Near Eastern bioarchaeology covers the study of human skeletal remains from archaeological sites in Cyprus, Egypt, Levantine coast, Jordan, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen.
Recent years have seen increased contributions in the application of bioarchaeological methods in investigating past populations in many areas around the world. Human osteological studies in the early 20th century were mostly descriptive and often overlooked the synthesis of biological, archaeological and historical narratives. It is only in the 1970s that bioarchaeology gained traction in concurrence with a change in the methodological approaches occurring in biological anthropology. In the Eastern Mediterranean these trends are exemplified in the seminal work on ancient population dynamics and health by J. Lawrence Angel, which prompted scholars from various backgrounds (e.g. archaeologists, anthropologists, prehistorians/historians, biological anthropologists) to communicate at a multi-disciplinary level. This facilitated and promoted research that relied on contextually informed perspectives of the human past, for example, bioarchaeologists began to analyze data at the level of a population rather than at an individual level, and then they integrated their results within the environmental and historical context.
In the Near East, bioarchaeological research has also witnessed an important advancement as the synthesis of bioarchaeological data with other lines of evidence is being systematically utilized to explore the lives of past populations in this archaeologically rich area. Such developments are often occurring within highly challenging socio-political contexts as certain countries (e.g. Syria, Yemen) are experiencing civil unrest and going through massive political upheaval. Nonetheless, there is an active trend of increasing and more integrated bioarchaeology projects in the Near East, which is anticipated to enhance our understanding on the diachronic interplay between ecological, socio-cultural, and political-economic developments in the region.
Activity (degenerative changes) Entheseal Changes Egypt
Tendons or ligaments connect muscles to bones through a connective tissue referred to as enthesis. The muscle attachment sites on the skeleton often manifest morphological changes (new bone formation or bone resorption), which are called ‘entheseal changes’ (ECs). The expression of ECs is highly dependent upon an individual’s age, body mass and other factors; however, ECs have also been widely utilized in the field of bioarchaeology to reconstruct activity patterns.
Osama Refai, from the National Research Centre in Cairo, studied two assemblages from the Old Kingdom (2700 – 2190 c. BCE) in Giza that belong to two distinct economic classes: a) workers; b) high officials. Location of the burials, tomb architecture, funerary artifacts, and tomb engravings were used to distinguish between the different socio-economic classes. ECs were used to test for any correlation they exhibit with activity patterns and social class. Indeed, the expression of ECs between the two social classes revealed that workers were more actively engaging in stress-related activities. So, by combining funerary data, demographic patterns (age and sex), and activity patterns, ECs were successfully used to explore division of labour in ancient Egypt.
Osteoarthritis Turkey Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease that affects the junctions of articulating elements, or synovial joints (e.g. knee, shoulder) and is characterized by the damage of cartilage. OA is the most commonly documented pathology found in archaeological human remains and has been used extensively as an activity marker that reflects stress-related activity patterns or occupation. Factors such as age, sex, body size and others also affect its expression.
Kathryn Marklein from the Ohio State University explored the prevalence of OA between two Roman period (2nd – 3rd c. CE) skeletal assemblages retrieved from mass graves in Oymaağaç, Vezirköprü, Turkey. It was previously indicated through the analyses of non-metric traits that several individuals from one of the mass graves demonstrated biological relatedness with each other. In order to establish an approach for the evaluation of a possible genetic and socio-historical context correlated with OA, Marklein’s aim was to test if comparing different OA distribution patterns between familial and non-familial groups can indicate familial relatedness at Oymaağaç. Ten synovial joints were selected for the study among adults from site 1 (17 individuals) and site 2 (23 individuals). The study found no significant data to suggest a correlation between OA and different burial group, nor a correlation between OA and biologically related individuals.
Spinal Arthritis Jordan Degenerative changes observed on the intervertebral joints are not considered osteoarthritis (OA) strictly speaking, since OA only affects synovial joints, whereas intervertebral joints are amphiarthrodial, i.e. cartilaginous joints that allow for mild or minimal movement of the articulating elements. Nonetheless, osteoarthritis and spinal arthritis have a very similar manifestation and they are often grouped together in the bioarchaeological literature. Bioarchaeological and clinical studies have demonstrated that the manifestation of spinal arthritis is linked to factors such as age, sex, body size, mechanical stress, bipedal posture, and others. As with OA, spinal arthritis has been traditionally used in bioarchaeological studies to explore different aspects of social and cultural parameters.
Lesley Gregoricka and Jaime Ullinger from the Ohio State University examined the changes in spinal degenerative disease frequencies of the cervical vertebrae from the Early Bronze Age (3150 – 2300 c. BCE) skeletal assemblage of Bab edh-Dhra’ in Jordan. The aim of the study was to confirm or refute whether an increase in sedentism at the site led to declining workloads. Analysis revealed that the frequency of spinal arthritis decreased from 21% to 13% across the Early Bronze Age at the site. This decrease over time was attributed to a reduction in physical stress on the neck resulting from changes associated with carrying loads on the head. Both authors go on to suggest that the semi-sedentary group of the EB IA (3150 – 3050 c. BCE) were probably practicing small-scale horticulture, yet leaving no significant archaeological remains behind; while the later sedentary group of the Early Bronze Age II-III (2900 – 2300 BCE) at Bab edh-Dhra’ lived year-round next to agricultural fields and streams, therefore, travelling shorter distances for transporting crops and water.
Schmorl’s Nodes Jordan Compressive forces stressing the vertebral column as a result of mechanical loading often cause disc herniation. In turn, this facilitates the formation of cystic lesions referred to as Schmorl’s nodes on the superior and inferior vertebral endplates.
Sarah Henkle (Tulane University) and her colleagues from Dickinson college and Ohio State University examined the prevalence and intensity of Schmorl’s nodes in 366 adults and 91 subadults from the Early Bronze charnel house at Bab edh-Dhra’. The aim of the study was to analyze and identify patterns of activity-related differences between the local Jordanian skeletal assemblage and other European skeletal assemblages. The prevalence rates were compared to assemblages such as the Alepotrypa Cave in Greece and the site of Zmajevec in Croatia to test for regional differences. There were no significant differences in the manifestation of Schmorl’s nodes between adults and subadults from Bab edh-Dhra’. However, the Greek and Croatian skeletal assemblages did show significant differences in the incidence of Schmorl’s nodes when compared to the Jordanian assemblage. The authors attributed the relatively low frequency of Schmorl’s nodes in the individuals of Bab edh-Dhra’ to low levels of mechanical activity linked with higher social status.
Cross-Sectional Geometry Egypt The skeleton, being a living tissue, adapts to stresses by depositing new bone along the axes that are enduring mechanical strain. As a result, cross-sectional geometric properties (CSG) of long bone diaphyses can be utilized to explore the effect of physical activity on different human groups. These properties express rigidity to bending loads applied at different directions, as well as rigidity to torsional and tensile forces.
A group of Egyptian scientists (Moushira Erfan Zaki, Ayman A. Azaba, Walaa Yousef, Eslam Y. Wassal, Hala T. El-Bassyouni) from the National Research Centre and Cairo University evaluated the CSG properties of two ancient Egyptian skeletal assemblages belonging to different curial classes exhibiting varied habitual activities. Long bone (humeri, femora, tibiae) CSG properties of 103 high ranking officials and 71 workers were obtained through CT images. Analysis of the CSG properties revealed that male workers had higher cortical thickness (more bone deposition) for all long bones. Female workers also presented higher values for the cortical thickness of their long bones when compared to the high officials. The workers’ (both males and females) higher level of skeletal robusticity when compared to the high officials is indicative of differing levels of activity and physical workload between different social classes.
Trauma Cyprus
Traumatic skeletal lesions are divided into fractures, dislocations, and surgical procedures. Trauma research within the context of archaeological human groups can provide important insights into aspects of past warfare, intra-group violence, and occupational accident rates. The study of trauma can also help explore aspects of ancient care and social support as attested through the knowledge of ancient medicine.
Sherry Fox from the Arizona State University, and her colleagues, explored traumatic patterns from different Early Christian church/basilica sites in Cyprus: Agios Georgios Hill, Nicosia, Kalavasos-Kopetra, Alassa-Ayia Mavri, and Maroni-Petrera. The Hill of Agios Georgios is situated inland adjacent to the Pediaios River outside the Venetian walled city of Nicosia, while the rest of the sites are located near the south coast. The aim of the study was to identify trauma patterns between the smaller, coastal sites and the larger, inland site. Trauma patterns, attributed to demographic differences, were evident between the inland and coastal sites, with a higher prevalence attested at the inland site of the Hill of Agios Georgios. A second difference was that males at the Hill of Agios Georgios had a higher propensity for traumatic lesions in the upper body and hand extremities, and this has been suggested to be caused by reasons beyond demographic parameters. The authors suggest that additional factors such as cultural, behavioral, and/or occupational differences, may account for the differences observed between the inland and coastal sites.
Oral Health
Dental Diseases Oman Taphonomic alterations seldom affect the teeth in the archaeological record because teeth have a high inorganic content, hence, they provide permanent records of a range of diseases. Periodontal disease, carious lesions, periapical cavities, dental calculus, intense dental wear, and ante-mortem tooth loss (AMTL) are dental conditions that are systematically recorded and studied in archaeological skeletal assemblages. Dental diseases are especially relevant because they can provide indirect evidence of a person’s type of diet during life. Furthermore, examination of the angle of tooth wear visible on the tooth crown may help differentiate dietary shifts between human populations (e.g. distinguishing hunter-gatherers and later agriculturalists).