Skeletal Frailty at Kałdus, a Medieval Poland Early Piast Dynasty Cemetery

The objective of this project is to assess skeletal frailty, as estimated using a skeletal frailty index (SFI), at the medieval Polish site of Kałdus to better evaluate the impacts of living and social environments on individuals within this urban­izing population. We assessed biological frailty in adults from the Global History of Health Project database. 11 skeletal and dentoalveolar biomarkers were selected as representative of childhood and adulthood frailty and aggregated into an SFI by summing their occurrence in each individual. Cumulative skeletal frailty scores were tabulated for each individ­ual and could range from 0 (no skeletal markers of stressors present) to 11 (all skeletal markers of stressors present) based on the presence or severity of lifetime stressors that altered their living bones. As many skeletal frailty markers correlate with age, SFIs were compared between individuals within specific age groups: 18–25 (n = 21), 26–35 (n = 31), 36–45 (n = 31), and >45 (n = 25) years. In the overall sample, SFI averaged 4.13 (range 0–9, sd = 1.98). Among males (n = 56), SFI averaged 4.45 (sd = 1.90; range 1–8); among females (n=52), it was 3.79 (sd = 2.03; range 0–9). SFI was lowest in the youngest age group, 2.38 (sd = 1.83; range 0–6) and highest in the oldest, 5.48 (sd = 1.50; range 2–9; p < 0.001). In these medieval skeletons, SFI distributions were significantly different between males and females only when accounting for age (p = 0.044), with females exhibiting higher mean frailty within each age group. Skeletal frailty, as estimated from biomarkers of skeletal stress, suggests these individuals were exposed to considerable stress throughout their lives. As Poland’s written history in the medieval period is sparse, assessing skeletal frailty provides an alternative way to under­stand the lives and experienced stressors of its inhabitants. Further research connecting skeletal frailty to burial context and isotopic evidence will illuminate connections of SFI with diet, lifestyle, and health in medieval Poland

Resolving Commingling, Restoring Identity: An Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Ethical Study of Individuals from a Human Skeletal Teaching Collection

In Fall 2022, human skeletal remains were discovered in the Department of Biology’s Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy Laboratory. No documentation about the acquisition or curation history was found. With no current protocols for repatriating individuals in university skeletal teaching collections, an interdisciplinary research team analyzed the skeletal remains to resolve to commingle and identify the people. Using standardized methods in forensic anthropology, we estimated the minimum number of individuals represented through taphonomic, demographic, paleopathological, and morphological variables and variation. Results indicated, minimally, 36 to 56 individuals represented by 250 bones. Of these individuals, 12 were estimated as probable female, 16 as probable male, 3 as intermediate, and 5 as indeterminate adults. All bones were associated with adult individuals, and estimated ages ranged from 20 to 50 years. Average stature estimates were below globally-reported average heights, and dentoalveolar conditions suggested poor oral health for at least five of the individuals. Cranial measurements from five individuals were consistent with variations recorded in modern and historical African and Asian populations. Taphonomic findings of postmortem bone processing (e.g., bleaching, articulation, and hardware features) identify these individuals as non-consenting bodies of the global (Carolina Biological Company) and local (anatomy departments and medical schools) bone trade. Their acquisition and postmortem treatment highlights a long history of objectification, exploitation, and dehumanization. In this skeletal analysis, we have endeavored to restore aspects of these individuals’ identities by reassociating bones to individuals and presenting the biological variation embodied in these remains

Inventorying, Reporting, and Communicating Human Osteological Findings from Highland Creek, KY

The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) of 1990 was a direct response to years of blatant desecration to Native American burial sites and sacred spaces. NAGPRA mandates that museums, universities, and public institutions inventory and report all Native American remains and burial artifacts within their collections, and stipulates that no invasive study be undertaken on NAGPRA remains without tribal consent. The seeming inability to engage in extensive study has led to a shortage of anthropologists, specifically archaeologists and bioarchaeologists, electing to work with indigenous remains. With the legal limitations inherent to NAGPRA, there is continuous debate as to whether this legislation is a hindrance to osteological (bioarchaeological) research, or whether it encourages an ethical baseline to our scientific research. This study set out to examine human skeletal remains excavated from Highland Creek, Kentucky by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1997 and currently curated at the Center for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage at the University of Louisville. Previous examination of remains from individual and commingled contexts identified 214 skeletal elements. For this study, more comprehensive macroscopic, non-destructive methods were employed to both estimate age, sex, and minimum number of individuals (MNI) and provide preliminary palaeopathological data for inventory purposes. Complete and fragmentary skeletal elements from the site were inventoried in newly designed NAGPRA documentation forms that were designed to communicate osteological findings and inventories to tribes in a culturally sensitive manner. Results showed that current MNI counts, utilizing this new recording system, differed from the original report, highlighting the need for more thorough macroscopic analysis and accuracy in NAGPRA reporting and consultation. Without diluting scientific results, immediate, actionable changes to NAGPRA procedures within our lab demonstrate that respectful methods do not hinder but enhance our research and relationships with past and present indigenous peoples and cultures

Frail or hale: Skeletal frailty indices in Medieval London skeletons

<div><p>To broaden bioarchaeological applicability of skeletal frailty indices (SFIs) and increase sample size, we propose indices with fewer biomarkers (2–11 non-metric biomarkers) and compare these reduced biomarker SFIs to the original metric/non-metric 13-biomarker SFI. From the 2-11-biomarker SFIs, we choose the index with the fewest biomarkers (6-biomarker SFI), which still maintains the statistical robusticity of a 13-biomarker SFI, and apply this index to the same Medieval monastic and nonmonastic populations, albeit with an increased sample size. For this increased monastic and nonmonastic sample, we also propose and implement a 4-biomarker SFI, comprised of biomarkers from each of four stressor categories, and compare these SFI distributions with those of the non-metric biomarker SFIs. From the Museum of London WORD database, we tabulate multiple SFIs (2- to 13-biomarkers) for Medieval monastic and nonmonastic samples (N = 134). We evaluate associations between these ten non-metric SFIs and the 13-biomarker SFI using Spearman’s correlation coefficients. Subsequently, we test non-metric 6-biomarker and 4-biomarker SFI distributions for associations with cemetery, age, and sex using Analysis of Variance/Covariance (ANOVA/ANCOVA) on larger samples from the monastic and nonmonastic cemeteries (N = 517). For Medieval samples, Spearman’s correlation coefficients show a significant association between the 13-biomarker SFI and all non-metric SFIs. Utilizing a 6-biomarker and parsimonious 4-biomarker SFI, we increase the nonmonastic and monastic samples and demonstrate significant lifestyle and sex differences in frailty that were not observed in the original, smaller sample. Results from the 6-biomarker and parsimonious 4-biomarker SFIs generally indicate similarities in means, explained variation (R²), and associated P-values (ANOVA/ANCOVA) within and between nonmonastic and monastic samples. We show that non-metric reduced biomarker SFIs provide alternative indices for application to other bioarchaeological collections. These findings suggest that a SFI, comprised of six or more non-metric biomarkers available for the specific sample, may have greater applicability than, but comparable statistical characteristics to, the originally proposed 13-biomarker SFI.</p></div

Spearman’s correlations for 2–11 and 13-biomarker skeletal frailty indices (SFIs) (R = correlation coefficient, P = P-value, and N = number of cases).

<p>Spearman’s correlations for 2–11 and 13-biomarker skeletal frailty indices (SFIs) (R = correlation coefficient, P = P-value, and N = number of cases).</p

Age distribution of 134 skeletons from Medieval monastic and nonmonastic cemeteries [1].

<p>Age distribution of 134 skeletons from Medieval monastic and nonmonastic cemeteries [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0176025#pone.0176025.ref001" target="_blank">1</a>].</p

Distribution of adult males and females according to age categories in original Medieval monastic and nonmonastic cemeteries.

<p>Percentages reflect proportion of monastic or nonmonastic sample.</p

Number of adult males and females from 1497 skeletons of Medieval monastic and nonmonastic cemeteries with all 11 nonmetric biomarkers available (N = 517).

<p>Number of adult males and females from 1497 skeletons of Medieval monastic and nonmonastic cemeteries with all 11 nonmetric biomarkers available (N = 517).</p

Age distribution of 134 adults from Medieval London monastic and nonmonastic cemetery contexts.

<p>Age distribution of 134 adults from Medieval London monastic and nonmonastic cemetery contexts.</p

Chronological and demographic data for total monastic and nonmonastic samples from which this study’s smaller samples were derived.

<p>Chronological and demographic data for total monastic and nonmonastic samples from which this study’s smaller samples were derived.</p