Anthropology 513
Bioarchaeology Seminar

Instructor:Dr. CoreyRagsdale

Office: Social Science217

Email:

Officehours:TR 2:00 to 3:30

CourseDescription

Bioarchaeologyallows us to ‘people’the past. Todo this,bioarchaeologists follow two general rulesof

thumb. First, theycontextualizehuman remains in physical space,culturalmilieu, and pre-historic time. That is, skeletonized and mummified bodies arenever examined withoutalso consideringtheir associated archaeologicalmaterials.Second, bioarchaeologists regard ancient bodies as bio-cultural phenomena. Human biologyis impacted directlybyculture, and viceversa. With thesetwo ideas in hand, wewill explorebioarchaeology’shistory, development, major topical concerns, and debates. Wewillalso engage criticallywith categoriesand assumptions about race, sex/gender, age, ethnicity, disease and disability, violence, and bodyparts.To conclude thesemester, wewillreflect upon bioarchaeology’srelevancein contemporarypolitics.

Readings

Therequiredtextcanbepurchasedatthebookstore.Youcanaccessallotherassignedandsupplemental

readingsonline.Thiscourseisreadingintensive,sobepreparedtospendseveralhoursaweekoutsideof class preparingfordiscussion.

•Larsen,Clark.2014.Bioarchaeology:InterpretingBehaviorfromtheHumanSkeleton,2nd

Edition.

CambridgeUniversityPress

Agarwal,SabrinaBonnieGlencross.2011.SocialBioarchaeology.Malden,MA:Wiley- Blackwell

All other readings are available online

CourseRequirements andGrading

Readings Summaries (5) / 30%
Discussion Leader / 20%
Research Project/Presentation / 50%

ReadingsSummaries:

Summaries of thereadingsareassigned throughout the coursetoensurestudents arekeepingup with thereading. Thesesummarieswillinvolvea critiqueofa few papersfrom theweeks prior, and should demonstrate and understandingof thetopic and evidenceof critical thinking. Thesewill bediscussed further in class.

Discussion Leaders:

Youwilllead discussion oncebetween Weeks 3 and 12. As discussion leader,you shouldsummarizethe readings’ keypoints andfacilitate class discussion. You can provideyour classmates with handoutsor showpowerpointslides. Yourgradewillreflect thequalityandclarityof

yourquestions.To further engender discussion,you can also draw on videos, news articles,graphs, tables, supplemental readings, or additional scholarlysources.

ResearchProject:

Selectatopic that piquesyour interest. Your research proposalis an opportunityto explorethis further.Theformat ofthis paperwillbesimilar to that of agrant proposal (NSForNIH format).Details of the format forthis paperwillbediscussed further in class. Additionally,youwillbe required to do an oral presentation ofyour research proposal. This presentation accounts for10%ofyour total coursegrade (1/5 ofyourfinal paper). Details regardingthis presentation will be discussed in class.

CourseReading Schedule

Week 1: Paradigms inBioarchaeology(1/26-1/28)

•Agarwal and Glencross: Chapters 1-5 (skip Chapter 3)

•Washburn, S.L. 1951. TheNew Physical Anthropology.Trans of theNYAcademyof Sciences13(7):

298-304.

•Binford,Lewis R. 1962. Archaeologyas Anthropology.American Antiquity28(2):217-25.

Week 2: Bioarchaeologyof PopulationsandIndividuals(2/2-2/4)

•Bocquet-Appel, J.-P., and C. Masset. 1982. Farewell to Paleodemography. Journal of Human

Evolution 11:321-333.

•Stojanowski, C. 2005. The Bioarchaeology of Identity in Spanish Colonial Florida: Social and Evolutionary Transformationbefore,during,andafterDemographicCollapse.American Anthropologist107(3): 417-31.

•Zvelebil M, and Weber AW. 2013. Human bioarchaeology: Group identity and individual life histories –Introduction. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology32: 275-279.

•Saul,FrankP.andJulieM.Saul.1989.“Osteobiography:AMayaExample”inReconstructionof Lifefrom the Skeleton. Edited byM.IscanK.A.R. Kennedy,pp. 287-302. NewYork:Alan R.Liss, Inc.

•Buikstra, J., T. Price, J. Burton, andL. Wright. 2004. “Tombs from Copan’s Acropolis:ALife HistoryApproach”in UnderstandingEarlyClassicCopan. Ed byE.Bell, etal., pp. 191-212. Philadelphia: UPMAAPr.

Week 3: Politicization(2/9-2/11)

•Larsen: Chapter11

•Agarwal and Glencross: Chapter3

•Ousley,S.D.,W.T.Billeck,andR.E.Hollinger.2005.FederalRepatriationLegislationandtheRole ofPhysical Anthropologyin Repatriation.AJPA128(Suppl 41):2-32

•Kakaliouras,Ann. 2008.Leaving FewBones Unturned: Recent Work onRepatriation byOsteologists.

American Anthropologist110(1):44-52

Week4: Sexand Gender(2/16-2/18)

•Agarwal and Glencross: Chapter6

•Brown,K.A.1998.GenderandSex—WhatCanAncientDNATellUs?AncientBiomolecules2:3-

15.

•Readings summary1

Topic discussant:

•SofaerDerevenski,Joanna.2000.SexDifferencesinActivity-RelatedOsseousChangeintheSpineand theGenderedDivisionofLabor atEnsayandWharramPercy,UK.Am.JournalofPhysicalAnthropology

111:333-54.

•AgarwalSC.2012.ThePastofSex,Gender,andHealth:BioarchaeologyoftheAgingSkeleton.

American Anthropologist 114:322-335.

•Geller,Pamela.2009.Bodyscapes,Biology,andHeteronormativity.AmericanAnthropologist111(4):

504-16 .

Week5: Age(2/23-2/25)

•Larsen:Chapter10

•Agarwal and Glencross: Chapters 10-13

Topic discussant:

Agarwal, Sabrina. 2008. “Light Broken Bones: Examining and Interpreting Bone Loss and OsteoporosisinPastPopulations”inBiologicalAnthropology oftheHumanSkeleton(2nded).Ed.by M. Katzenbergand S. Saunders, pp. 387-412. Hoboken, NJ:John WileySons,Inc.

HalcrowSEandTaylesN.2008.TheBioarchaeologicalInvestigationofChildhoodandSocialAge: Problems and Prospects.Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory15:190-215.

Gowland,Rebecca.2006.“AgeingthePast:ExaminingAgeIdentityfromFuneraryEvidence”in SocialArchaeologyofFunerary Remains.Ed.by R.GowlandC.Knüsel,pp.143-54.Oxford: Oxbow Books.

Readingssummary 2

Week 6: Population Affinity(3/1-3/3)

•Larsen: Chapter9

•American Association ofPhysical Anthropologists. 1996. “AAPA statement on biological aspects of

race.”AJPA 101(4): 569-70

Topic discussant:

•LaRoche, Cheryl J. and MichaelL. Blakey. 1997.Seizing Intellectual Power: Thedialogueat the

New YorkAfrican Burial Ground. Historical Archaeology31(3):83-106.

•Knudson and Stojanowski. 2008. New Directions in Bioarchaeology: Recent Contributions tothe

Studyof Human SocialIdentities.Journal of Archaeological Research 16:397-432.

•Ousley, S., R. Jantz, and D. Freid. 2009. UnderstandingRace and HumanVariation: WhyForensic

Anthropologists areGoodatIdentifyingRace.AJPA 139(1): 1-4.

Week 7: Cultural Affiliation and Ethnicity(3/8-3/10)

•Jones,Sian.1997.“EthnicityandMaterialCulture:TowardsaTheoreticalBasisfortheInterpretation ofEthnicityin Archaeology”inTheArchaeologyofEthnicity, pp. 106-27.New York: Routledge

Topic discussant:

•Torres-Rouff,C.2002.CranialVaultModificationandEthnicityinMiddleHorizonSanPedrode

Atacama, Chile. CurrentAnthropology43: 163-71.

•Buzon,M.R.2006.BiologicalandEthnicIdentityinNewKingdomNubia:ACaseStudyfrom

Tombos.Current Anthropology47: 683-95.

•Arriaza et al.The Bioarchaeological Value of Human Mummies Without Provenience. 2008.

Chungara40: 55-65.

•Readings summary3

Week 8:Biological DistanceStudies(3/15-3/17)

Larsen: Chapter7

PietrusewskyM.2014.BiologicalDistance.In:SmithC.(Ed.)EncyclopediaofGlobalArchaeology: Springer Reference.

Topic discussant:

Herrera,B.,Hanihara, T,and Godde,K. 2014. Comparabilityof Multiple Data TypesFrom theBering

StraitRegion:CranialandDentalMetricsandNonmetrics,mtDNA,andY-ChromosomeDNA.AJPA

154: 334-348.

SchererAK. 2007. Population Structureof theClassicPeriod Maya. AJPA 132: 367-380.

SutterRandCastilloLJ.2015.PopulationStructureduringtheDemiseoftheMoche(550–850AD): Comparative PheneticAnalysesof ToothTraitData from SanJosé de Moro, Perú.Current Anthropology56: 762-771.

Week9: Habitual Activity(3/22-3/24)

•Larsen: Chapters 5and 6

•Agarwal and Glencross: Chapter 8

Topic discussant:

•Hawkey, Diane. 1998. Disability, Compassion andthe Skeletal Record: UsingMusculoskeletal Stress Markers(MSM) to Construct an Osteobiographyfrom EarlyNew Mexico.International Journal of Osteoarchaeology8: 326-40.

•Agnew A,BetsingerTK,and JustusHM. 2015. Post-Cranial TraumaticInjuryPatterns in Two

Medieval Polish Populations: TheEffects ofLifestyleDifferences. Plos ONE.

•LukacsJR and Pal JN. 2003. Skeletal Variation amongMesolithic Peopleofthe GangaPlains: New

EvidenceofHabitual Activityand Adaptation to Climate. Asian Perspectives 42: 329-351.

Week10: Health and Disease (3/29-3/31)

•Larsen: Chapters2and 3

•Wood,J.W., G.R.Milner,H.C. Harpending, and K.M. Weiss.1992.TheOsteological Paradox:

Problems ofInferringPrehistoric Health from Skeletal Samples.CurrentAnthropology33:343-70.

DiscussionArticles:Instructor

Mays S, Vincent S, Meadows J. 2012.A possiblecaseof treponemal disease from England datingto the 11th-12thcenturyAD.Int JOsteoarchaeology22(3): 366-372.

Harper KN,ZuckermanMK, Armelagos GJ. 2013. Correspondence: A possible (but notprobable?)

caseof treponemal disease.Int JOsteoarchaeology23(5): 626-627.

Mays S, Vincent S. 2013. Correspondence: Probable and possible cases oftreponematosis: A response to the comment ‘Apossible (but notprobable?) caseof treponemal disease’ byHarper,Zuckerman, and Armelagos.Int JOsteoarchaeology23(5): 628-629.

•Readings summary4

Week 11: SPRING BREAK-NOCLASSES(4/5-4/7)

Week12: Bioarcheologyof Violence(4/12-4/14)

•Larsen:Chapter4

•Martin DL and HerrodRP. 2015. BioarchaeologicalContributions to the Studyof Violence.Yearbook

ofPhysical Anthropology156: 116-145.

•Billman, Brian, Patricia M. Lambert, and Banks L. Leonard. 2000. Cannibalism, Warfare, and

Drought in the MesaVerdeRegion duringthe12thCenturyA.D.AmericanAntiquity65:145-78.

•JonesS,Walsh-HaneyH,andQuinnR.2015.KanaTamataorFeastsofMen:AnInterdisciplinary

ApproachforIdentifyingCannibalisminPrehistoricFiji.InternationalJournalofOsteoarchaeology

25: 127-145.

Week 13: BodyModification (4/19-4/21)

Martin DL, Harrod RP, VenturaRP. 2013. TheBodyas Material Culture.InBioarchaeology: An IntegratedApproachto Workingwith Human Remains (Manuals in Archaeological Method, Theory and Technique).

Topic discussant:

•Verano,John.1995.“WhereDoTheyRest?TheTreatmentofHumanOfferingsTrophiesin Ancient Perú” in Tombs for the Living. Ed. by T. Dillehay, pp. 189-227. Washington, DC: Dumbarton Oaks.

Lucero,L.,andS.Gibbs.2007.“TheCreationSacrificeofWitchesinClassicMayaSociety”in NewPerspectivesonHumanSacrifice& RitualBodyTreatmentsinAncientMaya Society.Ed.By V. Tiesler & A. Cucina, pp.45-73. New York: Springer.

LaraM,PazV,LewisH,SolheimIIW.2015.BoneModificationsinanEarlyHoloceneCremation

Burial from Palawan, Philippines.International Journal of Osteoarchaeology25: 637-632.

Readings summary5

Week14: Biochemistry(4/26-4/28)

Larsen:Chapter8

Agarwal and Glencross: Chapter15

Topic discussant:

Sandberg, P.A., Sponheimer, M.,Lee-Thorp, J., Van Gervin, D. 2014.Intra-Tooth StableIsotope

AnalysisofDentine: A Step TowardAddressingSelectiveMortalityin theReconstruction ofLife

Historyin theArchaeological Record. AJPA 155: 281-193.

EzzoJA,JohnsonCM,andPriceTD.1997.AnalyticalPerspectivesonPrehistoricMigration:ACase

Studyfrom East-CentralArizona. Journal of Archaeological Science24:447-466.

Week 15:Research Presentations(5/3-5/5)

Research Papers Due