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- All Subjects: Physical anthropology
- Creators: Barton, Michael
Description
Objectives: The objective of this research is to develop a better understanding of the ways in which Transition Analysis estimates differ from traditional estimates in terms of age-at-death point estimation and inter-observer error. Materials and methods: In order to achieve the objectives of the research, 71 adult individuals from an archaeological site in northern Sudan were subjected to Transition Analysis age estimation by the author, a beginner-level osteologist. These estimates were compared to previously produced traditional multifactorial age estimates for these individuals, as well as a small sample of Transition Analysis estimates produced by an intermediate-level investigator. Results: Transition Analysis estimates do not have a high correlation with traditional estimates of age at death, especially when those estimates fall within middle or old adult age ranges. The misalignment of beginner- and intermediate-level Transition Analysis age estimations calls into question intra-method as well as inter-method replicability of age estimations. Discussion: Although the poor overall correlation of Transition Analysis estimates and traditional estimates in this study might be blamed on the relatively low experience level of the analyst, the results cast doubt on the replicability of Transition Analysis estimations, echoing the Bethard's (2005) results on a known-age sample. The results also question the validity of refined age estimates produced for individuals previously estimated to be in the 50+ age range by traditional methods and suggest that Transition Analysis tends to produce younger estimates than its traditional counterparts. Key words: age estimation, Transition Analysis, human osteology, observer error
ContributorsPhillips, Megann M. (Author) / Baker, Brenda (Thesis director) / Norris, Annie Laurie (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
This study explores how early modern humans used stone tool technology to adapt to changing climates and coastlines in the Middle Stone Age of South Africa. The MSA is associated with the earliest fossil evidence for modern humans and complex cultural behaviors during a time period of dramatic climate change. Human culture allows for the creation, use, and transmission of technological knowledge that can evolve with changing environmental conditions. Understanding the interactions between technology and the environment is essential to illuminating the role of culture during the origin of our species. This study is focused on understanding ancient tool use from the study of lithic edge damage patterns at archaeological assemblages in southern Africa by using image-based quantitative methods for analyzing stone tools. An extensive experimental program using replicated stone tools provides the comparative linkages between the archaeological artifacts and the tasks for which they were used. MSA foragers structured their tool use and discard behaviors on the landscape in several ways – by using and discarding hunting tools more frequently in the field rather than in caves/rockshelters, but similarly in coastal and interior contexts. This study provides evidence that during a significant microlithic technological shift seen in southern Africa at ~75,000 years ago, new technologies were developed alongside rather than replacing existing technologies. These results are compared with aspects of the European archaeological record at this time to identify features of early human technological behavior that may be unique to the evolutionary history of our species.
ContributorsSchoville, Benjamin J (Author) / Marean, Curtis W (Thesis advisor) / Barton, Michael (Committee member) / Hill, Kim (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
Early weaning, slow somatic and dental growth, and late age at reproduction are all part of a suite of energetic trade-offs that have shaped human evolution. A similar suite of energetic trade-offs has shaped the evolution of the indriid-palaeopropithecid clade, though members of this clade exhibit extremely fast dental development and nearly vestigial deciduous teeth. The development and functional occlusion of the primary postcanine dentition (i.e., deciduous premolars and molars) coincides with several life history parameters in great apes and indriids. This dissertation explored great ape dental macrowear, molar development in indriids, and molar size in lemurs with a broader goal of improving reconstructions of life history profiles in extinct primates. To this aim, macrowear and dental development were analyzed in apes and lemurs, respectively. Occlusal casts (six great ape species; N=278) were scanned to track mandibular fourth deciduous premolar (dp4) macrowear. Utilizing dental topographic analyses, changes in occlusal gradient and terrain were quantified. A subset of the great ape data (four species; n=199) was analyzed to test if differences in dp4 wear correlate with age at weaning. Using dental histology, molar development was reconstructed for Indri indri (n=1) and Avahi laniger (n=1). Life history and molar size data were collected from the literature. The results of this dissertation demonstrate that most great apes exhibited evidence of topographic maintenance, suggesting dp4s wear in a manner that maintain functional efficiency during growth and development; however, the manner in which maintenance is achieved (e.g., preservation of relief or complexity) is species specific. Dp4 macrowear is not correlated with age at weaning in great apes and is probably unreliable to reconstruct age at weaning in hominins. The pace of molar development in members of the indriid- palaeopropithecid clade did not correlate with body or brain size, an association present in several other primates. Associations of molar size with age at weaning suggest that expanding other developmental models (e.g., the inhibitory cascade) to life history is worth consideration. The broad variation in macrowear, dental development, and size highlights how the primary dentition may correlate with different life history parameters depending on the species and ecological setting, an important consideration when using teeth to reconstruct life history profiles.
ContributorsCatlett, Kierstin Kay (Author) / Schwartz, Gary (Thesis advisor) / Barton, Michael (Committee member) / Godfrey, Laurie (Committee member) / Reed, Kaye (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
This dissertation examines the interrelationships between stress, frailty, growth, mortality, and diet at the Qinifab School site, Sudan, using a combination of osteological, paleopathological, and biogeochemical methods. The skeletal sample, from the fourth cataract region of Nubia, is comprised of 100 individuals from a Late Meroitic to Christian period (~250-1400 CE) cemetery. Standard osteological methods were used to estimate age and sex, and measurements were taken to assess body dimensions. Preadults were aged by dental and skeletal development, producing two independent ages to categorize individuals as developmentally “normal” or “delayed.” Data were collected on nonspecific indicators of stress, including linear enamel hypoplasias (LEHs), porotic hyperostosis (PH), and cribra orbitalia (CO). In preadults, these were compared to World Health Organization (WHO) growth standards to identify individuals who experienced stunting or wasting. For all ages, evidence of stress was compared with age at death and growth/body size. Finally, stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses were conducted on bone collagen and carbonate samples from a representative sample of 60 individuals, of which 46 collagen samples and all carbonates had acceptable preservation.“Delayed” preadults generally showed reduced body size relative to “normal” individuals, they were more likely to be stunted, and their growth trajectories were less similar to WHO standards. However, childhood stress had little impact on adult body size. CO occurred at higher frequencies in preadults and individuals with mixed/active lesions died at younger ages. PH rarely developed before age 6 but was present in most individuals over that age. Individuals with earlier formed LEHs tended to experience more stress overall and die younger. Active/mixed CO was associated with stunting in preadults and reduced brachial index in adults.
A greater proportion of individuals in the Christian period were affected by CO compared to the Post-Meroitic. A temporal shift also occurred in diet between the Post-Meroitic and Christian periods based upon the δ13CCOLL and δ15NCOLL values. Lower δ15N and the greater difference in δ13CAP-COLL suggest a shift toward intensified agriculture and decreased use of animal products and a potential dietary etiology for the increase in CO.
ContributorsNorris, Annie Laurie (Author) / Baker, Brenda J (Thesis advisor) / Knudson, Kelly (Committee member) / Dupras, Tosha (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021