A BIOARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF STATURE, LOWER LIMB PROPORTIONALITY, AND NUTRITIONAL STATUS IN PREHISTORIC CENTRAL CALIFORNIA ____________ A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of California State University, Chico ____________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Anthropology ____________ by Janet E. Finlayson Spring 2014 A BIOARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF STATURE, LOWER LIMB PROPORTIONALITY, AND NUTRITIONAL STATUS IN PREHISTORIC CENTRAL CALIFORNIA A Thesis by Janet E. Finlayson Spring 2014 APPROVED BY THE DEAN OF GRADUATE STUDIES AND VICE PROVOST FOR RESEARCH: _________________________________ Eun K. Park, Ph.D. APPROVED BY THE GRADUATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE: ______________________________ _________________________________ Guy Q. King, Ph.D. Eric J. Bartelink, Ph.D., Chair Graduate Coordinator _________________________________ Frank E. Bayham, Ph.D. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, my committee deserves acknowledgement. My chair, Dr. Eric J. Bartelink, invests a tremendous amount of time and effort into every one of his students, and has been a wonderful advisor to me. His tireless effort and generosity to his students is truly astounding and I could not have asked for a more dedicated mentor. My second committee member, Dr. Frank E. Bayham, was always willing to sit down with me and share his infinite wisdom. Dr. Bayham always had a smile, a bit of advice, and good words to keep me motivated. Additionally, Dr. Colleen Milligan and Dr. P. Willey deserve recognition. Dr. Milligan always lent me an open ear or two when I needed it the most, be it for personal or academic reasons. Dr. P. Willey spread his infectious appreciation of data to me from the start of my career, as well as his adventurous spirit for California’s beautiful outdoors. It was an honor to work with these individuals, as well as the entirety of the CSU, Chico Anthropology Department during my time there. Although I moved about as far away as I possibly could within the country from my family and circumstances rarely permitted me to visit my home state, my family has always sent their support and bottles of Michigan maple syrup. Finally, Corey has been a constant source of unconditional moral support throughout my academic journey. His patience and love for all things in the world makes me a truly lucky human. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................... iii List of Tables.............................................................................................................. vi List of Figures............................................................................................................. vii Abstract....................................................................................................................... x CHAPTER I. Introduction.............................................................................................. 1 Research Hypotheses.................................................................... 3 Organization of the Thesis............................................................ 7 II. Central California Environment and Resource Intensification ................ 9 Central California Environment ................................................... 9 Central California Chronology..................................................... 12 Resource Intensification in Central California............................. 17 Resource Intensification and Skeletal Indicators of Health ......... 20 Summary....................................................................................... 24 III. Stature and Proportionality....................................................................... 26 Stature........................................................................................... 26 Body and Lower Limb Proportionality ........................................ 32 Summary....................................................................................... 34 IV. Cranial Porosity........................................................................................ 35 Cribra Orbitalia............................................................................. 35 Porotic Hyperostosis..................................................................... 36 Etiology of Cribra Orbitalia and Porotic Hyperostosis ................ 37 Relationship of Cribra Orbitalia and Porotic Hyperostosis.......... 41 iv CHAPTER PAGE Cranial Porosity in Archaeological Populations........................... 43 Summary....................................................................................... 45 V. Materials and Methods ............................................................................. 46 Archaeological Sites..................................................................... 46 Data Collection Methods.............................................................. 54 Stature Estimation and Body Proportionality in Prehistoric California Populations ........................................ 57 Statistical Methods ....................................................................... 58 Summary....................................................................................... 60 VI. Results...................................................................................................... 61 Sample Demography .................................................................... 61 Temporal Trends .......................................................................... 63 Regional Trends............................................................................ 81 Sexual Dimorphism in Stature...................................................... 93 Comparison of Stature in Individuals with Cranial Porosity........ 97 Summary....................................................................................... 100 VII. Discussion and Conclusions..................................................................... 107 Stature........................................................................................... 107 Lower Limb Proportionality......................................................... 113 Cranial Porosity............................................................................ 115 Study Limitations ......................................................................... 120 Future Research............................................................................ 121 Conclusions .................................................................................. 122 References Cited......................................................................................................... 125 Appendices A. Skeletal Measurements............................................................................. 141 B. Statistical Results...................................................................................... 144 v LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1. Early, Middle, and Late Period Skeletal Samples .................................... 48 2. Sites by Region in Central California....................................................... 49 3. Scoring for Presence and Severity of Cranial Pathological Conditions Cribra Orbitalia and Porotic Hyperostosis....................... 56 4. Scoring for Activity of Cribra Orbitalia and Porotic Hyperostosis.......... 56 5. Stature Equations for Males and Females from Auerbach and Ruff (2010) .................................................................................. 57 6. Sample Demographics.............................................................................. 62 vi LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1. Map of Archaeological Sites .................................................................... 47 2. Temporal Trends in Mean Femoral Bicondylar Length by Region and Sex................................................................................... 65 3. Temporal Trends in Tibia Length by Region and Sex ............................. 67 4. Temporal Trends in Mean Estimated Stature by Region and Sex............ 68 5. Temporal Trends in Mean Total Leg Length by Region and Sex............ 69 6. Temporal Patterns in Mean Tibiofemoral Index Values by Region and Sex................................................................................... 70 7. Temporal Distribution of Cribra Orbitalia Considering All Regions Combined ............................................................................. 71 8. Temporal Distribution of Cribra Orbitalia in the Bayshore Region......... 72 9. Temporal Distribution of Cribra Orbitalia in the Interior Bay Region ......................................................................................... 74 10. Temporal Distribution of Cribra Orbitalia in the Central Valley Region..................................................................................... 75 11. Temporal Distribution of Porotic Hyperostosis Considering All Regions Combined ....................................................................... 76 12. Temporal Distribution of Porotic Hyperostosis in the Bayshore Region ................................................................................ 78 13. Temporal Distribution of Porotic Hyperostosis in the Interior Bay Region ............................................................................ 79 14. Temporal Distribution of Porotic Hyperostosis in the Central Valley Region....................................................................................