Anthropology

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://uwspace.uwaterloo.ca/handle/10012/9870

This is the collection for the University of Waterloo's Department of Anthropology.

Research outputs are organized by type (eg. Master Thesis, Article, Conference Paper).

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Now showing 1 - 13 of 13

Accessibility in Bioarchaeology: Methods of 3D Imaging of Entheses
(University of Waterloo, 2023-01-19) Homerski, Nathan; Liston, Maria
This thesis examines accessibility within the field of bioarchaeology in two methods of generating 3D models of human remains, laser scanning and photogrammetry. These were analyzed for the following attributes: cost, time to perform method, ease of use, accuracy, and the utility of these methods in visual grading of entheses. The accuracy category measured such aspects as colouration and texture of the 3D image in comparison to the remains it was modelled after. The entheses on the 3D models were also visually graded to measure how accurately the 3D models could be evaluated using an ordinal method, such as Villotte’s (2006) method of entheseal analysis, in comparison to the same analysis performed with the physical remains. It was found that photogrammetric models were highly accurate at representing the qualitative attributes of the remains (colour, texture, etc.) while being both cost effective and easy to create. The laser scanned models were likewise easy to create, though they were far more expensive, and not qualitatively accurate. However, neither method was sufficiently accurate at entheseal grading. Overall, the aspects of photogrammetry made for a far more accessible method for researchers due to its low costs, ease to implement, and the little time needed for data collection, but it must be done with equipment that can produce higher resolution 3D models.
An Analysis of a Perplexing Group of Graves from Ancient Corinth, Greece
(University of Waterloo, 2023-01-19) Lenz, Grace; Liston, Maria
In 2019 a post-12th century C.E. cemetery was identified at Ancient Corinth, Greece, in the area northeast of the ancient theatre. The 2019 and 2022 excavation season uncovered a perplexing group of graves with limited cultural context and an unknown date of usage. Ten adults, and one juvenile were excavated from this cemetery. The age-at-death of the adults range from 18-45 years. The juvenile was between the ages of 12-15 years. Ten shallow pit graves, and one cist grave with evidence of reuse indicate this cemetery was used on multiple occasions. In addition, in 2022, two infants were unexpectedly discovered high up in the remains of a Roman building, ~50 metres to the south of the NET Cemetery where the excavation of a Roman road was taking place. This thesis is a pilot study, providing the first analysis of the 13 individuals buried here. The goal of this research is to interpret the funerary practices performed by the living through the discussion of grave styles and treatment of the body, and to analyze the paleopathological data. Results of this study indicate the burial practices reflect Christian traditions, with their heads facing east to anticipate the second coming of Christ. Reuse of the cist grave indicates the living were aware of the location of the cemetery, and may have been members of the same community or social group. Pathological analysis of the adults indicate lifestyles associated with strenuous activities. Linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) speaks to some individuals having experienced non-specific periods of stress in their childhood. Evidence for tuberculosis and brucellosis was present in two different adult males, and evidence for scurvy was identified in the two juveniles. This research presents the first skeletal cases of tuberculosis and scurvy from Ancient Corinth.
Are Metric Methods Really User-Friendly? A Methodological Study of Sex Estimation Techniques for the Talus and Calcaneus
(University of Waterloo, 2022-01-13) Chan, Grace; Liston, Maria
Skeletal sex is most commonly estimated using the pelvis and the skull. These elements, however, are not always available in archaeological and forensic situations as they may be missing or damaged as a result of burial practices or poor preservation. Anthropologists have developed sex estimation methods that utilize other skeletal elements, and many of these alternative methods rely on statistical analyses of bone metrics. Because metric methods are seen as more objective and less dependent on examiner experience, most have not undergone the independent validation to which morphologic methods have been subjected. The purpose of this research is to validate two previously developed metric methods for the talus and the calcaneus using a different population than the ones on which these methods were developed, and explore potential issues of precision and validity when these methods are applied by external users. This thesis recommends several areas for improvement in the development and publication of metric methods, including the necessity for more external validation studies, greater standardization of variables and methodology, an increased use of probabilistic estimates, and a re-evaluation of how symmetry and error are conceptualized and assessed.
Bioarchaeology in Greece: Breathing Life into the Early Helladic and Archaic Skeletal Assemblages from Klenia
(University of Waterloo, 2019-01-15) Schaljo, Emily; Liston, Maria
Rescue excavations between 2014 and 2015 in Klenia, Corinthia, Greece uncovered an assemblage of human skeletal remains from one Archaic (750-479 BCE) and four Early Helladic (2650-2200 BCE) tombs. Until recently, bioarchaeology and the comprehensive analysis of human skeletal remains in Greece has been uncommon. However, theoretical and technological developments in bioarchaeology have highlighted the importance of studying these remains, as they provide insights into the biocultural lifeways of individuals of the past. The present research provides basic osteobiographical data for the human skeletal remains recovered from the Klenia tombs and explores their geographical and temporal context in order to provide situated interpretations and insights into the lives of these individuals. The results of this work reveal information pertaining to the life and possible weaving and cooking activities of an older adult female from the Archaic period, and to the lives of those interred in the Early Helladic graves, which likely represent a familial or social kinship. The Early Helladic skeletal remains within their context suggest an agricultural lifestyle. Further, the discovery of infant skeletal remains within these tombs highlights improvements in bioarchaeological recovery methods, and suggests the inclusion of infants in commingled tombs within extramural cemeteries. This alters previous understandings of intramural infant burial during the Early Helladic period in Greece.
Developmental Defects in Ancient Context – Causations of Cleft Palate in the Athenian Agora
(University of Waterloo, 2016-01-21) Adams, Alisha; Liston, Maria
This research looks at the infant cleft palates recently identified in the Athenian Agora. This assemblage provided the opportunity to expand the ways which bioarchaeology may study developmental defects which affect the skeleton. A biological, historical, and archaeological study was undertaken in order to analyze cleft palate in the archaeological record, and to understand and identify possible causation factors in the ancient environment. Based on this research, the prevalence of cleft palate in the Athenian Agora, estimated from modern perinatal infant mortality rates and cleft palate prevalence showed that the cleft palates in the Athenian Agora may have been the result of syndromic etiologies. The shape of the palate as well as deviations along the line of the cleft are discussed as possible support for a syndromic etiology of the infant cleft palates.
Differential Diagnosis of Complex Conditions in Paleopathology: A Mutational Spectrum Approach
(University of Waterloo, 2021-01-06) Lukashal, Elizabeth; Liston, Maria
The expression of mutations causing complex conditions varies considerably on a scale of mild to severe referred to as a mutational spectrum. Capturing a complete picture of this scale in the archaeological record through the study of human remains is limited due to a number of factors complicating the diagnosis of complex conditions. An array of potential etiologies for particular conditions, and crossover of various symptoms add an extra layer of complexity preventing paleopathologists from confidently attempting a differential diagnosis. This study attempts to address these challenges in a number of ways: 1) by providing an overview of congenital and developmental anomalies important in the identification of mild expressions related to mutations causing complex conditions; 2) by outlining diagnostic features of select anomalies used as screening tools for complex conditions in the medical field ; 3) by assessing how mild/carrier expressions of mutations and conditions with minimal skeletal impact are accounted for and used within paleopathology; and 4) by considering the potential of these mild expressions in illuminating additional diagnostic and environmental information regarding past populations.
Distinguishing Burials in Thebes, Greece: Using MNI and MLNI as a Differentiation Technique
(University of Waterloo, 2016-01-22) Giachino, Ava; Liston, Maria
The objective of this thesis was to determine an additional method to help distinguish between types of burials in Thebes, Greece and generally in archaeological remains. Using two quantification methods, MNI and MLNI, it was hypothesized that differences and similarities between the estimation values could help categorize a burial as a mass grave or a multi-use burial. In order to test this hypothesis, five graves were analyzed in Thebes, Greece. Two graves had estimation values that categorized them as mass graves, two graves had estimations values that distinguished them as multi-use burials, and one grave had estimation values that presented a complicated categorization. These two quantification techniques were applicable in differentiating between two burial types at the archaeological site in Thebes.
The Effects of Collagen Rehydration on Postmortem Fracture Morphology: Implications for the Perimortem Interval
(University of Waterloo, 2017-08-29) King, Amy; Liston, Maria
The purpose of this thesis was to explore the effect of water saturation on the fracture morphology of dry bones – specifically, this research sought to determine if rehydrating dry bones would cause skeletal material to fracture in a manner similar to fresh bones. This question has important implications for the interpretation of bone trauma, yet no previous studies have explored this topic. To answer this question, samples of dry faunal bones were soaked in water until they reached maximum saturation and then they were broken with a bone fracture apparatus. The fractures produced on these rehydrated bones were later compared to those produced on both dry bone and fresh bone samples to determine if there was any significant change in the biomechanical behaviour of the rehydrated group. The results of the analysis showed that the rehydrated flat bones were more likely to fracture in a manner consistent with the fresh bone group for some fracture traits (e.g. number of fragments produced, fracture angle, incomplete fracturing). Among the sample groups that consisted of highly-weathered remains, there was very little significant difference between bones that were broken while dry and bones that were broken after being rehydrated. These results suggest that water saturation may affect fracture morphology in dry bones provided at least some of the bone’s organic components (i.e. collagen) have been preserved. The significant degree of overlap between the sample groups underscores the problem of estimating the timing of traumatic events on skeletal elements based on discreet categories such as “perimortem” and “postmortem”. Anthropologists should consider adopting a system that describes bone trauma with regard to the state of the material at the traumatic event (i.e. wet or dry) and within the context of the depositional environment.
Imagining Greece: Sensing Antiquity in Two Athenian Museums
(University of Waterloo, 2018-05-09) Romanisin, Alecsandra; Dagtas, Secil; Liston, Maria
Physical and sensorial experiences of museums provide publics with a material ground to (re)imagine history and its relationship to contemporary society. Through these experiences, museums become venues of spatialized discourse that materialize and represent different imaginations of the past in accordance with their political and historical context. Nationalistic discourses of the 19th and early 20th centuries in Greece and Europe idealized antiquity as homogeneous and pristine (rather like white marble). There has, however, been a push in recent decades from artists, scholars, and curators to reimagine this representation of history via an open critique of the fetishized and romanticized images of antiquity. This thesis examines how the process of materialization and representation works in contemporary imaginations of Greek antiquity in two Athenian museum contexts: The Acropolis Museum’s permanent Parthenon exhibit, and the Benaki Museum’s temporary Liquid Antiquity installation. Distinct in their locations, orientations, and foci, these displays illustrate two particular products of the call to reimagine antiquity. The former employs modern display methods, a more fluid spatial organization, and more audiovisuals. Yet, it remains bound to the traditional representations of antiquity in the content and meaning of its display. The latter personifies a reimagination of antiquity and puts its critical expressions on display. The form and terms of this display, however, remain reliant on traditional representations of antiquity. By juxtaposing these two cases, I argue that imaginations of the past in museum contexts are multiple, but not boundless. Rather, they are produced and limited by the historical, spatial, and material context of their representation.
A paleopathological analysis of juveniles from Thebes: Childhood health in Byzantine Greece
(University of Waterloo, 2024-01-15) Strickland, Evengeline Sephia; Liston, Maria
Limited publications address juvenile health in Byzantine Thebes, Greece. As vulnerable and abundant members of most populations, children are essential to understanding the health experiences of past populations. This thesis examines juvenile skeletal material recovered from a Byzantine period cemetery (5th-9th centuries CE) located on Ismenion Hill in Thebes, Greece. This site is located adjacent to the early Christian church of St. Luke the Evangelist. In antiquity, St. Luke was traditionally considered to be a physician. Previous analyses of the adult skeletal sample revealed a high prevalence of leprosy, cancer, and infection, leading researchers to hypothesize a relationship between the cemetery and the church of the physician saint. This thesis investigates this hypothesis with respect to the juveniles recovered at this site. Eleven graves were studied and a minimum of 59 juvenile individuals were identified. Perinates (n=15), infants (n=9), and young juveniles (n=25) make up the majority of the sample, followed by older juveniles (n=8) and adolescents (n=2). Overall, 16 (27%) juveniles present with dental and/or skeletal pathologies. Through the process of differential diagnosis, infection, metabolic conditions, and hematopoietic disorders were found to dominate the sample. To understand why children were brought to and buried at Ismenion Hill, cultural, social, and environmental factors shaping childhood health in late antiquity are addressed.
Reconstructing the Life Histories of the Individuals Buried in the Rock-cut Cave Church of St. Georges, in Gurat, France
(University of Waterloo, 2019-01-25) Seymour, Gillian; Liston, Maria
In the 1960s and 1970s, eighteen individuals were excavated from the cave church of St. Georges, located in Gurat, France. This thesis develops osteobiographies for these individuals to build on previous studies relating them to the cave church in which they were found providing further contextual analysis. By incorporating the data from previous studies with the osteobiographies, it is possible to suggest who these individuals were, where they came from, and how they may have ended up in Gurat. These theories include these individuals being monks, pilgrims, peasants or some combination thereof. In addition, special attention is given to the life threatening fractures some individuals suffered and other pathological conditions that provide information about their lives and the circumstances that led to their burial at Gurat.
Skeletons in Wells: Post-Mortem Treatments in Roman Eretria, Greece
(University of Waterloo, 2020-01-09) Weerasinghe, Panchala; Liston, Maria
This thesis is an osteoarchaeological analysis of adult and juvenile human skeletal remains (more specifically, crania and long bones) that were excavated by the Swiss School of Archaeology from a 3rd century CE Gymnasium well at Eretria during the field seasons of 2016 and 2017. The bones were commingled and incomplete; attempts to identify individuals yielded little additional information. Personal criteria such as age, sex, pathology, as well as taphonomic and other changes on bone were recorded. The data collected from the skeletal remains are used to determine whether these individuals were deposited in the well as skeletonized individuals or as whole bodies. The level of breakage, the sharp force trauma, and the missing elements of bone suggest that the adults and juveniles entered the well as skeletonized individuals. It is likely that these individuals were buried elsewhere first and that the deposit in the Gymnasium well is a secondary internment. This thesis further argues that the individuals that were deposited in the Eretrian Gymnasium well received a variation of a “normative” manner of burial in ancient Greece as opposed to a form of “deviant” burial that human skeletal remains in wells have come to be associated with in archaeological literature. The thesis will explore why the term “deviant” should be broadened when it is being applied to burial practices.
Transition Analysis as a Solution for Fragmentary Remains: Estimating Age-at-Death for a Skeletal Collection from Gurat, France
(University of Waterloo, 2022-01-14) McInnis, Laurel; Liston, Maria
Transition Analysis is an age-at-death estimation method developed in 2002. While originally developed using the same skeletal features as other methods, Transition Analysis was recently expanded to include121 features from across the skeleton. This makes Transition Analysis a potential solution for cases where common age-at-death estimation sites are missing or damaged. In this study, eight of the individuals from the Gurat skeletal collection are aged using Transition Analysis. The individuals were also aged using traditional age-at-death estimation methods for comparative purposes. Finally, the individuals were aged using only the lower limbs to simulate a challenging recovery scenario. The goal of this study was to promote Transition Analysis as an option for age-at-death estimation in cases of fragmentary remains and varied preservation within a collection. The results of the study show that Transition Analysis can estimate age in cases where traditional methods are not applicable. Transition Analysis is also able to estimate age-at-death using just the lower limbs. However, the results were extremely imprecise. This study found Transition Analysis to be a promising but imperfect solution to estimating age-at-death for fragmentary skeletal remains.

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