Biological anthropology in the Indo-Pacific Region: New approaches to age-old questions

Biological anthropological research, the study of both modern and past humans, is a burgeoning field in the Indo-Pacific region. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the unique environments of the Indo-Pacific have resulted in an archaeological record that does not necessarily align with those in the northern hemisphere. New, regionally-specific archaeological models are being developed, and biological anthropological research has an important role to play in establishing past human experience within these models. In the Indo-Pacific, research using ancient and modern human tissues is adding insight into global processes of prehistoric settlement and migrations, subsistence change and human biosocial adaptation. This review synthesises current themes in biological anthropology in this region. It highlights the diverse methods and approaches used by biological anthropologists to address globally-relevant archaeological questions. In recent decades a collaborative approach between archaeologists, biological anthropologists and local communities has become the norm in the region. The many positive outcomes of this multi-disciplinary approach are highlighted here through the use of regionally-specific case studies. This review ultimately aims to stimulate further collaborations between archaeologists, biological anthropologists and the communities in the region, and demonstrate how the evidence from Indo-Pacific research may be relevant to global archaeological models

Animal proxies to characterize the strontium biosphere in the northeastern Nile Delta

Strontium (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) isotope analysis is a potent tool for reconstructing the residential mobility of humans and animals in the past but is reliant on knowledge of strontium isotope variation within the expanded physical environment. This paper aims to contribute to the isoscape in the northeastern Nile Delta with faunal samples from the site of Tell el-Dab‘a (Avaris), believed to be the capital of the so-called Hyksos kings. Mapping the available ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios from Egypt and the Sudan highlights major research gaps outside the Nile region. e current corpus of knowledge also shows that the Nile River region yields a homogenous range of isotopic values (median and IQR 0.7076 0.0003). Strontium isotope ratios from human dental enamel, which record childhood residence, will provide evidence of non-locals from outside the Nile area with confidence but these values suggest that identifying movement along the Nile River in the past will be difficult without the use of supplementary evidence (e.g. oxygen stable isotope analysis). We present ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of archaeologically-derived faunal bone samples (n=6) from the site of Tell el-Dab‘a (Avaris) in the northeastern Nile Delta. e ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios fit within the expectations of the wider Nile values (mean 0.70769 0.00003) and serve as the first archaeologically-derived values reported for this area of Egypt

Diet and Migration in Prehistoric Remote Oceania

The human processes of food production and migration are intertwined and of utmost importance in the tropical Pacific, where generally depauperate islands predicated the need for effective cultural adaptations in order for settlements to thrive. This thesis investigates movement and diet of individuals from two prehistoric burial sites in Remote Oceania. Stable isotope analyses (δ13C, δ15N, δ34S) of bone collagen were conducted to examine diet within the last few years of an individual's life, while dentine collagen analysis provided information about childhood diet. Oral conditions (caries, macrowear, calculus, chipping, periodontitis, alveolar lesions, and ante-mortem tooth loss) were also examined as dietary indicators. Strontium analysis (87Sr/86Sr) of tooth enamel was conducted to investigate childhood residence, identify likely migrants, and consider cultural forces that may have affected movement in the past. The first collection (n = 28) is from the coastal site of Bourewa in the Republic of Fiji. Bourewa contained burials dated to the Vuda phase (c. 750-150 BP), a period in which climatic fluctuations in Fiji potentially dramatically affected food resources. The second skeletal collection (n = 126) are from the `Atele burial mounds on the Tongan island of Tongatapu (c. 500-150 BP). The first burial mound (To-At-1) could be classified as a commoner's burial mound while the second mound (To-At-2) was possibly used as a chiefly burial place. The possibility of diet and mobility reflecting status differences in these mounds are explored. To-At-1 and To-At-2 contained a large proportion of subadults: the bone collagen of children and adolescents yields information about the diet of those who did not survive to adulthood. Potential differences in isotope values and oral conditions frequency are explored between the sites, burial mounds, sexes, and age groups. These findings are interpreted within the biocultural context of late prehistoric social, political, and ecological environments and compared to past Pacific studies, placing the interpretations in a wider context. Bourewa individuals relied more heavily on marine foods compared to `Atele individuals as evidenced by significantly higher δ13Cbone values, less severe caries, and more severe wear. Stable isotope values from the `Atele burial mounds suggest To-At-2 adults consumed proportionately more terrestrial foods than To-At-1 adults. Dentine and bone stable isotope values from both Bourewa and `Atele adults differed significantly, suggesting childhood and adult diet variation. Caries prevalence did not differ between the sexes in either site (though in `Atele there were significant sex-based differences in paleodietary isotope values). This lack of sex-based differences in caries prevalence is at odds with the global trend of females displaying higher caries rates. Only one immigrant within each site was detected using 87Sr/86Sr analysis. Most displayed 87Sr/86Sr ratios expected for people living along a marine coastline. Paleodietary isotope values of a childhood diet different from the rest of the population served as supplementary evidence for pinpointing immigrants. This method identified two other Bourewa individuals who lived inland during childhood. With only one non-local in `Atele, religiopolitical control may have restricted who entered (and was buried on) the sacred island of Tongatapu

Reconstructing breastfeeding and weaning practices in the Bronze Age Near East using stable nitrogen isotopes.

OBJECTIVES: Breastfeeding and childhood diet have significant impact on morbidity and mortality within a population, and in the ancient Near East, it is possible to compare bioarchaeological reconstruction of breastfeeding and weaning practices with the scant textual evidence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nitrogen stable isotopes (δ15 N) are analyzed here for dietary reconstruction in skeletal collections from five Bronze Age (ca. 2,800-1,200 BCE) sites in modern Lebanon and Syria. We employed Bayesian computational modeling on cross-sectional stable isotope data of collagen samples (n = 176) mainly from previous studies to test whether the bioarchaeological evidence aligns with the textual evidence of breastfeeding and weaning practices in the region, as well as compare the estimated weaning times to the global findings using the WARN (weaning age reconstruction with nitrogen isotope analysis) Bayesian model. RESULTS: Though the Near East sites in this study had different ecological settings and economic strategies, we found that weaning was introduced to the five sites at 0.5 ± 0.2 years of age and complete weaning occurred around 2.6 ± 0.3 years of age on using the WARN computational model. These weaning processes are within the time suggested by historical texts, though average estimated weaning age on the Mediterranean coast is later than inland sites. DISCUSSION: Compared globally, these Near Eastern populations initiated the weaning process earlier but completed weaning within the global average. Early initial weaning may have created short spacing between pregnancies and a high impact on demographic growth within these agricultural populations, with some variation in subsistence practices accounting for the inland/coastal discrepancies

Oral health of the prehistoric Rima Rau cave burials, Atiu, Cook Islands.

The human skeletal remains buried in the cave of Rima Rau on the island of Atiu, have long been a subject of speculation as to their origins. Oral histories of a massacre, battle, famine and cannibal feast surround the sacred site. The local Atiuan community invited a group of bioarchaeologists from the University of Otago to help shed light on the people buried in the cave. We examined nearly 600 skeletal elements and 400 teeth, which represent at least 38 adults and 8 infants and children. This research is the assessment of their oral health, a first for a prehistoric Cook Island population. Oral health was within the range of other tropical Pacific skeletal assemblages, for dental caries, antemortem tooth loss, and supragingival calculus, with low rates of periodontal disease and periapical cavities. Degeneration of the temporomandibular joint was high and this was associated with enamel chipping, possibly linked to diet. Enamel defect prevalence indicates sex-specific health differences, but the population was robust with a good proportion who survived to adulthood despite periods of early childhood stress. Through the consideration of a skeletal census and oral health indicators, we begin to describe the burials in the cave

Ethics and applications of isotope analysis in archaeology

Abstract This synthesis explores specific ethical questions that commonly arise in isotopic analysis. For more than four decades, isotope analysis has been employed in archeological studies to explore past human and animal dietary habits, mobility patterns, and the environment in which a human or animal inhabited during life. These analyses require consideration of ethical issues. While theoretical concepts are discussed, we focus on practical aspects: working with descendant communities and other rights holders, choosing methods, creating and sharing data, and working mindfully within academia. These layers of respect and care should surround our science. This paper is relevant for specialists in isotope analysis as well as those incorporating these methods into larger projects. By covering the whole of the research process, from design to output management, we appeal broadly to archaeology and provide actionable solutions that build on the discussions in the general field.1. Introduction 1.1 Positionality 2. Responsibilities to descendant communities 2.1 Collaboration and consultation with descendant communities and other rights holders 3. Designing ethical methodologies for destructive sampling 3.1 Consider complementary analyses and futureproofing 3.2 Not all samples are ethically equal 3.3 Determine what and how much to sample 3.4 Assess sample quality 3.5 Preserve through recording 3.6 Plan what to do post-sampling 4. Ethics of data management and storage 4.1 Data management plan 4.2 OpenData 4.3 Playing FAIR 4.4 Ensuring access for all 4.5 Sharing is caring 4.6 When not to share 5 The scientific ecosystem 5.1 Isotopes in the public eye 5.2 Sustaining academic community 6. Concluding thought

Mobility and connection among the Early Bronze Age Syrian elite

The archaeological site of Umm el-Marra (in the Jabbul plain, western Syria), is a large, fortified urban center. Excavations have uncovered ten tomb structures built during the Early Bronze Age (ca. 2600–2150 BCE) that possibly contain royalty as evidenced by lavish grave goods and paleopathological evidence suggesting sociocultural buffering from the harsh social and physical environments of agricultural urban centers in the Bronze Age Near East. Inside adjacent brick installations are animal (primarily equid) skeletons interpreted as interments, possibly sacrifices in some instances, as part of ceremonies honoring the entombed. The burial site was eventually re-used as evidenced by a monumental platform above the tombs, interpreted as use for ritual activities of ancestor veneration. This study analyzed 87Sr/86Sr and δ18O values from enamel of 13 individuals interred in these tombs, along with enamel and bone samples from animals found in and around the tomb structures. Six of 13 (43 %) individuals analyzed in these tombs are identified as non-locals. Although contemporaneous data in the northern Levant is scarce, we see much higher evidence of human movement at Umm el-Marra compared to others. Only elites are included in this study, but their relative mobility might imply that the ancient city established its position as a secondary center along major trade routes through intermarriage and connectivity. The concept of ‘social memory’ is evident, as the lives and deaths of these elites are integrated into this site where ancestor veneration is evidenced in centuries following interment

The rise of coastal Middle Bronze Age Levant – A multidisciplinary approach for investigating in Sidon, Lebanon

Objectives The Levantine Middle Bronze Age (MBA, circa 2000–1500 BCE) marks a period of increased trade and regional interaction, spurred on by technological developments. In light of previous research exhibiting limited mobility in Sidon, further investigation was conducted using biodistance analysis to understand local population history and site development. Materials and Methods Dental nonmetric traits, a proxy for genetic information, were explored using ASUDAS on a sub-sample of primary inhumations (n = 35). The biodistance matrix was generated using Gower distance measures, and further tested using PERMDISP, PERMANOVA, Mantel test and hierarchical cluster analysis. The data was also contrasted to 87Sr/86Sr and δ18O as well as δ13C and δ15N values. Results There were no significant diachronic differences in isotopes values, and there was biological continuity (n = 35, Mantel test r = 0.11, p = 0.02, comparing local phases and biodistance). The analysis also suggested of a sub-group of individuals with biological proximity shared a more limited range of mobility and dietary habits. Conclusions The isotopes (87Sr/86Sr, δ18O, δ13C, δ15N) and biodistance analysis conducted on the Sidon College site skeletal assemblage exhibits stability and continuity of the people, despite the site's increasing role in the maritime network. This continuity may have been a key factor in Sidon's success, allowing it to accumulate wealth and resources for centuries to come

The Hyksos in Egypt: A Bioarchaeological Perspective

The term Hyksos commonly refers to the foreign dynasty that inhabited and held power in Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period, circa 1640–1530 BCE. Recent research has integrated archaeological, artistic and textual evidence, revealing the Hyksos origin and presence in Egypt more complex than previously envisioned. Answers to questions regarding the Hyksos origin (and reasons for migration), ethnic and biological homogeneity, nature of rule and impact on the Egyptian worldview are sought by the ‘Hyksos Enigma Project’. One of the research tracks is dedicated solely to the analysis of human remains.Bioarchaeology is a subfield of archaeology focusing on the analysis of human remains in the archaeological record. Here, bioarchaeology refers to the analysis and contextualization of human remains to answer the questions of Hyksos mobility and life history. This paper focuses on methods available for the investigation of mobility from human remains to illustrate the usefulness of bioarchaeological analyses.Mobility studies have experienced a new awakening in archaeology, caused by recent theoretical and methodological developments in both non-destructive and biochemical techniques. Ancient DNA analysis can be used to investigate both individuals and populations. Stable isotope analysis using strontium (87Sr/86Sr), oxygen (δ18O), carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) act as proxies for provenance and diet. Non-destructive biodistance analysis, using dental non-metric trait analysis and geometric morphometrics, reflects morphological closeness of individuals and groups. The analysis of human remains cannot only reveal movement of the Hyksos but can increase understanding of mobility in the eastern Mediterranean