Burials at a Gravesite in Shirak Valley (Armenia): A Biological and Social Approach
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21301/EAP.v9i1.12Keywords:
skeletal remains, skulls, general health, deformations, ShirakAbstract
A comparative paleopathological study was conducted in order to discern the general health and way of life of these populations. All the skeletal remains are dated to late antiquity (213 individuals in total, from 6 osteoarchaeological series in the Shirak valley). The study of bone lesions indicated cases of injury and alveolodental disease. The traces of injuries which were noted appear significantly more frequently in males. As for skeletal markers of activity, macrotraumas indicate injuries sustained in battle in some cases (skull lesions). During the course of the research, traces of blows and scraping as well as cutting were identified on the bones. The study of skulls from the Shirak valley demonstrated that some of them have been artificially deformed (fronto-occipital as well as round deformations). Cases of dental calculus, caries, periodontal disease, ulcers, and tooth hypoplasia in these skulls were studied.
Downloads
References
Arakelyan, V.N. 1976. Outline of the history of ancient Armenian art, 6st century BC – 3rd century AD. Yerevan: National Academy of Science of Armenia.
Aufderheide, A.C. and C. Rodriguez-Martin. 1998. The Cambridge encyclopedia of human paleopathology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Avagyan, Inga. 2003. “Black Fortress site and cemetery”. In The ancient culture of Armenia, eds. Aram Qalantaryan, Ruben Badalyan, 128-134. Yerevan: Mukhni.
Balabanov, Marina A. 2001. La coutume de déformation artificielle de la tête à la fin de Sarmatian: problèmes, résultats de recherche et le jugement collection archéologique. Basse-Volga collection archéologique 4: 108-122
Byers, S. 2002. Introduction to forensic anthropology: A textbook. Boston, Auyn & Bacon.
Buikstra, J. E. and D. H. Ubelaker. 1994. Standards of data collection from human skeletal remains. Fayetteville: Arkansas Archaeological Survey Research Series 44.
Carlson, D., Armelagos, G., Van Gerven, D. 1974. Factors influencing the etiology oicribra orbitalia in prehistoric Nubia. Journal of Human Evolution 3: 405-410.
Clarke, N.G. 1990. Periodontal defects of pulpal origin: Evidence in early man. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 82: 371-376.
Crubezy, E. 1988. Interactions entre facteurs bio-culturels, pathologie et caractères discrets; exemple d’une population médiévale: Canac (Aveyron). (Thèse de doctorat de Médecine), Université Montpellier 1.
Dastugue, J. et V. Gervai. 1992. Paléopathologie du squelette humain. Paris, Société Nouvelle des Éditions Boubée.
Eganyan, Larissa G. 2010. Archaeological and historical-ethnographic research in Shirak. Yerevan-Gyumri: Science and Chirak Centre of Armenian Studies.
Galloway, A. 1999. Broken bones: Anthropological analysis of blunt force trauma. Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas Publisher, Ltd.
Gilbert, B.M. and T.W. McKern. 1973 A method for aging the female os pubis. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 38: 31-38.
Goodman, A.H., Martin, D.L., Armelagos, G.J., Qark, G. 1984. “Indications of stress from bones and teeth”. In Paleopathology at the origins of agriculture, edс. Cohen M.N., Armelagos, G.J., 13-49. New York: Academic Press.
Goodman, A.H., Thomas, R.B., Swedlund, A.C., Armelagos, G. J. 1988. Biocultural perspectives on stress in prehistoric, historical and contemporary population research. Yearbook of Physical Anthropology 31:169-202.
Goodman, A.H. and J.C. Rose. 1990. Assessment of systemic physiological ranes tion from dental enamel hypoplasias and associated histological structures. Yearbook of Physical Anthropology 33: 59-110.
Goodman, A.H. and J.C. Rose. 1991. “Dental enamel hypoplasias as indicators of nutritional status”. In Advances in dental anthropology, eds. Kelley M.A., Larsen CS, 279-293. New York: Wiley-Liss.
Herrera, D., Rolda, S., Gonzales, I., Sanz, M. 2000. The periodontal abscess (I): Clinical and microbiological findings. Journal of Clinical Periodontology 27:387-394.
Hildebolt, C.F. and Molnar, S. 1991. “Measurement and description of periodontal disease in anthropological studies”. In Advances in dental anthropology, eds. Kelly M.A., Larsen C.S., 225-240. New York: Wiley-Liss.
Hillson, S. 1996. Dental anthropology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hillson, S. 2008. “Dental pathology”. In Biological anthropology of the human skeleton, eds. Katzenberg M.A., Saunders S.R. 2nd ed., 301-340. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Jin, Y. adn H. Yip. 2002. Supragingival Calculus: Formation and Control. Critical Review Oral Biological Medicine 13 (5): 426–441.
Katz, D. and J.M. Suchey. 1986. Age determination of the male os pubis. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 69: 427-435
Khodzhayov, Telman K. 2000. La coutume de la déformation délibérée de la tête en Asie centrale. Informations anthropologique et ethnographique sur la population de l'Asie centrale, ed. Dubova N.A., 22-45. Moscou: Vieux jardin.
Khudaverdyan, Anahit Yu. 2000. The population of the Armenian uplands during Antiquity (based on data from the Beniamin cemetery). Yerevan: Tigran Mec.
Khudaverdyan, Anahit Yu. 2010. Pattern of disease in three 1st century BC – 3rd century AD burials from Beniamin, Vardbakh and the Black Fortress I, Shiraksky plateau (Armenia). Journal of Paleopathology (Italy) 22: 15–41.
Khudaverdyan, Anahit Yu. 2011. Artificial modification of skulls and teeth from ancient burials in Armenia. Anthropos 106 (2): 602–609.
Khudaverdyan, Anahit Yu. 2012. Bioarchaeological analysis of populations Armenian Highlands and Transcaucasia in Ancient time. The Mankind Quarterly (Washington) 53 (1): 3-35
Larsen, C.S. 1987. “Bioarchaeological interpretations of subsistence economy and behavior from human skeletal remains”. In Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory, ed. Schiffer M., Volume 10, 339-445. Orlando: Academic Press.
Larsen, C.S. 2000. Bioarchaeology, interpreting behavior from the human skeleton. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lewis, M. 2002. Impact of industrialization: comparative study of child health in four sites from Medieval and Postmedieval England (AD 850-1859). American Journal of Physical Anthropology 119: 211-223.
Lieverse, A.R. 1999. Diet and the Aetiologyof Dental Calculus. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 9: 219–232.
Martirosyan, A.A. 1964. Armenia during of Bronze Age and Early Iron. Erevan: National Academy of Science of Armenia.
Meindl, R.S., Lovejoy, C.O., Mensforth, R.P., Carlos L.D. 1985. Accuracy and direction of error in the sexing of the skeleton: Implications for paleodemography. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 68: 79-85
Mendonza, A. 1982. Les parodontopathies en Préhistoire récente du Languedoc. Thèse de la Faculté de Chirurgie dentaire de Montpellier 42
Molloumba, Félix, Bossalil, Firmin, Molloumba, Pierrot, Bamengozi Jules. 2008. Etude des mutilations dentaires chez les ranes bantous et ranes du Nord-Ouest du Congo-Brazzaville. Actes Société française d’histoire de l’art dentaire 13: 28-31
Molloumba, Félix, Bossalil, Firmin, Molloumba, Pierrot, Bamengozi Jules. 2009. Conséquences à long terme des mutilations dentaires chez les Bantous et Pygmées au nord-ouest du Congo-Brazzaville. Actes Société française d’histoire de l’art dentaire 14: 47-50
Moorrees, C.F., Fanning, E.A., Hunt, E.E. 1963a. Formation and resorption of three deciduous teeth in children. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 21: 205-213
Moorrees, C.F., Fanning, E.A., Hunt, E.E. 1963b. Age variation of formation stages for ten permanent teeth. Journal of Dental Research 42 (6): 1490-1502.
Movsessian, Alla A., Kotchar Nvard. 2001. Ancient populations of Armenia and their role in contemporary Armenian type formation. The anthropology bulletin 7: 95-115.
Nafte, M. 2000. Flesh and bone: An introduction to forensic anthropology. Durham NC: Carolina Academic Press.
Ortner, D.J. and W.G. Putschar. 1985. Identification of pathological conditions in human skeletal remains. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.
Ortner, D.J. 2003. Identification of Pathological Conditions in Human Skeletal Remains. 2nd edition. London: Academic Press.
Palkovich, A.M. 1987. Endemic Disease Patterns in Paleopathology – Porotic Hyperostosis. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 74 (4): 527-537.
Piotrovsky, Boris B. 1959. Kingdom on the Van Lake, Urartu. Moscow: East Literature.
Phenice, T.W. 1969. A newly developed visual method of sexing the os pubis. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 30: 297-302.
Plenot, H.R. 1969. Les mutilations dentaires. Info Dent 51 (29): 2989-2993.
Roberts, C. 1991. “Trauma and treatment in the British Isles in the historic period: A design for a multidisciplinary research”. In Human paleopathology: Current syntheses and future options, eds. Ortner D.J., Aufderheide A.C., 225-240. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.
Roberts, C. and K. Manchester. 2005. The archaeology of disease. 3rd edition. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Sauer, N.J. 1998. The timing of injuries and manner of death: Distinguishing among antemortem,perimortem, and postmortem trauma. Forensic osteology: Advances in the identification of human remains, ed. Reichs K.J., 2nd edition, 321-332. Springfield IL, Charles C. Thomas.
Schultz, M. 1993. “Initial stages of systemic bone disease”. In Histology of ancient human bone: methods and diagnosis, eds. Grupe G., Garland A.N., 185-203. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.
Schultz, M. 2001. Paleohistopathology of bone: a new approach to the study of ancient diseases. Yearbook of Physical Anthropology 44:106-147.
Stuart-Macadam P. 1987. A radiographic study of porotic hyperostosis. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 74: 511-520.
Stuart-Macadam, P. 1989. “Nutritional deficiency diseases: a survey of scurvy, rickets, and iron-deficiency anemia”. In Reconstruction of life from the skeleton, eds. İşcan M.Y., Kennedy K.A.R., 201-222. New York: Wiley-Liss.
Stuart-Macadam, P. 1992a. “Anemia in past human populations”. In Diet, demography, and disease: changing perspectives on anemia, eds. Stuart-Macadam P., Kent S., 151-170. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.
Stuart-Macadam, P. 1992b. Porotic hyperostosis: a new perspective. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 87: 39-47.
Ter-Markaryan, Stepan. 1991. “Excavation of employees of museum “Gumry” at ancient Vardbakh cemetery”. In Scientific session devoting to results of field archaeological researches in Republic of Armenia, ed. Tiratsyan G., 79-80. Yerevan: Institute of Archaeology and Ethnog¬raphy.
Turner, C.G., Nichol, C.R., Scott, G.R. 1991. “Scoring procedures for key morphological traits of the permanent dentition: the Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System”. In Advances in dental anthropology, eds. Kelley M.A., Larsen C.S., 13-31. New York: Wiley-Liss.
Ubelaker, Douglas. 1989. Human skeletal remains. Excavation, analysis, interpretation. Washington: Taraxacum.
Vergès, C. 1998. Détermination sexuelle des sujets non adultes à partir de fonctions discriminantes dentaires: test d’une stratégie générale de diagnose sexuelle. Thèse de Doctorat, Laboratoire d’Anthropologie, Université de Bordeaux I.
Waldron, T. 1994. Counting the dead: the epidemiology of skeletal populations. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
Waldron, T. 2009. Paleopathology. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Walpe, U. 1998. Cribra orbitalia dans l’anthropologie: critères diagnostiques et implications dans l’étude des populations squelettiques anciennes (Thèse de Doctorat). Université Bordeaux 1 (2 vol.).
Williams, B.L., McCann, G.F., Schoenknecht, F.D. 1983. Bacteriology of dental abscesses of endodontic origin. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 18: 770-774.
Wright, Lori E., White, C.D. 1996. Human Biology in the Classic Maya Collapse: Evidence from Paleopathology and Paleodiet. Journal of World Prehistory 10 (2): 147-198.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
ERIH PLUS - European Reference Index for the Humanities
World Cat
AnthroSerbia
