Southern Illinois University Carbondale OpenSIUC Theses Theses and Dissertations 8-2010 Prevalence and Timing of Enamel Hypoplasias in the Vagnari Skeletal Sample (1st - 4th centuries A.D.) Chrystal Lea Nause Southern Illinois University Carbondale, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/theses Recommended Citation Nause, Chrystal Lea, "Prevalence and Timing of Enamel Hypoplasias in the Vagnari Skeletal Sample (1st - 4th centuries A.D.)" (2010). Theses. Paper 351. This Open Access Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at OpenSIUC. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses by an authorized administrator of OpenSIUC. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PREVALENCE AND TIMING OF ENAMEL HYPOPLASIAS IN THE VAGNARI SKELETAL SAMPLE (1ST – 4TH CENTURIES A.D.) by Chrystal Lea Nause B.A., Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Magna Cum Laude, 2005 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Arts Degree Department of Anthropology in the Graduate School Southern Illinois University Carbondale August 2010 Copyright by Chrystal Lea Nause, 2010 All Rights Reserved THESIS APPROVAL PREVALENCE AND TIMING OF ENAMEL HYPOPLASIAS IN THE VAGNARI SKELETAL SAMPLE (1ST – 4TH CENTURIES A.D.) By Chrystal Lea Nause A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the field of Anthropology Approved by: Dr. Tracy L. Prowse, Chair Dr. Robert S. Corruccini Professor Daniel V. Overturf Dr. David Sutton Graduate School Southern Illinois University Carbondale May 10, 2010 AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF CHRYSTAL LEA NAUSE, for the Master of Arts degree in ANTHROPOLOGY, presented on May 10th, 2010, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: PREVALENCE AND TIMING OF ENAMEL HYPOPLASIAS IN THE VAGNARI SKELETAL SAMPLE (1ST – 4TH CENTURIES A.D.) MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Tracy L. Prowse This thesis investigates infant and childhood health in the Roman period (1st to 4th centuries A.D.) cemetery at Vagnari using data on the prevalence and timing of linear enamel hypoplasias (LEH’s). These results are examined in the context of historical and archaeological evidence for childhood health in ancient Rome. Analysis of the prevalence of LEH’s in 48 individuals reveals a low frequency (64.6 %) of enamel hypoplasias in comparison with other Roman period skeletal samples, suggesting that political-economic or geographical variables may have contributed to the generally healthy conditions for subadults at Vagnari. Intrasite analysis indicates no significant difference between sexes or burial types with respect to the average number of teeth affected with hypoplasias and the average total number of defects, but a significant difference does exist between age groups (divided into 15 year intervals). The hypoplastic data indicate that males and females were experiencing similar levels of stress during infancy and childhood. These results are not consistent with the historical evidence, which suggests that male children were preferentially treated in ancient Roman society. Measurement of each hypoplastic defect indicates a peak age at occurrence of 2.75 years of age, which is interpreted as evidence of the end of i the weaning process. Enamel hypoplasias occurred until around 6.5 years of age, suggesting that these Roman children experienced stress throughout childhood, possibly the result of childhood illness or malnutrition. The hypoplastic data are consistent with the historical evidence from the Roman period with respect to the general timetable of weaning. This research integrates biological, archaeological, and historical information about the lives of children to help investigate the physical well-being of a rural working class population in the ancient Roman Empire. ii DEDICATION This thesis is in honor of Jim, Alma, Evelyn, and Al. I wish you could be here to celebrate this accomplishment. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my committee chair, Tracy Prowse. This thesis would never have been possible without her expertise, guidance, and enthusiasm for all things skeletal. I would also like to thank my committee (Robert S. Corruccini, Daniel V. Overturf, and David Sutton) for their contributions, comments, and advice. The development of this project is indebted to their support, which has encouraged me greatly and has without doubt helped me to develop professionally. To the professors of the Department of Anthropology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale who have taught me everything I know about Anthropology (Andrew Balkansky, Susan M. Ford, Jonathan D. Hill, C. Andrew Hofling, John C. McCall, Izumi Shimada, and Paul D. Welch). Also to Heather Lapham for her generosity in supplying the dental casting materials used for this study. I thank my employer Lyle Fuchs of the Mass Communication and Media Arts Photography Laboratory; producing the photographs in this thesis would not have been possible without his continued support. I also thank my employers Dr. Dona Bachman and Lorilee Huffman of the University Museum for allowing me to scan and reprint the Underwood and Underwood slide for this thesis (see Figure 6). In addition, I would like to thank my employers for their support, patience, and advice. I would also like to thank Carol Westerman-Jones, Tedi Thomas, and Rebecca Bondi for their support throughout my time at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. iv To Alastair Small (University of Edinburgh), Carola Small (University of Edinburgh), and Franco Taccogna for contributing some of the essential figures included in this paper. I would also like to thank them for sharing their enthusiasm of Roman history and archaeology. Additionally, I would like to thank Mr. Taccogna for his instruction of all things Italian (in Italian, of course), which was always offered with good humor and patience. To the Soprintendenza Archeologica della Puglia, the Fondazione Ettore Pomarici Santomasi of Gravina, and the proprietor of the Masseria Vagnari, Dr. Mario De Gemmis Pellicciari, for sharing their archaeological treasures and making this type of research possible. And to my family, whose love has encouraged me throughout all of my various endeavors, regardless of my own self-confidence. v TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................... i DEDICATION ................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................. iv LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................ ix LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................... xi CHAPTERS CHAPTER 1 – Introduction .................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2 – Literature Review ........................................................... 6 Tooth Development and the Formation of Enamel Hypoplasias .... 7 Etiology of Hypoplastic Defects.................................................... 10 Susceptibility ................................................................................ 12 Timing of Hypoplastic Defects ..................................................... 16 The Study of Enamel Hypoplasias to Reconstruct Past Health – Capabilities and Limitations ......................................................... 20 The Analysis of Enamel Hypoplasias in Bioarchaeology ............. 24 Studies of Enamel Hypoplasias in pre-Roman and Roman Period Skeletal Samples .............................................................. 26 CHAPTER 3 – Historical Background – Vagnari and Its Connection to the Roman Empire ........................................................................... 35 The Rise and Expansion of the Roman Empire in Italy ................ 36 Civil War in Italy during the Roman Republic (509 to 27 B.C.)..... 38 vi Stability in Italy During the Roman Empire (27 B.C. to 235 A.D.) 42 Crisis in Italy During the Roman Empire (235 to 285 A.D.) .......... 47 The Geographic, Political, and Economic Landscape of Apulia ... 49 The Site of Vagnari ...................................................................... 57 Life and Death in Roman Italy...................................................... 59 CHAPTER 4 – Materials and Methods................................................. 70 The Skeletal Sample .................................................................... 74 Hypoplasia Data Collection .......................................................... 75 Nominal Data Collection Method ............................................ 76 Type Data Collection Method .................................................. 77 Ordinal Ranked Data Collection Method ................................. 77 Defect Position Measurement Method .................................... 78 Chronological Age-at-Insult Conversion Method ..................... 78 Data Analysis ............................................................................... 78 Statistical Analysis ....................................................................... 79 CHAPTER 5 – Results ......................................................................... 86 LEH by Sex .................................................................................. 87 LEH by Age Category