoning whose sociological consequences may have afflicted many members of the aristocratic social stratum. Evaluation of this suggestion has awaited quantitative data. This study reports the skeletal lead content of twenty Italian archaeological populations. Imperial Age populations demonstrated up to ten-fold more bone lead than their predecessors or successors.     

The age-sex structure of the slave population in Harris County, Texas: 1850 and 1860

The effect of the slave system on demography can be revealed by examining the age-sex structure of slave populations. The age-sex structure of slaves in Harris County, Texas is investigated using the 1850 and 1860 slave schedules. Median ages for black and mulatto slaves suggest that the population was young. Population pyramids exhibit a narrow base and top with a broad middle. The high proportion of slaves between 10 and 30 years of age and the increase in population size between 1850 and 1860 were mainly related to the importation of slaves and only partly due to natural increase. The data also show that black slaves were older on small plantations while mulattoes were older on larger farms. It is suggested that differential treatment in terms of purchase practices, assignment of tasks, food allocation, and/or differential susceptibility to infectious diseases may account for this pattern.     

Life stresses of slavery

Skeletal evidence exists for life stresses of 120 Black individuals from 25 sites in Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas. Periods for statistical comparison are eighteenth century, 1690-1770; Catoctin Furnace, Maryland industrial slaves, 1790-ca.1820; 1800-ca.1860, nineteenth century; and a twentieth-century Black sample compiled from forensic (accidental deaths) cases. From these archaeological sources, skeletal age at death shifts from 36 years, female, and 30 years, male in eighteenth century (N = 29) to 34.8, female, and 36.3, male in nineteenth century (N = 56). Catoctin Furnace slaves' longevity may reflect special conditions for skilled males (34.6 years, female; 41.2 years, male (N = 16). Nutritional stresses are indicated by dental lesions, hypoplasias, stature, and skull base height and pelvic brim index. Occupational stress occurs in some adolescents and in many adults as exaggerated development of lifting muscles (deltoid and pectoral crests) and early vertebral and shoulder breakdown. Lead content of bone may reflect site of occupation. The most common pathology is anemia or sicklemia; parietal depressions and ulna fractures ("parry") indicate violence-related trauma.     

Population history of native groups in pre- and postcontact Spanish Florida: aggregation, gene flow, and genetic drift on the Southeastern U.S. Atlantic coast

Evolutionary trends and population history and structure are discussed for a series of late prehistoric and historic-period skeletal samples from the Georgia coast and interior (the Guale). Phenotypic dental measurement data were collected for nine samples from the late prehistoric (AD 1200-1400) and historic (AD 1608-1702) periods and subjected to population genetic and statistical analyses. The primary trends were for an increase in tooth size through time, and for an initial increase in dental variability in the early historic period, followed by a subsequent decline in dental variability in the late historic period. Given the increasing stress levels, evidenced by previous bioarchaeological analyses (Larsen [2001] Bioarchaeology of Spanish Florida, Gainesville: University Press of Florida), an environmental explanation for the increase in tooth size is unlikely. It is proposed that the early historic period witnessed aggregation and gene flow with extraregional populations, possibly African slaves or nonlocal Native American population groups. The late historic period may have experienced significant loss of phenotypic variability due to genetic drift. In both time periods, the evolutionary mechanism increased average tooth size, with independent variance effects.Because microevolutionary trends obscure patterns of gene flow and population ancestry, the data were detrended following Konigsberg ([1990a] Hum. Biol. 62:49-70), and submitted to standard population genetic analyses (Relethford et al. [1997] Hum. Biol. 69:443-465). Analysis of the precontact samples in isolation (Irene Mound, Irene Mortuary, and an aggregate coastal sample) indicated little genetic microdifferentiation (F(ST) = 0.008), limited extralocal gene flow, and a small distinction between interior and coastal samples. The inclusion of the historic data dramatically increased variability levels (F(ST) = 0.019). The analysis of extralocal gene flow indicates that the late mission period experienced significantly less external gene flow, which is consistent with historic models that suggest the social organization of the Guale during this time period may have been significantly altered. Genetic distances also indicate a primary division between inland and coastal precontact samples and a maintenance of biological populations along the coast. In other words, the coastal, early historic, and late historic period samples are phenotypically homogeneous, supporting the notion that the mission populations were drawn from the local population base. The late mission period sample was also, however, more closely related to the interior samples. This may suggest that the late mission period population was an aggregate sample composed of both remnant interior and coastal population groups.     

Odontometric determination of sex at Mound 72, Cahokia

The mortuary context of Mound 72 at the Cahokia site is one of the most unusual ever described in prehistoric North America. Previous skeletal analyses suggested that four large mass graves within the mound contained only female skeletons. However, these findings were complicated by extremely poor bone preservation that limited the number of skeletal observations that could be made. Furthermore, most skeletons were aged in the 15–25 year range, a time when sexually dimorphic bony traits may still be developing. In this study, dental remains were used to examine sex in the four presumably all‐female mass graves in Mound 72. Additional sources of information, including the original field/laboratory notes and new sexing data based on modern standards, were gathered to fully evaluate the dental estimates. Initially, discriminant function analysis was performed on odontometrics using the original Mound 72 sex assignment. Inconsistent results indicated that some of the skeletons may have been misclassified in the original analyses. To overcome this issue, discriminant function equations were generated using a large pooled skeletal sample from two sites in close temporal and geographic proximity to Cahokia. Application of the equations to Mound 72 revealed that each of the four mass burial groups contained individuals classified as male. These assignments were checked against the skeletal remains and the original field/laboratory notes. Discussion centers on how the results affect previous archaeological interpretations as well as the methodological considerations associated with this study. Am J Phys Anthropol 151:408–419, 2013.© 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Implications of tooth root hypercementosis in a Barbados slave skeletal collection

A 17th- to 19th-century cemetery sample of 104 slaves from Newton Plantation (Barbados) shows uniquely high hypercementosis prevalence, as well as unexpectedly high and variable skeletal lead content. A variety of biological and archeological factors indicates that individuals with lower amounts of these anomalies (relative to age at death) were probably African-born, first-generation slaves. The hypercementosis is related to the progression of periodontal disease as assessed from alveolar bone. Although the hypercementosis is endemic in the Caribbean black population, it does not as yet have a clear explanation. We suggest the etiology might relate to chronic malnutrition involving periodic, seasonal rehabilitation.     

Temporal aspects of biological distance: serial correlation and trend in a prehistoric skeletal lineage

A number of previous studies have examined biological variability within individual human skeletal samples, using internal chronology as an explanatory source for variation. In this paper time series and matrix comparison methods are used to examine temporal serial correlation and trend of biological characteristics within a skeletal sample. These methods follow appropriately upon the assumption that the processes of genetic drift and migration lead to temporal autocorrelation of the mean genotype within individual genetic lineages. In the current analysis, using skeletal material from the Pete Klunk Mound Group, temporal serial correlation is demonstrated between samples from different mounds. This indicates that a previous provisional archaeological ordering of the mounds is probably correct. Absence of temporal trend for any of the nonmetric traits examined here suggests a lack of directional evolutionary forces operating on these traits.     

Monuments outlive history: Confederate monuments,the legacy of slavery,and black-white inequality

ABSTRACT

The conceptual linkages among Confederate monuments, slavery, and race suggest that Confederate monuments are relevant for explaining contemporary black–white inequality, yet we have little evidence on these relationships. I aim to further develop these possible connections. My analysis relies on a unique data set of Confederate monuments located in public spaces in the US South. I find that counties with Confederate monuments – specifically monuments inscribed with rhetoric glorifying either the soldiers as “heroes” or the cause as “pure” – have higher than expected levels of black–white poverty inequality. However, this relationship is stronger where the legacy of slavery is weaker, namely in counties with smaller historical concentrations of slaves. Confederate monuments are intertwined with a complex history, one that may continue to be reflected in the contemporary landscape of black–white inequality. The presented results are only suggestive, but they provide guidance for important avenues of future research.     

Effect of severe hurricanes on biorock coral reef restoration projects in Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands

Artificial reefs are often discouraged in shallow waters over concerns of storm damage to structures and surrounding habitat. Biorock coral reef restoration projects were initiated in waters around 5 m deep in Grand Turk, at Oasis (October 2006) and at Governor's Beach (November 2007). Hemi-cylindrical steel modules, 6m long were used, four modules at Oasis and six at Governor's Beach. Each project has over 1200 corals transplanted from sites with high sedimentation damage, and are regularly monitored for coral growth, mortality and fish populations. Corals show immediate growth over wires used to attach corals. Growth has been measured from photographs using a software program and is faster at Governor's Beach. After hurricanes Hanna and Ike (September 2008) the Governor's Beach structure was fully standing since the waves passed straight through with little damage, the Oasis structures which were tie-wired rather than welded had one module collapse (since been replaced with a new, welded structure). Hurricane Ike was the strongest hurricane on record to hit Grand Turk. Most cables were replaced following the hurricanes due to damage from debris and high wave action. The projects lost about a third of the corals due to hurricanes. Most of those lost had only been wired a few days before and had not yet attached themselves firmly. These projects have regenerated corals and fish populations in areas of barren sand or bedrock and are now attractive to snorkelers. High coral survival and low structural damage after hurricanes indicate that Biorock reef restoration can be effective in storm-impacted areas.     

‘Culture shock’: Black students account for their distinctiveness at an elite college

Previous research on black students attending predominantly white colleges has emphasized race-based differences with white students while downplaying differences in social class. This research indicates that class-based differences are an important component of many black students’ discomfort at ‘Northern College’, a school that has traditionally served wealthy white students. Drawing on interviews and participant observation done on campus, I apply cultural capital theory to explain how differences in class-specific cultural styles make campus life difficult for non-affluent blacks and discuss the implications of the findings for future research on black college experiences.     

Exploring the multidimensionality of stature variation in the past through comparisons of archaeological and living populations

Adult stature variation is commonly attributed to differential stress-levels during development. However, due to selective mortality and heterogeneous frailty, a population's tall stature may be more indicative of high selective pressures than of positive life conditions. This article examines stature in a biocultural context and draws parallels between bioarchaeological and living populations to explore the multidimensionality of stature variation in the past. This study investigates: 1) stature differences between archaeological populations exposed to low or high stress (inferred from skeletal indicators); 2) similarities in growth retardation patterns between archaeological and living groups; and 3) the apportionment of variance in growth outcomes at the regional level in archaeological and living populations. Anatomical stature estimates were examined in relation to skeletal stress indicators (cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis, linear enamel hypoplasia) in two medieval bioarchaeological populations. Stature and biocultural information were gathered for comparative living samples from South America. Results indicate 1) significant (P < 0.01) differences in stature between groups exposed to different levels of skeletal stress; 2) greater prevalence of stunting among living groups, with similar patterns in socially stratified archaeological and modern groups; and 3) a degree of regional variance in growth outcomes consistent with that observed for highly selected traits. The relationship between early stress and growth is confounded by several factors—including catch-up growth, cultural buffering, and social inequality. The interpretations of early life conditions based on the relationship between stress and stature should be advanced with caution. Am J Phys Anthropol 155:229–242, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

From Shell Midden to Midden-Mound: The Geoarchaeology of Mound Key,an Anthropogenic Island in Southwest Florida,USA

Mound Key was once the capital of the Calusa Kingdom, a large Pre-Hispanic polity that controlled much of southern Florida. Mound Key, like other archaeological sites along the southwest Gulf Coast, is a large expanse of shell and other anthropogenic sediments. The challenges that these sites pose are largely due to the size and areal extent of the deposits, some of which begin up to a meter below and exceed nine meters above modern sea levels. Additionally, the complex depositional sequences at these sites present difficulties in determining their chronology. Here, we examine the development of Mound Key as an anthropogenic island through systematic coring of the deposits, excavations, and intensive radiocarbon dating. The resulting data, which include the reversals of radiocarbon dates from cores and dates from mound-top features, lend insight into the temporality of site formation. We use these insights to discuss the nature and scale of human activities that worked to form this large island in the context of its dynamic, environmental setting. We present the case that deposits within Mound Key’s central area accumulated through complex processes that represent a diversity of human action including midden accumulation and the redeposition of older sediments as mound fill.     

Differences in skeletal and muscle mass with aging in black and white women

Previous cross-sectional studies using delayed gamma neutron activation analysis and whole body counting suggested that the relationship of total body calcium (TBCa) to total body potassium (TBK) (muscle mass, body cell mass) remained constant with age. This led to the hypothesis that the muscle mass and skeletal mass compartments are integrated in their response to aging. It had also been hypothesized that loss of skeletal and muscle mass was similar between races. In the current study, delayed gamma neutron activation analysis and whole body counting were performed on 90 black and 143 white women 20-69 yr of age. Black women had higher TBCa and TBK values than white women, even when the data were adjusted for age, height, and weight. TBCa was correlated with height and TBK with weight. The estimated decline of skeletal mass (TBCa) from 20 to 70 yr was 18% in black women and 19% in white women. However, the lifetime decline of TBK was only 8% for black women, compared with 22% for white women. Black women may lose TBK more slowly than TBCa with aging, compared with white women. In particular, correlation of TBCa and age was similar for blacks and whites (r = -0.44 and r = -0.54, respectively). However, for TBK these correlations were r = -0.14 and r = -0.42. These data confirm a higher musculoskeletal mass in black women and suggest that the loss of muscle mass with age may be lower in black than in white women. These ethnic differences do not support the hypothesis of an integrated musculoskeletal system, so that these two components should be considered separately. A prospective study is needed to confirm these findings.     

Application of Cyanidin-3-Glucosides as a functional food ingredient in rice-based bakery products

BackgroundBlack pericarp rice has recently become popular among rice consumers for its diverse health benefits specially anti-cancer effect. Cyanidin-3-Glucosides (C3G), an prominant bioactive component of anthocyanins which is abundantly present in black pericarp rice.ObjectivesWe investigated, how effectively it can be used to fortify Cyanidin-3-Glucosides (C3G) content in red and white pericarp polished rice or rice based bakery products for more nutritional value.MethodIn the present study, we have characterized several black pericarp rice cultivars along with some red pericarp and white pericarp rice cultivars by physicochemical including mineral profiling, and quantified the C3G by UFLC and LCMS.ResultsC3G content was significantly reduced from raw rice to cooked rice condition. All the black pericarp rice cultivars synthesized C3G, while this content was not detected in red and white pericarp rice cultivars. However, when 25% of black pericarp rice were mixed with 75% red or white pericarp polished rice, C3G content was significantly retained in cooked rice conditions. Formulation of rice-based bakery food product using black pericarp rice powder was also remarkably retained the C3G content as compared to that of cooking. Black rice is harder in texture, difficult to digest and needs higher energy for cooking. Therefore, we tried to circumvent these challenges by fortifying 25% of black pericarp rice with white or red pericarp rice.ConclusionFortification of C3G enriched black rice (25%) with red or white pericarp rice (75%) might bring a better nutritional quality in both cooking and baking condition. This may lead a way to the effective management of the non-communicable disease such as cancer for common rice consuming population.     

Bioarchaeological research in Croatia--a historical review

The study of human skeletal remains from archaeological sites gives us the opportunity to answer important questions about the lifestyle of past populations. The discipline that studies human skeletal remains is known as bioarchaeology. This paper provides a historical review of bioarchaeological research in Croatia. It is based on the available published material that analyzes human skeletal remains from archaeological sites located on the Croatian territory covering time span from the Neolithic period to the late Middle Ages.     

Life conditions of a roman imperial age population: Occupational stress markers and working activities inLucus Feroniae (Rome, 1st–2nd cent. AD)

In ancient populations studies, investigation on activity-induced pathology performed by means of an integrated and epidemiological approach can provide useful evidence about physical activities, age of occupancy, sexual differentiation, social stratification and working tasks division of past human groups. The analysis of occupational stress of the skeletal sample coming from the poor necropolis of Lucus Feroniae, a rural town of the Roman Imperial Age, was carried out on: degenerative disease of joints and vertebral bodies, traumas, hypertrophic changes at sites of muscles and ligament insertion, presence of anatomical variants caused by postural habits or body movements. The results as a whole seem to indicate that the population, likely representative of a low social group (potentially slaves), was precociously and actively employed in heavy manual work activities. These may have included farming tasks demanding lifting, heavy loads transportation and long-distance walking on rough grounds.     

Size selective feeding and its limitations for the black rockfish, Sebastes inermis, in a demersal fish assemblage of Onagawa Bay, northeastern Japan

The size selective feeding of the black rockfish, Sebastes inermis, in a demersal fish assemblage of Onagawa Bay, located in northeastern Japan, was studied using laboratory experiments and stomach content analysis of the dominant demersal fish coexisting with the black rockfish in Onagawa Bay. The preferred food size of the black rockfish was determined in the laboratory experiments. The average food size taken by the black rockfish (150–227 mm long) under natural conditions was much smaller than that taken by fish in laboratory experiments (148–158 mm sized). The most preferred size of food taken by fish in laboratory experiments was rarely found under natural conditions. Analysis of the competition coefficients of fish species in the fish assemblage based on stomach content analysis suggested that the degrees to which the preferred food size was found depended upon the foods availability, by competition with other fish species and by the feeding ability of the fish. Intra- and inter-specific competition in a fish assemblage might be limiting factors on the food size selection of fish under natural conditions.     

The reproductive cycle of the asteroid Coscinasterias muricata in Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, Australia

The reproductive cycles of two populations of Coscinasterias muricata from Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, Australia are described in terms of organ indices, oocyte development and progesterone levels. Both Governor's Reef and South Channel Fort populations exhibited clearly defined reproductive cycles with two spawning periods, during summer and during spring. In both populations, the pyloric caecal index and gonadal index showed inverse cycles suggesting nutrient translocation from the pyloric caeca to the gonads for gametogenesis. Physiological changes, such as decreases in pyloric caecal index, and increases in gonadal index and oocyte diameter were observed following the months of increased progesterone concentrations in the female pyloric caeca. These results indicate a role for this steroid in the reproductive cycle. The results from the Governor's Reef population suggest that the influence of progesterone on the reproductive cycle of female C. muricata is regulated by photoperiod. Results also provide evidence of a role for seawater temperature in the reproductive process of this species.     

Population genetics of black abalone, Haliotis cracherodii, along the central California coast

Over the past three decades, the black abalone, Haliotis cracherodii, has experienced precipitous declines in abundance over portions of its range in southern and central California. The potential for recovery of these populations is dependent in part on dispersal processes; that is, can distant populations serve as sources of recruits to locales that no longer harbor H. cracherodii? Here we use population genetic analysis to assess levels of population subdivision and infer recruitment processes. Epipodial tissue samples were obtained from over 400 black abalone from seven geographic sites between Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara counties in central California. Allelic frequencies were determined for each population at three polymorphic enzyme-encoding loci (GPI, AAT-1 and PGM). Significant allelic frequency differentiation among sites was observed at all three loci. Genetic distance was found to be independent of geographic distance over the approximately 300-km sampling range. In addition, a limited number of DNA sequences (total N=51) were obtained for the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene (COI) from five of the populations. Since the same common COI haplotype dominated each population, this analysis had little statistical power and failed to detect population structure. The observed level of population differentiation at allozyme loci was three-fold higher than that observed in California red abalone, H. rufescens. The species differ in their breeding period and it is suggested that the relatively short, summer breeding season of black abalone limits dispersal because larvae experience reduced variance in oceanographic conditions relative to red abalone that spawn year-round. Based on these results, rates of recolonization and recovery of locally depressed or extirpated black abalone populations are likely to be slow despite harvest restrictions.     

Dimensions of health and social structure in the early intermediate period cemetery at Villa El Salvador, Peru

This paper examines relationships between the social structure of a community and the health of its members, based on analysis of human skeletal remains (N = 64) from Villa El Salvador XII (100 BC-AD 100), a prehistoric cemetery located in the lower Lurín Valley, Peru. The ambiguity of social status as conventionally inferred from archaeological context is among the principal complicating factors in such an inquiry. We use multidimensional scaling of skeletal markers to identify the presence of patterned health-based heterogeneity in our sample, without making a priori assumptions about underlying social structure at Villa El Salvador. This procedure situates every skeleton relative to all others in the sample on the basis of multiple health markers, eliciting health groups. Once recognized, the relevance of those groups to social structure can be evaluated by comparison with a broad range of presumptive archaeological status indicators. We test the hypothesis that the distribution of stress indicators in human skeletons covaries with archaeological indicators of social differentiation. Based on multivariate analysis of skeletal indicators, we conclude that the cemetery at Villa El Salvador was utilized by two social groups with different geographic affinities: one of local coastal origin, and the other probably from the upper Lurín Valley or adjacent higher altitudes. These groups differ in skeletal characteristics related to childhood health, probably reflecting systematic contrasts in the growth environments of the studied individuals. This same division is independently supported by the distribution of cranial deformation, a possible marker of ethnicity. We also document some inequality in the distribution of labor among male individuals, as reflected by the relative advancement of degenerative joint disease, and congruent with differences in the number and quality of associated funerary offerings.