Bones Flashcards
What teeth do Archaeologists look for first?
Teeth (preserve the best), and long bones (femur/ulna/radius)
What are the Types of Vertebrae?
Cervical (neck region, 7; location of skull connection), Thoracic (middle, 12; signs of disease), Lumbar (inferior, 5)
What are the important features of the Skull?
Parietal (one on either side, gender-determiner), Frontal (gender, huge changes over time), Occipital (location of spine, changes over time), Temporal bone, Mexilla, Mandible
What can bones help figure out?
Species, sex, age at death, geographic origin, pathology and disease
What helps determine gender?
Cranium and pelvis.
What helps determine age at death?
Amount of epiphysis and diaphysis; age of Epiphyseal Union (28). Teeth.
What helps determine Geographic Origin?
Stronium Isotope Analysis.
What is Primary Evidence?
Skeletons, mummified remains.
What is Secondary Evidence?
Documents, drawings, art.
Why study Paleopathology?
Argue prevalence of diseases; contributes knowledge to modern medicine.
What are the Limitaitons of Paleopathology?
Damage during excavations - lesions.
Dealing with a small number of individuals.
If death was quickly, there would be no evidence on bones.
Who was an example of Paleopathology?
Aurual atresia - no hole for an ear, buried abnormally and with a mirror. Perhaps he was treated differently when alive.
What is an Osteobiography?
Trying to figure out the story of one individual.
What can Molecular Archaeology do?
Utilize ancient DNA to answer Archaeological questions; examples: Peopling of the New World, origins of domesticated maize, tuberculosis.
