Morphological Features of the Proximal Femur: Investigations of Habitual Activities, Sex and Health in a Bronze Age Population from the Arabian Peninsula
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UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones 12-1-2012 Morphological Features of the Proximal Femur: Investigations of Habitual Activities, Sex and Health in a Bronze Age Population from the Arabian Peninsula Animikha Dutt University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons, and the Gender and Sexuality Commons Repository Citation Dutt, Animikha, "Morphological Features of the Proximal Femur: Investigations of Habitual Activities, Sex and Health in a Bronze Age Population from the Arabian Peninsula" (2012). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 1726. http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/4332707 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). 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MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF THE PROXIMAL FEMUR: INVESTIGATIONS OF HABITUAL ACTIVITIES, SEX AND HEALTH IN A BRONZE AGE POPULATION FROM THE ARABIAN PENINSULA By Animikha Dutt Master of Arts Deccan College Post-Graduate & Research Institute, Pune 2006 Bachelor of Arts Sophia College for Women, Mumbai 2004 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology Department of Anthropology College of Liberal Arts Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas December 2012 THE GRADUATE COLLEGE We recommend the dissertation prepared under our supervision by Animikha Dutt entitled Morphological Features of the Proximal Femur: Investigations of Habitual Activities, Sex, and Health in a Bronze Age Population from the Arabian Peninsula be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology Department of Anthropology Debra Martin, Ph.D., Committee Chair Jennifer Thompson, Ph.D., Committee Member Liam Frink, Ph.D., Committee Member Jennifer Keene, Ph.D., Graduate College Representative Tom Piechota, Ph.D., Interim Vice President for Research & Dean of the Graduate College December 2012 ii ABSTRACT Morphological Features of the Proximal Femur: Investigations of Habitual Activities, Sex and Health in a Bronze Age Population from the Arabia Peninsula by Animikha Dutt, M.A. Dr. Debra L. Martin, Examination Committee Chair Professor of Anthropology University of Nevada, Las Vegas Bronze Age sites on the Arabian Peninsula are relatively rare. The undisturbed nature of Tell Abraq, located in the United Arab Emirates, is significant since it represents one of the longest known occupied settlement sites dating from the 3rd millennium BC to the 1st century AD. This site has revealed an undisturbed communal tomb that was used for approximately 200 years (2200-2000 BC), housing commingled and disarticulated human remains of at least 286 adults and 127 subadults. The strategic coastal position of Tell Abraq, at the intersection of several major cultural centers, allowed its people to actively participate in world trade and politics. The current project attempted to better understand human behavior and adaptation in harsh environment during a sparsely known period through the systematic study of musculo-skeletal markers (MSMs) on proximal femora. Analyses using new forensic techniques combined with macroscopic and microscopic examination of adult proximal femora (n=102) presented a distribution across age categories and a skewed ratio of males to females. The population was relatively healthy with high incidences of MSMs including pilasterism (95%), articular iii border convexity (79.12%) and anterior cervical imprint (67.05%). None of the MSMs, apart from the posterior cervical imprint, showed side biases. There were various degrees of biases between sexes, with males overall showing more frequencies of MSMs. Interpreting the results within its archaeological and cultural context, the bones of the Bronze Age Tell Abraq revealed a very hard working population existing in a complex economic and social community, with at least a partial sexual division of labor. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I remain in the debt of Debra Martin, whose mentorship and guidance has led me down the path I am on now. I would also like to thank the rest of my committee for their valuable inputs and feedbacks: Dr. Jennifer Thompson, Dr. Liam Frink and Dr. Jennifer Keene. I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Charles Keller, Suresh Prajapati, Dr. Juri G. Gelovani and Dr. Gail Tomlinson for giving me free access their micro-CT scan facilities. I would like to express my appreciation to the UNLV Department of Anthropology and the Graduate and Professional Student Association whose assistance has made my research possible. Many thanks to my friends, especially Michelle, Heidi and Sharon, for going out of their way to help me in numerous occasions when I am in a fix. My family has been unwavering in their support, in particular my dad Rajat who would offer sound advice and encouragement from the opposite side of the world. Finally, many thanks to my wonderful husband, Nick Thaler, for his invaluable academic help and keeping me sane. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ............................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................ viii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 1.1. OVERVIEW AND STATEMENT OF RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ........................................ 1 CHAPTER 2: A BIOARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ENGENDERED-APPROACH TO ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK ..................................................................................................... 6 2.1. BRIEF HISTORY OF BIOARCHAEOLOGY ........................................................................ 6 2.2. INCORPORATING GENDER STUDIES IN BIOARCHAEOLOGY ..................................... 8 CHAPTER 3: ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXT OF THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES AND TELL ABRAQ ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE DURING THE BRONZE AGE ............................ 15 3.1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 15 3.2. GEOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................................... 16 3.3. CLIMATE ............................................................................................................................ 17 3.4. FLORA AND FAUNA ......................................................................................................... 21 3.7. PREVIOUS BIOARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDIES ON THE TELL ABRAQ COLLECTION ................................................................................................................................................... 31 CHAPTER 4: MATERIALS AND METHODS ........................................................................... 34 4.1. MATERIAL .......................................................................................................................... 34 4.2. METHODS .......................................................................................................................... 35 4.2.1. Anatomical landmarks ................................................................................................. 35 4.2.2. Forensic Methods: Sex, Age, Stature ........................................................................... 36 4.2.3. Musculoskeletal Markers (MSM) ................................................................................ 42 4.2.4. Microscopic Analysis ................................................................................................... 55 4.2.5. Pathology ..................................................................................................................... 57 CHAPTER 5: RESULTS ............................................................................................................... 61 5.1. SEX DETERMINATION ..................................................................................................... 61 5.2. STATURE ESTIMATION .................................................................................................... 65 5.3. AGE ESTIMATION ............................................................................................................. 66 vi 5.4. FREQUENCY OF VARIOUS MSM OCCURRENCES IN THE COLLECTION ................ 75 5.5. CORRELATION BETWEEN TWO OR MORE MSMS ....................................................... 94 5.6. MICROSCOPIC