Human Osteology, Bioarchaeology

La complejidad y cotidianidad relacionadas a la alimentación humana, nos revela que debe ser analizada a través de un enfoque holístico, que incluya aspectos de naturaleza biológica, social, cultural, económica y política (Álvarez et al. 2001; De Garine 1972; De Garine y Vargas 1997; Vargas 1992). Este enfoque conocido como biocultural, ha sido utilizado ampliamente en bioarqueología para el estudio de diversos aspectos de las poblaciones pretéritas, entre ellos la alimentación (Contreras y García 2004; De Garine y Vargas 1997; Larsen 2000; Pelto et al. 2000; Peña 2012; Vargas 1992). Una fortaleza de la investigación bioarqueológica, es su capacidad para dilucidar ciertas características y comportamientos de la vida de las personas en el pasado (Buikstra y Beck 2006; Knudson y Stojanowsky 2008). Mediante la combinación de distintos análisis como los biogeoquímicos y bioarqueológicos, es posible entender la interacción de los seres humanos con su entorno físico y social, así como examinar los diferentes acontecimientos de la historia de vida de un individuo o de una población, incluyendo su dieta y demás aspectos relacionados con su alimentación. En este capítulo se ofrece una exposición de los diferentes recursos metodológicos que se tienen en el campo de la bioarqueología para hacer una aproximación a la reconstrucción de la dieta de poblaciones antiguas, uno es el análisis de la composición química del hueso enfocado principalmente en las técnicas de isótopos estables y elementos traza; el otro concierne a las bases para el reconocimiento de estados nutricionales carenciales en los huesos y una breve exposición de los atributos de los dientes en la reconstrucción de la dieta. Esto con el fin de brindar al lector un panorama introductorio de las tendencias y perspectivas en las investigaciones paleodietarias actuales, haciendo hincapié en la realización de estudios integrales desde el enfoque biocultural, recalcándose la importancia de la interacción de diversas disciplinas para lograr un abordaje óptimo de los problemas y preguntas de investigación que se pretendan resolver.

Autorka prezentuje współczesne techniki badań mumii egipskich oraz ich rozwój, począwszy od badań inwazyjnych, polegających głównie na rozwijaniu mumii, poprzez nieinwazyjne badania radiologiczne, a skończywszy na laboratoryjnych analizach molekularnych mumifikowanych tkanek. Obecnie zaawansowane multidyscyplinarne badania obejmują m. in. analizy antropologiczne, medyczne, radiologiczne, fizyczne, chemiczne, biochemiczne, genetyczne, kryminalistyczne, których krótka charakterystyka i historia
została przedstawiona w niniejszej pracy.

Nell'ambito delle indagini archeologiche condotte tra il 2013 e il 2014 all'interno della chiesa duecentesca dei SS. Filippo e Giacomo di Nosedo (MI) - svolte in accordo tra la Soprintendenza Archeologia della Lombardia e l'Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore - è stato riportato alla luce un sepolcreto in uso tra la metà del XV e gli inizi del XVII secolo, sviluppatosi attorno ad una tomba assai più antica. Tra le oltre 70 tombe indagate, è stata infatti messa in luce una sepoltura privilegiata in cassa strutturata, che accoglieva i resti di una donna di oltre 70 anni d’età, datati con analisi al 14C alla fine del IX secolo; anteriori al XIII secolo sono anche alcuni tratti murari precedenti alla chiesa di XIII secolo e che ne hanno condizionato l’orientamento non perfettamente est/ovest. Ben oltre il 40% delle inumazioni basso e post-medievali, rivenute in connessione anatomica, accoglieva subadulti, deposti in casse lignee o in semplici fosse terragne dotate, in alcuni casi, di laterizi in testata. Per alcuni degli individui più giovani, si sono riscontrati altri rituali deposizionali come una moneta bronzea tra le mani o presso il torace, e la collocazione di neonati entro o sotto un coppo. La topografia delle sepolture ha evidenziato che, nei pressi della tomba altomedievale, furono deposti corpi di bambini e subadulti: dapprima in addosso alla cassa ancora sigillata da lastre lapidee e, in seguito alla riapertura della stessa, anche all’interno, ma senza mai intaccare lo scheletro originario. Le dinamiche di deposizioni nei pressi della tomba privilegiata attestano, quindi, un rispetto quasi devozionale nei confronti della anziana donna che si mantenne fino al tardo Quattrocento, quando prende avvio l’intenso uso funerario dello spazio interno della chiesa, che però non comporta mai il disturbo dell’antica sepoltura. Sugli scheletri deposti in chiesa è stato condotto, inoltre, uno studio interdisciplinare tra archeologi e antropologi - poi approfondito mediante analisi archeometriche, paleonutrizionali, paleogenetiche e affondi di antropologia culturale – che ha consentito di tratteggiare le vicende di una piccola comunità gravitante nella campagna prossima a Milano e all’Abbazia di Chiaravalle tra bassomedioevo ed età moderna.

The identification of deviant burials as those of ‘vampires’ is a feature of excavated skeletons from sites across Eastern, Central and Southern Europe as well as the Balkans. Based on a close reading of historic and folkloric sources researchers have sought to match features of excavated sites with narrative descriptions drawn from vampire legend and myth. This study critically reviews the recent claims based on sites in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Poland and Slovakia. Whilst it is found that there was a widespread belief in vampires across Europe, it is argued that it is difficult to make absolute claims for ‘vampire’ burials on archaeological grounds as in most cases there are alternate and equally compelling interpretations of the data.

KEYWORDS
ARCHAEOLOGY, HISTORY, SIXTEENTH CENTURY, SEVENTEENTH CENTURY, VAMPIRE, DEVIANT BURIAL, PLAGUE, BLACK DEATH, FOLKLORE, PAGAN, BURIAL, WITCH, BALKANS, EASTERN EUROPE, CENTRAL EUROPE, SOUTHERN EUROPE, BULGARIA, CZECH REPUBLIC, POLAND, GREECE, ITALY, SLOVAKIA, LESBOS, VENICE, APOTROPAIC, VAMPIRIDZHIJA, PERPERIKON, SOZOPOL, PROSTEJOV, CELAKOVICE, DRAWSKO, GLIWICI, SOUTHWELL, KILTEASHEEN, LAZZARETTO NUOVO, NACHTZEHRER, KAMIEN POMORSKI

Here I use a biohistorical approach to examine the connection between 19th-century nation building in the United States and physicians’ collection of crania, notably “specimens” amassed by Dr. Samuel Morton. Globally disparate places are represented in the Morton Collection, though roughly 25% are Native Americans. Morton acquired these decedents as a result of colonial expansion and military conflicts that revised the national borders of the U.S. Events precipitating removal of natives from the Southeast, paying special attention to Florida, are demonstrative. During this process, “White” Americans’ retellings of interactions with “Indians” solidified into official history, while Morton’s craniometric studies reified racialized categories. This two-pronged “bio-political strategy” produced hegemonic notions of American citizenship that privileged Whiteness. In returning to the Morton Collection, however, I also identify traces—archival and skeletal—of past events and peoples that counterpoise official histories and, in so doing, point to the fragility of this nationalist project and racialization processes.

English abstract: Since the discovery in 1860 of La Pastora, one of the most beautiful and outstanding megalithic constructions of Iberia, the Copper Age and Bronze Age site of Valencina de la Concepción – Castilleja de Guzmán has provided an unceasing series of archaeological finds of the utmost significance. Today, a hundred and fifty years after the earliest discoveries, this volume offers an up-to-date and comprehensive review of the research carried out at this site, which underlines, first and foremost, its importance as a scientific and cultural resource. Among the contributions to this volume the reader will find some of the keys to the human occupation of the lower Guadalquivir basin 5000 years ago, the process of social aggregation that gave way to the formation of the city of Seville itself. In addition, this book reflects some of the current discussions that dominate today’s scientific agenda on Iberian Copper Age (c. 3200-2200 cal BC), a period of fascinating social and cultural dynamism that laid the basis for the consolidation of social ranking, long-distance contact and exchange, as well as metallurgy and productive specialization.

Spanish abstract: Desde que en 1860 se produjera el descubrimiento de La Pastora, una de las construcciones megalíticas más bellas y singulares de España, el yacimiento de la Edad del Cobre y de la Edad del Bronce de Valencina de la Concepción – Castilleja de Guzmán no ha cesado de deparar hallazgos arqueológicos de la mayor significación. Hoy, 150 años después de los primeros descubrimientos, este volumen ofrece una puesta al día de las investigaciones que están revelando la extraordinaria importancia de este yacimiento como recurso científico y patrimonial. Entre las colaboraciones de esta obra el lector encontrará algunas de las claves de la ocupación de la desembocadura del río Guadalquivir hace 5000 años: el proceso de agregación humana que representa el origen de la misma ciudad de Sevilla. Igualmente, en las páginas de este libro encuentra reflejo el debate que en la actualidad preside el estudio de la Edad del Cobre (c. 3200-2200 antes de nuestra era), un periodo de apasionante dinamismo social y cultural en el que se consolidaron las bases de la jerarquización social, las relaciones comerciales a larga distancia, la metalurgia y la especialización productiva.

Clyde Snow’s osteobiographic approach, with its focus on the individual and acknowledgment of speculation’s part in analyses, provides a starting point (a counterpoint, more appropriately) for developing a subdisciplinary bioethos. The concept refers to consolidation of a habit that gives rise to moral, normative practices related to exhumation, documentation, analysis, and posthumous treatment of dead bodies. To this end, conversations in bioethics—about consent, anonymity, vulnerable populations, legislation of policy, and so forth—are germane but require expansion to be useful for the particulars of studying dead bodies. I cite the contemporary case of HeLa/Henrietta Lacks as instructive for building models of greater applicability to the remains of ancient (or historic) decedents. As an example of the latter, I discuss Kennewick Man/Ancient One. More than a cautionary or idiosyncratic tale, events surrounding the Kennewick case involved normative, disciplinary practices in need of deliberation. I focus on naming, facial reconstruction, and genetic testing. These techniques are useful for personalizing individuals, thereby making academic analyses more interesting to nonspecialists. Yet they also raise epistemological and ethical concerns related to stakeholders’ ontological security (or its disruption) and dissemination of narratives in mediascapes, among other issues. By way of conclusion, I suggest that osteobiographers begin research by posing certain key queries about the historic antecedents for their work, the current political context in which it takes place, and its possible repercussions.



Para desarrollar un “bioethos” subdisciplinario, comienzo con el enfoque osteobiográfico de Clyde Snow, con su foco en el individuo y su reconocimiento de la especulación en la investigación. El concepto “bioethos” se refiere a la consolidación de un hábito que da lugar a prácticas morales y normativas relacionadas con la exhumación, documentación, análisis y tratamiento póstumo de cuerpos muertos. Para tal fin, las conversaciones en bioética (sobre el consentimiento, el anonimato, las poblaciones vulnerables, la legislación de políticas, etcétera) son pertinentes, pero requieren expansión para aquellos que estudian cuerpos muertos. Discuto el caso contemporáneo de HeLa / Henrietta Lacks. Esto caso ayuda a construir modelos que son aplicables a los restos antiguos (o históricos). Como ejemplo del último, discuto Hombre de Kennewick / El Antiguo. Más que un cuento de precaución o ejemplo idiosincrásico, los eventos que rodean el caso de Kennewick involucraron prácticas normativas y disciplinarias que requieren deliberación. Me concentro en nombrar, la reconstrucción facial y la prueba genética. Estas técnicas son útiles para personalizar individuos, lo que hace que el análisis académico sea más interesante para los no especialistas. Sin embargo, plantean inquietudes éticas y epistemológicas relacionadas con la seguridad ontológica (o su interrupción) y la difusión de narrativas en “mediascapes,” entre otras cuestiones. Para concluir, yo sugiero que los osteobiógrafos comiencen sus estudios haciendo preguntas clave sobre los antecedentes históricos de su trabajo, su contexto político y sus posibles repercusiones.

This paper uses an osteological approach and applies the study of entanglement in an attempt to understand the crematoria on Rapa Nui (Easter Island), which represent a unique tradition within the ceremonial spheres of the Polynesian area. Skeletal remains from the crematorium of ahu Hanga Hahave, which consist of both cremated - and unburned remains, have been analysed to reveal the different practices that took part in the cremation process and to identify the individuals that were deposited in such structure. Ethnohistorical records were applied to interpret the osteological evidence and to discuss the circumstances surrounding the possible use of the crematorium, as either a site for sacrificial offerings or a site for burials.  This paper aims at creating an underlying basis for the study of crematoria on Rapa Nui and provides an overview of the processes central to the disposal of the dead and the usage and significance of this structure. The results of this study showed that the ancient Rapanui through the practice of cremation, followed an internalised structure within their society to complete each cultural act that constituted the crematorium, and these were divided in the construction of the crematorium, the making of fire, and the treatment of the dead. The complexity of each cultural act presents the possibility that an organised society, with at least one designated head, may have been in charge of the practice of cremation physically and spiritually. The skeletal remains could not be applied to determine whether the crematorium of Hanga Hahave was used for sacrificial offering or for burial since the analysed remains only represented one-fifth of the entire bone collection from the crematorium. However, the findings in this study have pointed towards a burial practice rather than a sacrificial one.

El presente estudio tiene como objetivo caracterizar desde una perspectiva bioarqueológica a los individuos inhumados en el sitio Az-143, uno de los tantos cementerios ubicados en el valle de Azapa (extremo norte de Chile) durante el Periodo Medio. El sitio como tal, corresponde a un cementerio emplazado en un lecho fluvial severamente intervenido por acción antrópica sub-actual, exhibiendo una gran dispersión de restos óseos altamente fragmentados y material cultural desagregado en evidente estado de abandono. Dadas las condiciones en las que hallaron los restos óseos aquí analizados, se procedió a aplicar y complementar una serie de métodos específicos con el propósito de realizar algunas inferencias sobre la demografía, las condiciones de salud y las prácticas culturales que quedaron plasmadas en los esqueletos de estos individuos.

Archaeological investigations identified several Bronze Age cultures and populations in the Carpathian Basin.
Exchanges among them were not only economic and cultural but also biological. The transformation of the archaeological cultures was sometimes associated with the arrival of migrant groups, which could have caused the extinction of autochthonous populations or interbreeding. The biological “profile” of different population groups, described and defined primarily in archaeological terms, and their connections can be discovered through modern bioarchaeological analyses. Apart from molecular biological research which has become
increasingly common recently, there are also classical biostatistical methods to assess this problem, e.g. distance
analysis, which shows the biological similarities of populations represented by craniometric variables.
In this study, we prepared a survey of the results of physical anthropological investigations concerning various Bronze Age populations published in the past 155 years and analyzed a selection of Bronze Age series – suitable for distance analysis – to find their connections. The reason for a selective approach is that there are a number of cultures/populations which are poorly represented in the anthropological record, either because of the small size of the series or because they cremated their dead. Nevertheless, with biostatistical methods, it is possible to point out significant connections, the cultural context of which remains to be investigated further by archaeologists.

The “Lapa do Santo” is an archaeological site located in the Lagoa Santa region (central Brazil) which was excavated from 2001 to 2009 as part of a  large scientific project entitled “Origins and Microevolution of Man in America: a Paleoanthropological Approach”. This project was undertook by the Laboratory of Human Evolutionary Studies of the Bioscience Institute of the Sao Paulo University and supported by the Sao Paulo State Grant Foundation (FAPESP). A total of 26 burials were exhumed, with at least five individuals directly dated between 8800 and 8200BP. These new findings have important implications for those interested in the mortuary practices of Early Holocene pre-historic groups that inhabited South America.
In this dissertation the traditional view according to which the mortuary practices of the Lagoa Santa region were characterized as simple and homogeneous is challenged. In the absence of sophisticated architecture or wealthy goods, the funerary rituals were elaborated through the use of the human body. Although other mortuary patterns are described for the “Lapa do Santo” rockshelter, it is in Pattern 1 (very well dated between 8800 and 8200 BP) that this logic is expressed in its most clear and exuberant form.
On what concern the archaeological record, this is expressed by means of disarticulated skeletons of multiple individuals, individualized skulls, bundle of bones, mandible with drills in the coronoid process, profusion of both cut marks and chopper marks, teeth extraction, selection of anatomical regions, fire exposition and ochre application. At the same time the presence of fully articulated skeletons, among which the oldest decapitation case ever reported for the New World, testify that the manipulation of the body happened while soft tissues were still present. Later on, the bones were relocated and disposed in accordance with a series of well defined rules. Through the use of parts of the human body they were reifying logical principles that most probably reflect aspects of their own cosmology. The double dichotomy among “adult” and “sub adult”, “cranium” and “post-cranium”, “diaphysis” and “epiphysis”, and “teeth” and “empty alveoli” that were expressed so clearly in those burials through different arrangements of human bones makes the adopted logic “levi-straussian” in its essence. The consistency by which those principles were expressed and the technical similarity through which they were made might suggest the existence of a group of specialized individuals.
However, after 8000 BP a drastic change on the mortuary practices of the “Lapa do Santo” site is observed. The emphasis on the peri mortem manipulation of the body is substituted by burials that can be characterized as fully secondary (Mortuary Pattern 3). Those burials are characterized by shallow circular pits with approximately 40 cm of diameter and 30 cm depth. Each pit was chaotically filled with the bones of one single individual, whose spatial disposition presented no anatomical logic, although some localized group of bones could still be in direct connection. In contrast to what was observed for Pattern 1, there was no bone or body part selection and almost every single bone of the skeletons were recovered. The long bones diaphyses were intentionally broken in its central region before the final deposition resulting in very particular breakage pattern. In some cases the graves were covered by a circular structure composed of small limestone slabs.
Such radical change on the mortuary practices of the site must reflect some type of modification in the social organization of those groups. Up to this moment, the human burials from the “Lapa do Santo” rockshelter are the only source in Lagoa Santa`s archaeological record that points to such change around 8000 BP. In the future, when other lines of evidence have been studied, it will be possible to evaluate if this change was the result of an internal reorganization of the groups already present in the region or if it reflects the arriving of a new population during the period in question.
Another important implication of the new burials found at “Lapa do Santo” rockshelter, especially on what concern Pattern 1, is that they demand a complete reevaluation of geographical and chronological dispersion of practices of body manipulation in South America. Today there is a consensus in literature that this was a pan-andine feature since Early Holocene. However, the presence of these same kinds of practices in central Brazil shows that this is a more complex scenario than once though. In the specific case of the practice of decapitation, the findings of the “Lapa do Santo” rockshelter not only expand its spatial occurrence during pre-history in thousands of kilometers, showing this was not limited to the andean region, but also show that its temporal depth was at least 4000 years greater than once believed.
At the end of this dissertation the importance of the findings of the “Lapa do Santo” rockshelter, in the Lagoa Santa region in Central Brazil, becomes clear. Through the combination of an intrinsically fascinating archaeological record, a high degree of bone preservation that reminds the Pompeii metaphor and a very meticulous field and laboratory work, “Lapa do Santo” rockshelter has great potential to become in the next decade one of the most relevant sites for those who wants to understand the mortuary practices of the first Americans.
The dissertation within this CD intends to be the first step in this direction. However, there is still much work to be done and the interpretations proposed here must be seen more as a starting point than an ending one. On the other hand, this dissertation gains importance because all the primary documentation concerning the exhumation and curation of the human remains from “Lapa do Santo” rockshelter was included within it. We hope that by doing this we can offer the academic community the necessary elements to judge, in a critical way, the implications of the new findings of this Brazilian archaeological site. In the next years these material will certainly be published in the usual journals (in English). However, it would be impossible to make all the primary documentation available. This is why we decided to send a copy of this dissertation even for those who are not Portuguese speakers and that we judged would be interested in this material. Although not ideal we believe that the graphic nature of this documentation makes this effort valuable.

SLO:
Zgodnjesrednjeveško grobišče na Muljavi je datirano večinoma v 10. stoletje z odstopanji v 9. in začetek 11. stoletja. Magistrsko delo je sestavljeno iz arheološke analize grobnih pridatkov in antropološke analize 129 posameznikov, ki so jih v okolici cerkve Marijinega vnebovzetja izkopali v letih 1988, 2012 in 2016. Osteološka analiza je pokazala, da so skeleti slabo ohranjeni zaradi močne aktivnosti diageneze; najštevilčnejši in najbolj ohranjeni so bili zobje, ki so bili glavni vir informacij za demografsko in zdravstveno sliko pokojnikov iz časa zgodnjesrednjeveške Muljave. Analizirana populacija je verjetno živela v slabih higienskih razmerah, prav tako pa so verjetno živeli težko in fizično zahtevno življenje. O tem pričajo rezultati o povečanem fiziološkem stresu v času otroštva (HZS, cribra orbitalia), visoka smrtnost otrok in nizka povprečna starost odraslih. Obraba zobne sklenine in visoka pojavnost kariesa v populaciji nakazuje, da so jedli predvsem škrobno prehrano. Grobni pridatki so večinoma del takratne noše in sicer naglavni nakit z naglavnimi obročki in uhani, prstani, zapestnice, in ena ogrlica. Analiza grobnih pridatkov z antropološkimi podatki ni pokazala nobenih posebnih vzorcev pridajanja glede na spol in starost, razen tega, da so imeli nekateri moški v grobovih prav tako pridan naglavni nakit.

ENG:
The early medieval burial site at Muljava dates to the 10th century. This thesis consists of an archaeological analysis of the grave goods and an osteological analysis of 129 individuals, which were excavated from Muljava in 1988, 2012, and 2016. The skeletons were damaged by severe diagenesis, from which the teeth were preserved the best. The latter were able to tell us the most about health and demographics of the early medieval Muljava population. They probably lived in very poor hygienic conditions, as well as a hard and physically demanding life. These hypotheses are supported by results from the childhood stress indicators (enamel hypoplasia, cribra orbitalia), high child mortality rate, and low average age-at-death in adult individuals. Also, dental enamel wear and high prevalence of caries imply their diet probably consisted of starchy foods. Grave goods are mostly considered to be a part of a daily costume – mostly head jewellery with head rings and earrings, rings, bracelets, and a necklace with glass and amber beads. A combined analysis of both archaeological and anthropological results showed no patterns in adding specific grave goods according to sex/gender, age, or any evident pathological cases. The only exception were some male graves with head rings as grave goods.

U špiljama i drugim speleološkim objektima kao arheološkim lokalitetima ponekad nalazimo ostatke ljudskih kostiju. Za većinu takvih špilja možemo pretpostaviti da su mjesto ukopa, odnosno izvjestan oblik nekropole, mada je ponekad riječ i o slučajnome, pojedinačnom nalazu. Na osnovi okolnoga arheološkog konteksta ili provedenih dodatnih radiokarbonskih analiza na uzorku kostiju, zaključujemo kako je uglavnom riječ o prapovijesnim razdobljima. Sličnu situaciju nalazimo i na širem dubrovačkom području gdje su obrađene špilje na poluotoku Pelješcu (špilja Crno jezero u Ponikvama i špilja Gudnja u blizini Stona), Dubrovačkome primorju (Zmajeva peć u Čepikućama) i zapadnome dijelu grada Dubrovnika (Vilina špilja iznad izvora Omble, Močiljska špilja iznad Mokošice i Kukova peć u Brsečinama). Kod pojedinih ljudskih osteoloških nalaza u navedenim špiljama obavljena je i bioarheološka analiza, što nam upotpunjuje još uvijek slabo poznavanje korištenja špilja kao mjesta pokopavanja u prošlosti.

Ključne riječi: špilje, nekropole, prapovijest, dubrovačko područje, radiokarbonska analiza, bioarheološka analiza

Investigations of Midnight Terror Cave, Belize between 2008-2010 recovered a human osteological assemblage of over 10,000 bones, the largest reported for a cave in the southern Maya lowlands. Analysis indicates that approximately a quarter of the bones belong to subadults, which make up 43% of the minimum number of individuals (MNI). Determination of age at death produced a mortality curve that differs significantly from a normal curve with the numbers peaking between 5-10 years of age, when mortality is generally low. These figures are similar to those produced from the Cenote of Sacrifice at Chichen Itza. The large percentage of subadults suggests that children were much more important in Maya human sacrificial practices than generally recognized.

RESUMEN Los modelos bioantropológicos y arqueológicos proponen cambios en la demografía, en la organización social, en las dinámicas poblacionales y en las redes de interacción social entre los grupos cazadores-recolectores del norte de la Patagonia y del sur pampeano durante los últimos 1000 años. El objetivo de este trabajo es explorar, desde la
perspectiva de la antropología dental, si los individuos recuperados en el curso inferior del río Colorado (transición pampeano-patagónica oriental, provincia de Buenos Aires), inhumados durante el Holoceno tardío (ca. 3000-250 años AP), pertenecieron a diferentes poblaciones biológicas o si, por el contrario, compartieron un pool génico común a lo largo
de ese período. Para alcanzar este objetivo se realizaron
análisis métricos de la dentición permanente de 21 individuos adultos de ambos sexos, procedentes de tres sitios arqueológicos.
Los resultados indican una similitud en la dispersión de
los valores obtenidos, lo que permitiría inferir cierta continuidad fenotípica. En este sentido, no se observan segregaciones claras entre grupos de individuos, de manera que es posible plantear que no habrían existido divergencias biológicas entre los grupos humanos que inhumaban a sus ancestros en el área durante todo el lapso considerado. Estos datos contrastan con la información generada en áreas vecinas (p. ej., Pampa
occidental), lo que indicaría que durante el Holoceno tardío final (ca. 1000-250 años AP) se habrían desarrollado diferentes procesos y dinámicas poblacionales (p.ej., regionalización) a nivel macro-regional.

ABSTRACT Bioanthropological and archaeological models propose changes in demography, social organization, population dynamics, and social network interactions among hunter-gatherer groups of northern Patagonia and southern Pampas over the last 1000 years BP. Following this argument, the aim of this paper is to examine, from a dental anthropological perspective, whether the individuals recovered in the lower course of the Colorado river (Eastern Pampean-Patagonian transition, Buenos Aires province, Argentina), buried during the late Holocene (ca. 3000-250 years BP), belonged to different biological populations or, on the contrary, whether they shared a common gene pool
throughout this period. To achieve this goal, dental metrics were performed on adults from both sexes, recovered from three archaeological sites. The results indicate a similarity in the dispersion of the values obtained, which would allow the inference of certain phenotypic continuity. In this sense, no clear segregations among groups of individuals are
observed, so that it is possible to argue that biological differences would not have existed among the human groups that buried their ancestors in the lower course of the Colorado river during the period considered. These data contrast with the information generated in neighboring areas (e.g., western Pampas), indicating that during the final late Holocene (ca. 1000-250 years BP) different processes and population dynamics (e.g., regionalization) developed at a macro-regional level.

The incorporation of a wider range of bioarchaeological data with mortuary practices can provide a clearer method for archaeologists to perceive social structure. In isolation, each can  provide an  interpretation  of  an  individual’s  position  within  their  community,  but  results from each study may be contradictory. For example, evidence of egalitarianism in mortuary ritual may not be a complete reflection of the complexity inherent within a group. Likewise, poor health may not always indicate lower social position or lack of prestige. Only by merging the two lines of evidence can a more complete understanding of social structure and how an individual’s social position can affect their health and life expectancy be revealed. This paper presents a concrete example of the need to combine mortuary and bioarchaeological data to garner a more complete interpretation of health, risk, and social structure by using data from Pot Creek Pueblo (AD 1260-1320) in the Taos Valley. Inclusion of osteological datasets, beyond simple sex and age divisions, with the mortuary datasets and architecture revealed a structured division of labor among the females, resulting in one labor group potentially having ritual prestige. However, the prestige and status of these females did not buffer them from poorer health.