THE BIOARCHAEOLOGY OF THE VAT KOMNOU CEMETERY, ANGKOR BOREI, CAMBODIA

Approximately 60 inhumation burials, of varying states of completeness and preservation, dated between 200 BC and AD 400 (or the early historic period in the Mekong delta) were excavated at the Vat Komnou cemetery located in Angkor Borei, Cambodia, by the University of Hawaii and the Royal University of Fine Arts in 1999 and 2000. The cemetery contained the remains of all age groups from infants to old adults. Over 40% of the burials are subadults. Adult males outnumber females 2 to 1 and most of the adults died as young adults. Osteological analyses are beginning to provide us with our first glimpses of these protohistoric people, associated with early Khmer culture, including evidence of health, disease, physiological stress, injury, physical activity, subsistence, length of life, and cultural modification of bone and teeth. Among the findings are tooth caries, moderate to extreme tooth attrition, and evidence of periodontal disease. Many of the teeth show evidence of betel staining. Healed fractures of the cranium and the infracranial skeleton, although rare, were also observed. Comparisons with other skeletal series from Southeast Asia provide regional context for these preliminary observations

Testing the human factor: Radiocarbon dating the first peoples of the South Pacific

Archaeologists have long debated the origins and mode of dispersal of the immediate predecessors of all Polynesians and many populations in Island Melanesia. Such debates are inextricably linked to a chronological framework provided, in part, by radiocarbon dates. Human remains have the greatest potential for providing answers to many questions pertinent to these debates. Unfortunately, bone is one of the most complicated materials to date reliably because of bone degradation, sample pretreatment and diet. This is of particular concern in the Pacific where humidity contributes to the rapid decay of bone protein, and a combination of marine, reef, C₄, C₃ and freshwater foods complicate the interpretation of ¹⁴C determinations. Independent advances in bone pretreatment, isotope multivariate modelling and radiocarbon calibration techniques provide us, for the first time, with the tools to obtain reliable calibrated ages for Pacific burials. Here we present research that combines these techniques, enabling us to re-evaluate the age of burials from key archaeological sites in the Pacific

Discriminant function analysis of craniometric data for distinguishing Japanese and Filipino crania

Given their similar morphology and gene-flow histories, determining whether an unidentified cranium found in the Philippines is Japanese or Filipino presents a challenge. Two different analyses are undertaken. First, discriminant function (DF) analyses are applied to 295 crania using 22 measurements for distinguishing between: 1) males and females, 2) Japanese and Filipino males, and 3) Japanese and Filipino females, and 4) among four groups (Japanese males, Filipino males, Japanese females, and Filipino females). Second, a DF equation for distinguishing Japanese males and Filipino males using 173 crania and 29 measurements is introduced. In addition to being able to distinguish between Japanese and Filipino crania, this study found that seldom used cranial measurements such as simonic chord (least nasal breadth -WNB), inferior malar length (IML), and maximum malar length (XML) are influential for distinguishing between these two Asian groups. The predicted classification accuracy of DF equations from both analyses ranged from 82.0% to 93.6%. Sixty test crania for the first study and 40 for the second study maintains classification success rates between 82.0% and 93.3%. The DF equations reported in this study can be a useful initial screening tool for identifying Japanese war dead in the Philippines

Skeletal and Dental Health of Precontact Marquesans: The Bioarchaeology of the Human Skeletons from Ha‘atuatua, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands

Skeletal and dental indicators (e.g., stature, linear enamel hypoplasia, cribra orbitalia, trauma, dental pathologies, and other evidence of disease) recorded in 45 subadult and 36 adult skeletons from the NHaa 1 site at Ha‘atuatua, Nuku Hiva, northern Marquesas, are used to examine the health, diet, and lifestyle of precontact Marquesans during the Expansion Period (ca. A.D. 1300–1600). Limited comparisons with skeletons from Hane on Ua Huka and other Pacific Island series augment this study. In addition to elevated numbers of subadult deaths, many during the first year of life, significant palaeopathology suggestive of infection, anemia, or metabolic disease was noted for seven subadults. In contrast, very little palaeopathology was noted in the adults and no significant sex differences for most indicators of health. With few exceptions, the skeletal and dental indicators of health in the Ha‘atuatua and Hane series were very similar. Compared to other precontact Pacific series, the Ha‘atuatua males were tall and similar to other East Polynesians. Higher frequencies of stress fracture in the lower back at Ha‘atuatua may be linked to activities associated with landscape changes and the construction of stone megalithic structures. The skeletal and dental indicators of health observed in the Ha‘atuatua burials are most like those reported for other East Polynesian series. The precontact inhabitants of the Marquesas were generally healthy, contrary to expectations of increased disease frequencies and evidence of warfare during the Expansion Period at Ha‘atuatua. These new bioarchaeological data broaden our understanding of the health and lifestyle of precontact Polynesians

Sex and Geographic Differences in Health of the Early Inhabitants of the Mariana Islands

The early inhabitants of the Mariana Islands encountered numerous challenges that likely affected their health, including island size, vulnerability to natural disasters, availability of resources, and shifts in climate. Other factors that could have led to differences in health include biological sex, social status, diet, and genetic factors (e.g., host resistance). This article examines the effects of environment and biological sex on the health of the earliest inhabitants of the Mariana Islands through an analysis of indicators of health recorded in skeletons from Guam, Rota, Tinian, and Saipan. The indicators of health investigated include cribra orbitalia (CO), linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH), stature, trauma, infection, and dental disease (antemortem tooth loss [AMTL], dental caries, alveolar defect, dental calculus, and attrition). Betel staining of teeth is also examined. To determine if there are differences attributable to sex, male and female data are compared for each island separately and then for all the islands combined. To examine differences between islands, separate comparisons of these indicators are made for males and females. Examining islands separately, no significant sex differences were observed for CO, spondylolysis, fractures, treponemal infection, AMTL, or dental calculus. Significant sex differences were observed for LEH, betel-stained teeth, and the other dental pathologies. With few exceptions, sex differences in the observed indicators were consistent across islands. Observing male and female health across the islands revealed no significant differences for stature, trauma or infections. For the remaining indicators, significant differences were observed. Similarities in health between Guam and Rota in the south and Tinian and Saipan located farther north suggest that geography, environmental constraints, and social and cultural networking were important variables affecting the health and lives of the early inhabitants of the Mariana Islands

Biocultural Practices during the Transition to History at the Vat Komnou Cemetery, Angkor Borei, Cambodia

Mainland Southeast Asia underwent dramatic changes after the mid-first millennium B.C.E., as its populations embraced new metallurgical and agricultural technologies. Southeast Asians transformed their physical and social environments further through their participation in international maritime trade networks. Early state formation characterized much of the mainland by the mid-first millennium C.E. We examined a protohistoric (200 B.C.E.–200 C.E.) skeletal sample from the Vat Komnou cemetery at Angkor Borei in the Mekong Delta (southern Cambodia) to understand the health impacts of this changing environment. Degenerative joint disease patterns indicate a distinct sexual division of labor. Although intentional dental filing was practiced, its impact on oral-dental health could not be determined. Dental pathologies suggest a mixed diet with more fibrous foods and a lower reliance on soft, processed agricultural foods. A broad-spectrum diet and varied use of the local environment are inferred from the faunal evidence. Stable isotope ratios indicate a relatively greater reliance on fish and estuarine dietary resources than on terrestrial protein. Affinities with other groups in the region are suggested by the cultural practices of the relatively tall, healthy inhabitants from Vat Komnou