Scott E. Burnett

This work documents the first unambiguous case of a pre-Hispanic Peruvian with dental inlays-an adult bearing two labially drilled maxillary canines, one of which retains an electrum inlay in situ. Intentional dental modification, occurring in a wide variety of forms, is a geographically and temporally wide-ranging cultural practice. Most commonly identified in Mesoamerica, intentional dental modification has also been reported both ethnohistorically and archaeologically in South America. Most definitive archaeological cases are Ecuadorian, and thus this individual, recovered from a primary ritual center of the Southern Moche State, located in north coastal Peru, presents a unique case. This work employs a microhistorical osteobiographical approach to documenting this individual. To characterize aspects of their life history and the nature of the inlay, enamel was analyzed for carbonate delta C-13, delta O-18, Sr-87/Sr-86, and Pb-206,Pb-7,Pb-8Pb/204 characterization and dentin for collagen delta C-13 and delta N-15 characterization and accelerator mass spectrometry dating. Inlay composition was analyzed using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Together, these data suggest that the inlaid individual likely migrated to the Moche Valley from Ecuador. The burial context of the skeletal individual's remains and the cultural context of Moche society imply that their unique presentation and connection to Ecuador were important status markers.

Little has been published about the health of individuals living in Central Thailand during the Iron Age (ca. 2500 – 1500 BP). The site of Phromthin Thai provides an opportunity to examine indicators of systemic stress and signs of compromised health during this time period using human skeletal remains. Twenty-six Iron Age skeletons from the site were examined for indicators of systemic stress or compromised health in the form of porotic hyperostosis, cribra orbitalia, linear enamel hypoplasia, dental caries, and trauma. These results were compared with data from the Ban Pong Manao site in Central Thailand and from two sites in different parts of Northeast Thailand to determine whether frequencies of these indicators varied significantly at Phromthin Tai. We found that the skeletons from Phromthin Tai exhibited generally low frequencies of most of these skeletal indicators, and that the prevalence of most of these indicators were similar to that reported for Ban Pong Manao in Central Thailand, and Ban Chiang and Noen U-Loke in Northeast Thailand. The main difference was a surprisingly low frequency of dental caries compared to the other three sites, which may relate to some unknown difference in the diet.   งานการศึกษาวิจัยเกี่ยวกับสุขภาพอนามัยของผู้คนสมัยเหล็ก (ประมาณ ๑,๕๐๐ – ๒,๕๐๐ ปีมาแล้ว) ในภาคกลางที่มีการตีพิมพ์นับว่ายังมีไม่มาก แหล่งโบราณคดีพรหมทินใต้ได้เปิดโอกาสให้พวกเราศึกษาตรวจสอบเรื่องราวเกี่ยวกับสุขอนามัยโดยพิจารณาจากตัวบ่งชี้สุขภาพต่าง ๆ ซึ่งปรากฎหรือทิ้งร่องรอยไว้บนกระดูกมนุษย์ที่ถูกฝังไว้ในช่วงสมัยเหล็ก ตัวอย่างกระดูกที่ศึกษามาจากผู้ตายจำนวน ๒๖ คน ตัวบ่งชี้สุขภาพอนามัยที่เราศึกษาได้แก่ร่องรอยความพรุนบนกะโหลกศีรษะ (porotic hyperostosis) ร่องรอยความพรุนบนกระดูกบนเพดานเบ้าตา (cribra orbitalia) ร่องรอยความผิดปกติบนเคลือบฟัน (linear enamel hypoplasia)  โรคฟันผุ (dental caries) และร่องรอยบาดแผล (trauma) เรานำผลการศึกษาไปเปรียบเทียบกับข้อมูลและผลการศึกษาสุขอนามัยของผู้คนสมัยเหล็กจากแหล่งโบราณคดีบ้านโป่งมะนาวในภาคกลางและแหล่งโบราณคดีอีก ๒ แหล่ง (แหล่งโบราณคดีบ้านเชียงและแหล่งโบราณคดีเนินอุโลก) ในภาคตะวันออกเฉียงเหนือที่มีการศึกษามาแล้ว จากผลการศึกษา เราพบว่าโครงกระดูกของผู้คนสมัยที่แหล่งโบราณคดีพรหมทินใต้โดยทั่วไปมีร่องรอยตัวบ่งชี้สุขอนามัยค่อนข้างต่ำ ซึ่งคล้ายหรือใกล้เคียงกับสุขอนามัยของผู้คนสมัยเดียวกันที่แหล่งโบราณคดีบ้านโป่งมะนาวในภาคกลางและแหล่งโบราณคดีบ้านเชียงและแหล่งโบราณคดีเนินอุโลกในภาคตะวันออกเฉียงเหนือ สิ่งที่แตกต่างกันอย่างน่าประหลาดก็คือผู้คนที่แหล่งโบราณคดีพรหมทินใต้มีร่องรอยโรคฟันผุน้อยหรือต่ำกว่าผู้คนจากแหล่งโบราณคดี ๓ แหล่งที่นำมาเปรียบเทียบ

Intentionally modified teeth provide a durable record of past identities, but their identification in archaeological samples has been inconsistent. This study assesses common diagnostic criteria for identifying intentional dental ablation by testing for false-positive cases of ablation in a control group of non-human primates where no true cases of dental ablation are expected. The primary author observed the dentition of 849 non-human primates from the National Museum of Natural History’s Division of Mammals, including great apes, lesser apes, and relatively large-bodied, Old-World monkeys. A smaller sample was selected for further study based on antemortem tooth absence and collection history. Seven different methodologies using combinations of six diagnostic criteria for the identification of dental ablation were chosen from a sample of published studies. To determine which criteria combinations may have falsely identified dental ablation in these specimens were, the non-human primate control group was analyzed based on anterior tooth loss, lack of disease, symmetry of loss, full healing of the alveolus, lack of evidence for trauma, and normal tooth spacing. All scoring methodologies produced false-positive results, many diverging significantly from expected results. Dental ablation was falsely identified in 2–17% of the non-human primate control group, with the highest false-positive rates when symmetry or normal spacing were not included as discriminating criteria. This work demonstrates the necessity for thorough and descriptive methodologies for replicability to be possible. It also highlights the importance of symmetry and tooth spacing as diagnostic criteria to avoid false positives. 

Dientes con modificaciones intencionales dan un registro duradero de identidades pasadas, pero su identificación en especímenes arqueológicos ha sido inconsistente. Esta investigación evalúa los criterios de diagnóstico comunes para identificar la ablación dental intencional por medio de la prueba de casos de falsos positivos de ablación en un grupo de control de primates no humanos, donde no se esperan casos verdaderos de ablación dental. El autor principal observó la dentición de 849 primates no humanos de la División de Mamíferos del Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, incluso los grandes simios, los simios menores y los monos del Viejo Mundo de cuerpo relativamente grande. Se seleccionó una muestra para un análisis más profundo basado en la ausencia de dientes antemortem y la historia del espécimen. De una muestra de once investigaciones publicada, se eligieron siete metodologías diferentes que utilizan combinaciones de seis criterios de diagnóstico para la identificación de la ablación dental. Para determinar qué combinaciones de criterios pueden haber identificado falsamente la ablación dental en estos especímenes si fueran humanos, se analizó el grupo de control de primates no humanos en función de la pérdida de dientes anteriores, la falta de enfermedad, la simetría de la ausencia de dientes, la curación completa del hueso alveolar, la falta de evidencia para traumatismos y el espacio normal entre los dientes. Todos los métodos de análisis produjeron resultados falsos positivos, muchos de los 2–17% del grupo de control de primates no humanos, con las tasas más altas de falsos positivos cuando la simetría o el espacio normal no se incluyeron como criterios de discriminación. Este trabajo demuestra la necesidad de metodologías exhaustivas y descriptivas para la replicabilidad. También ilumina la importancia de la simetría y el espacio entre dientes como criterios diagnósticos para evitar falsos positivos

Research on the upper limbs of Thai skeletons has shown a relatively high level of sexual dimorphism in this population. However the wrist has not been extensively studied for sex estimation in Thailand. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the utility of carpal bones for sex estimation in a forensic context in Thailand. Fifteen (15) measurements were taken on seven carpals from 100 skeletons (50 males, 50 females) who died in the northern area of Thailand. Six of the seven carpals produced logistic regression equations with correct allocation accuracies of 84.0% or higher. The only exception was the triquetrum, which did not reach the 80% threshold. Three of the four equations with the highest estimated accuracies came from the trapezium - the highest reaching 92.0%. The trapezoid and capitate each produced one measurement with correct allocation accuracies of 87.8% or higher. The single measurement with the best combination of correct allocation accuracy (89.1%), measurement error (0.05%), and measurability (44/50 bones) on both sides is trapezium maximum length. Combining this dimension with maximum length of the 1 st metacarpal facet on the right side produced an allocation accuracy of 91.8%, with accuracies above 90% for both sexes.

Gorillas living in western central Africa (Gorilla gorilla) are morphologically and genetically distinguishable from those living in eastern central Africa (Gorilla beringei). Genomic analyses show eastern gorillas experienced a significant reduction in population size during the Pleistocene subsequent to geographical isolation from their western counterparts. However, how these results relate more specifically to the recent biogeographical and evolutionary history of eastern gorillas remains poorly understood. Here we show that two rare morphological traits are present in the hands and feet of both eastern gorilla subspecies at strikingly high frequencies (>60% in G. b. graueri; ∼28% in G. b. beringei) in comparison with western gorillas (<1%). The intrageneric distribution of these rare traits suggests that they became common among eastern gorillas after diverging from their western relatives during the early to middle Pleistocene. The extremely high frequencies observed among grauer gorillas-which currently occupy a geographic range more than ten times the size of that of mountain gorillas-imply that grauers originated relatively recently from a small founding population of eastern gorillas. Current paleoenvironmental, geological, and biogeographical evidence supports the hypothesis that a small group of eastern gorillas likely dispersed westward from the Virungas into present-day grauer range in the highlands just north of Lake Kivu, either immediately before or directly after the Younger Dryas interval. We propose that as the lowland forests of central Africa expanded rapidly during the early Holocene, they became connected with the expanding highland forests along the Albertine Rift and enabled the descendants of this small group to widely disperse. The descendant populations significantly expanded their geographic range and population numbers relative to the gorillas of the Virunga Mountains and the Bwindi-Impenetrable Forest, ultimately resulting in the grauer gorilla subspecies recognized today. This founder-effect hypothesis offers some optimism for modern conservation efforts to save critically endangered eastern gorillas from extinction.

Carpal bone bipartition is a developmental variant resulting in the division of a normally singular carpal into two distinct segments. Cases involving the scaphoid are best known, though many other carpals can be affected, including the trapezoid. Six new examples of bipartite trapezoids, identified in African and Asian anatomical and archeological samples, are reported here and compared with the eight previously known. While the site of bipartition is consistent, the resulting segments exhibit variability in their articulations with neighboring carpals. Five of the six affected trapezoids were identified in African or African-derived samples, yielding a significantly higher frequency (0.323%) of bipartite trapezoid than seen in anatomical or archeological series of European origin. Bilateral bipartite trapezoids in archeological remains from the Mid Holocene site of Gobero (Niger) are potentially the oldest bipartite carpals yet identified in humans. Their discovery may indicate that trapezoid bipartition is a condition that has been present in African populations since prehistoric times, though more data are needed. Because bipartite carpals may be symptomatic and can occur as part of syndromes, the significant population variation in frequency identified here has potential utility in both anatomical and clinical contexts. However, a comparison of the morphological appearance of bipartite trapezoids with the suggested criteria for bipartite scaphoid diagnosis indicates that these criteria are not equally applicable to other carpals. Fortunately, due to the rarity of fracture, identification of the bipartite trapezoid and separating it from pathological conditions is considerably easier than diagnosing a bipartite scaphoid.

The carpals from the Homo floresiensis type specimen (LB1) lack features that compose the shared, derived complex of the radial side of the wrist in Neandertals and modern humans. This paper comprises a description and three-dimensional morphometric analysis of new carpals from at least one other individual at Liang Bua attributed to H. floresiensis: a right capitate and two hamates. The new capitate is smaller than that of LB1 but is nearly identical in morphology. As with capitates from extant apes, species of Australopithecus, and LB1, the newly described capitate displays a deeply-excavated nonarticular area along its radial aspect, a scaphoid facet that extends into a J-hook articulation on the neck, and a more radially-oriented second metacarpal facet; it also lacks an enlarged palmarly-positioned trapezoid facet. Because there is no accommodation for the derived, palmarly blocky trapezoid that characterizes Homo sapiens and Neandertals, this individual most likely had a plesiomorphically wedge-shaped trapezoid (like LB1). Morphometric analyses confirm the close similarity of the new capitate and that of LB1, and are consistent with previous findings of an overall primitive articular geometry. In general, hamate morphology is more conserved across hominins, and the H. floresiensis specimens fall at the far edge of the range of variation for H. sapiens in a number of metrics. However, the hamate of H. floresiensis is exceptionally small and exhibits a relatively long, stout hamulus lacking the oval-shaped cross-section characteristic of human and Neandertal hamuli (variably present in australopiths). Documentation of a second individual with primitive carpal anatomy from Liang Bua, along with further analysis of trapezoid scaling relative to the capitate in LB1, refutes claims that the wrist of the type specimen represents a modern human with pathology. In total, the carpal anatomy of H. floresiensis supports the hypothesis that the lineage leading to the evolution of this species originated prior to the cladogenetic event that gave rise to modern humans and Neandertals.

ABSTRACT Tarsal coalition is a congenital defect that results when adjacent tarsals fail to separate properly during embryonic development. Anatomically, coalitions present as non‐osseous bridges of cartilage or fibrocartilage – and occasionally as osseous bridges – between two neighboring bones. In skeletons, non‐osseous tarsal coalitions are recognizable as matching lesions between two bones at predictable locations. These coalitions are of interest because they are known to be heritable and are therefore useful for tracing genetic relatives in archaeological cemeteries, because they can be misinterpreted in skeletons as trauma or joint disease, and because they can result in associated pathology. However, despite a considerable literature on tarsal coalition, estimates of coalition frequencies disagree considerably, perhaps due to biases inherent in clinical sampling. In order to gain a better estimate of tarsal coalition frequencies in human populations, data were gathered on 342 European‐Americans from the Terry Collection (Smithsonian Institution), 536 South Africans from the Dart Collection (University of Witwatersrand, South Africa), and 756 medieval Danish skeletons (Anthropological Database, Odense University). The Danish skeletons are archaeological, with sample sizes by coalition type ranging from 366–507 individuals. Examples of eight different types of intertarsal coalition were identified among the 1634 skeletons examined. Overall frequency estimates for tarsal coalition ranged from 2.1%–3.5%. South Africans exhibited significantly higher frequencies in the midfoot, with naviculocuneiform I coalition (1.0%) the most common type. Conversely, no coalitions of the midfoot were found among the Euro‐Americans or medieval Danes. Instead, these groups exhibited calcaneonavicular coalition as the most common type in the hindfoot (2.0% and 2.1% respectively), while calcaneonavicular coalition was among the least common in the South Africans (0.2%). Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.