Resume

• 2013

  Much of what has been learned recently about the complex and dynamic world that was the Harappan Civilization has been uncovered and/or interpreted under the direction of Professor Sri Vasant Shinde and colleagues. Mortuary behavior too has some homogenous aspects across these Indus cities: the designation of a formal cemetery

  the inclusion of pottery and other artifacts in graves

  the apparently haphazard disregard for intrusion on earlier interments

  graves oriented roughly North to South for primary interments

  and the extended

  supine posture of skeletons were typical of the Mature Harappan period at Rakhigarhi (Shinde et al.

  2018) and Harappa (Kenoyer and Meadow

  2016). A recent analysis of mortuary behavior at Rakhigarhi also yielded important insights about heterogeneous mortuary behavior across the life-course and for males versus females (Shinde et al.

  2018). However

  it is important to recognize that all of the variants in mortuary treatment described as atypical at Rakhigarhi—brick-lined graves

  multiple burials

  secondary pot burial

  burial of children

  and bodies in a prone posture—have also been reported at Harappa (Kenoyer and Meadow

  2016; Robbins Schug

  2017; Robbins Schug and Blevins

  2016; Robbins Schug et al.

  2018; Sastri

  1965; Wheeler

  1968; Vats

  1940). Based on a comparison with the newly published data from Rakhigarhi and the reports of skeletal and mortuary data from Harappa—recent reports on the HARP excavation of cemetery R-37 (Kenoyer and Meadow

  2016; Lovell

  2014a

  2014b

  2016) and other mortuary areas at the site

  excavated in the previous century and recently reexamined (Robbins Schug

  2017; Robbins Schug and Blevins

  2016; Robbins Schug et al.

  2018)—this chapter seeks to understand this variation in Indus mortuary behavior and its symbolic meaning.

  Indus Mortuary Behavior: Between action and symbolic meaning at Harappa and Rakhigarhi.

  Anthropologists require methods for accurately estimating stature and body mass from the human skeleton. Age-structured

  generalized Least Squares (LS) regression formulas have been developed to predict stature from femoral length and to predict body mass in immature human remains using the width of the distal metaphysis

  midshaft femoral geometry (J)

  and femoral head diameter. This paper tests the hypothesis that panel regression is an appropriate statistical method for regression modeling of longitudinal growth data

  with longitudinal and cross-sectional effects on variance. Reference data were derived from the Denver Growth Study; panel regression was used to create one formula for estimating stature (for individuals 0.5 to 11.5 years old); two formulas for estimating body mass from the femur in infants and children (0.5 to 12.5 years old); and one formula for estimating body mass from the femoral head in older subadults (7-17 years old). The formulas were applied to an independent target sample of cadavers from Franklin County

  Ohio and a large sample of immature individuals from diverse global populations. Results indicate panel regression formulas accurately estimate stature and body mass in immature skeletons

  without reference to an independent estimate for age at death. Thus

  using panel regression formulas to estimate stature and body mass in forensic and archaeological specimens may reduce second stage errors associated with inaccurate age estimates.

  Panel regression formulas for stature and body mass estimation in immature human skeletons

  without reference to specific age estimates.

  The Indus Civilization flourished in northwest India and Pakistan in the\nthird millennium BC as part of a vast Middle Asian interaction sphere that\nstretched across the Persian Gulf region. The height of the urban phase\n(2200–1900 BCE) is typically characterized by large

  well-planned urban\ncenters that exercised economic and cultural influence over hundreds of\nvillages and cities across one to two million square kilometers of territory.\nThe urban centers are characterized by a sense of organization

  communication

  \nand bureaucracy that featured 1) consistently planned cities enclosed\nby gated walls; 2) monumental architecture and unprecedented public and\nprivate sanitation facilities; 3) standardized construction practices

  weights

  \nand measures; and 4) pervasive use of the standardized symbols

  signs

  \nseals

  and a still-undeciphered writing system. Regional variations existed\nin patterns of production

  consumption

  and exchange; artifact styles; technologies;\nmortuary behavior; and specific elements of subsistence practices.\nHowever

  the consistency of cultural features across this large territory\ncombined with a focus on analogies to the social of complexity of West\nAsia led mid-twentieth-century archaeologists to the interpretation that\na centralized

  large-scale hierarchical authority regulated commerce and\ncommunication during the mature Harappan period. Upon further investigation\nand new theoretical developments in the field of anthropology

  the\nlack of evidence of warfare or violent territorial expansion led to contrasting\ninterpretations that higher-level organization in the Indus civilization\nwas limited

  weakly exercised

  and consensually derived....\n\n

  A Hierarchy of Values: The Bioarchaeology of Order

  Complexity

  Health and Trauma at Harappa

  Human skeletal material from archaeological sites is the most important source of evidence about the health of past peoples. More than that

  analysis of paleopathology and mortuary behavior is critical data for reconstructing meaning in the past. Evidence for traumatic injuries has been demonstrated at six Harappan sites. We have also found that stigmatized infectious diseases appear in the subcontinent at this time. Pathophysiological variation

  including congenital differences

  dental diseases

  arthritis

  and nutritional insufficiency have also been discovered in the remains from Harappan cities. These human experiences

  contextualized within mortuary treatment

  have revitalized research into the socio-cultural dimensions of life in South Asia's first urban period. This chapter demonstrates the evidence from some of the major Harappan cities that have been thoroughly studied-Harappa

  Rakhigarhi

  Farmana-and for some of the Harappan cities that deserve more thorough attention-Mohenjo Daro

  Kalibangan

  and Sanauli. I provide details about the skeletal evidence and its interpretation with the goal of encouraging the burgeoning field of bioarchaeological research in the subcontinent.

  Bio-archaeological assessment of human health and social processes during Harappan civilisation

  Veena Mushrif-Tripathy

  K. Elaine Blevins

• 2000

  Hindi

  French

  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

  Biological Anthropology

  University of Oregon

• 000

  In the third millennium B.C.

  the Indus Civilization flourished in northwest India and Pakistan. The late mature phase (2200-1900 B.C.) was characterized by long-distance exchange networks

  planned urban settlements

  sanitation facilities

  standardized weights and measures

  and a sphere of influence over 1

  000 square kilometers of territory. Recent paleoclimate reconstructions from the Beas River Valley demonstrate hydro-climatic stress due to a weakened monsoon system may have impacted urban centers like Harappa by the end of the third millennium B.C. the impact of environmental change was compounded by concurrent disruptions to the regional interaction sphere. Climate

  economic

  and social changes contributed to the disintegration of this civilization after 1900 B.C. We assess evidence for paleopathology to infer the biological consequences of climate change and socio-economic disruption in the post-urban period at Harappa

  one of the largest urban centers in the Indus Civilization. Bioarchaeological evidence demonstrates the prevalence of infection and infectious disease increased through time. Furthermore

  the risk for infection and disease was uneven among burial communities. Corresponding mortuary differences suggest that socially and economically marginalized communities were most vulnerable in the context of climate uncertainty at Harappa. Combined with prior evidence for increasing levels of interpersonal violence

  our data support a growing pathology of power at Harappa after 2000 B.C. Observations of the intersection between climate change and social processes in proto-historic cities offer valuable lessons about vulnerability

  insecurity

  and the long-term consequences of short-term strategies for coping with climate change.

  Infection

  Disease

  and Biosocial Processes at the End of the Indus Civilization

  This project examines practice

  resilience

  and human agency in the 4.2 ka climate change event at Dahwa

  a Bronze Age copper trade outpost on the Batinah Coast of Oman. The archaeological record demonstrates clear evidence of trade with—and potentially migration from—Indus cities during the Mature period (2500-2100 BCE) of the Indus civilization. The project goals are to assess long-term impacts of the 4.2 ka event on human populations—effects of economic and social change

  migration

  and changing health patterns—in the Indus Interaction Sphere. It fits into a larger program of research on climate change in the first urban period in South and West Asia

  research which has already demonstrated diverse strategies for coping with climate changes

  as well as variation in health outcomes throughout the second millennium BCE. Immigration to cities in the Urban Period was an economically viable strategy for coping with climate change but there were also increased risks from infectious diseases

  nutritional insufficiency

  and unprecedented levels of interpersonal violence. Questions remain as to 1) how climate change affected migration patterns and population health in peripheral areas of the Interaction Sphere and 2) how community identity shaped different responses to crisis and vulnerability in the post-urban period. We will use Strontium

  Lead

  and Oxygen isotope data from the human skeletal material from Dahwa to address questions of geographic origin

  patterns of migration

  climate change

  and the urban to post-urban transition at the end of the Early Bronze Age. AMS dating will provide a tight chronology for migration and health changes. This project integrates isotopic and bioarchaeological approaches to archaeological and social theory research questions focused on human agency and the experience of resilience in the past.

  Robbins Schug

  Gwen

  Robbins Schug

  University of Oregon

  Appalachian State University

  I was a GTF at the University of Oregon while attending graduate school.

  Graduate Teaching Fellow

  Eugene

  Oregon Area

  University of Oregon

  Boone

  NC

  As an assistant professor

  I developed the Biological Anthropology concentration for anthropology majors at ASU. By 2013

  our program grew to two tenure track and one NTT faculty postition and 22 majors (15% of anthropology majors). As an assistant

  I taught the general education course 'Our Primate Heritage'

  intro to biological anthropology for majors

  human osteology

  human biological variation

  human evolution

  bioarchaeology

  anthropology of human reproduction

  forensic taphonomy

  and I off a forensic anthropology summer camp for high school students. I have done research

  presented and published with many of my students and 55% of the graduates in biological anthropology have gone on to graduate school.

  Assistant Professor

  Appalachian State University

  Boone

  NC

  My research is focused on health and social processes in the Late Holocene of South Asia. I am working on skeletal material from Harappa and from smaller sites in West-central India to understand the process of urbanization and the collapse of the Indus state

  as well as human responses to climate change and the impact on human health. Currently

  I teach an introduction to biological anthropology for majors

  Human Osteology

  Bioarchaeology

  and Senior Seminar.

  Associate Professor

  Appalachian State University

  Boone

  NC

  I was an adjunct faculty member at ASU while I was finishing my dissertation at the University of Oregon.

  Visiting Assistant Professor

  Appalachian State University

  Boone

  NC

  Professor

  Appalachian State University

  member

  Society for American Archaeology

  member

  European Association of Archaeologists

  member

  American Anthropological Association

  member

  Paleopathology Association

  member

  American Association of Physical Anthropologists

• Paleopathology

  Academic Writing

  History

  Biology

  Science

  Anthropology

  College Teaching

  Public Speaking

  Higher Education

  Research

  Academic Advising

  Lecturing

  Archaeology

  Grant Writing

  Human Osteology

  Bioarchaeology

  University Teaching

  Student Development

  Teaching

  Research Design

  Archaeological Assessment Reveals Earth's Early Transformation Through Land Use

  Environmentally transformative human use of land accelerated with the emergence of agriculture

  but the extent

  trajectory

  and implications of these early changes are not well understood. An empirical global assessment of land use from 10

  000 years before the present (yr B.P.) to 1850 CE reveals a planet largely transformed by hunter-gatherers

  farmers

  and pastoralists by 3000 years ago

  considerably earlier than the dates in the land-use reconstructions commonly used by Earth scientists. Synthesis of knowledge contributed by more than 250 archaeologists highlighted gaps in archaeological expertise and data quality

  which peaked for 2000 yr B.P. and in traditionally studied and wealthier regions. Archaeological reconstruction of global land-use history illuminates the deep roots of Earth’s transformation and challenges the emerging Anthropocene paradigm that large-scale anthropogenic global environmental change is mostly a recent phenomenon.

  Archaeological Assessment Reveals Earth's Early Transformation Through Land Use

  Bioarchaeologists rely on accurate estimations of age-at-death. Clearly

  some pathological conditions are associated with gross morphological changes in the skeleton that could impact the effectiveness of age-at-death estimation (i.e. methods based on the pelvis

  fourth rib

  dental attrition

  and cranial stenosis). The magnitude of this problem has not been widely studied due to a paucity of pathological skeletons of known age. We assessed age-at death for three individuals affected by bone dysplasias (achondroplasia

  residual rickets

  osteogenesis imperfecta) using cementum annulations and several osseous age indicators. We predicted osseous indicators that are based on gross morphological changes would yield age estimates discrepant from the cementochronology. Results demonstrated considerable differences in age estimates between morphological and histological techniques suggesting a need for additional research on the effects of pathology on the accuracy of morphological methods. Conversely

  we addressed the proposition that cementum annulations will be inappropriate for age estimation in cases of chronic and severe rhino-maxillary infection and periodontitis. We assessed age-at-death for one individual with leprosy and found no indication the disease process affected cementum formation or preservation. The results of this research indicate the potential value of cementochronology in cases where skeletal pathological conditions constrain the usefulness of traditional age estimation approaches.

  Age-at-death estimation of pathological individuals: A complementary approach using teeth cementum annulations

  Leprosy is strongly stigmatized in South Asia

  being regarded as a manifestation of extreme levels of spiritual pollution going back through one or more incarnations of the self. Stigma has significant social consequences

  including surveillance

  exclusion

  discipline

  control

  and punishment; biologically speaking

  internalized stigma also compounds the disfigurement and disability resulting from this disease. Stigma results from an othering process whereby difference is recognized

  meaning is constituted

  and eventually

  sufferers may be negatively signified and marked for exclusion. This paper traces the history of leprosy’s stigmatization in South Asia

  using archaeology and an exegesis of Vedic texts to examine the meaning of this disease from its apparent zero-point—when it first appears but before it was differentiated and signified—in the mature Indus Age. Results suggest that early in the second millennium BCE

  leprosy was perceived as treatable and efforts were apparently made to mitigate its impact on the journey to the afterworld. Ignominy to the point of exclusion does not emerge until the first millennium BCE. This paper uses archaeology to create an effective history of stigma for leprosy

  destabilizing what is true about this disease and its sufferers in South Asia today.

  Begotten of Corruption? Bioarchaeology and \"othering\" of Leprosy in South Asia

  A.R. Sankhyan

  Veena Mushrif-Tripathy

  Thousands of settlements stippled the third millennium B.C. landscape of Pakistan and northwest India. These communities maintained an extensive exchange network that spanned West and South Asia. They shared remarkably consistent symbolic and ideological systems despite a vast territory

  including an undeciphered script

  standardized weights

  measures

  sanitation and subsistence systems

  and settlement planning. The city of Harappa (3300–1300 B.C.) sits at the center of this Indus River Valley Civilization. The relatively large skeletal collection from Harappa offers an opportunity to examine biocultural aspects of urban life and its decline in South Asian prehistory. This paper compares evidence for cranial trauma among burial populations at Harappa through time to assess the hypothesis that Indus state formation occurred as a peaceful heterarchy. The prevalence and patterning of cranial injuries

  combined with striking differences in mortuary treatment and demography among the three burial areas indicate interpersonal violence in Harappan society was structured along lines of gender and community membership. The results support a relationship at Harappa among urbanization

  access to resources

  social differentiation

  and risk of interpersonal violence. Further

  the results contradict the dehumanizing

  unrealistic myth of the Indus Civilization as an exceptionally peaceful prehistoric urban civilization.

  A Peaceful Realm? Trauma and social differentiation at Harappa.

  Thomas Collard

  C. Polet

  Benoit Bertrand

  International Journal of Paleopathology

  Bioarchaeologists rely on accurate estimations of age-at-death. Clearly

  some pathological conditions are associated with gross morphological changes in the skeleton that could impact the effectiveness of age-at-death estimation (i.e. methods based on the pelvis

  fourth rib

  dental attrition

  and cranial stenosis). The magnitude of this problem has not been widely studied due to a paucity of pathological skeletons of known age. We assessed age-at death for three individuals affected by bone dysplasias (achondroplasia

  residual rickets

  osteogenesis imperfecta) using cementum annulations and several osseous age indicators. We predicted osseous indicators that are based on gross morphological changes would yield age estimates discrepant from the cementochronology. Results demonstrated considerable differences in age estimates between morphological and histological techniques suggesting a need for additional research on the effects of pathology on the accuracy of morphological methods. Conversely

  we addressed the proposition that cementum annulations will be inappropriate for age estimation in cases of chronic and severe rhino-maxillary infection and periodontitis. We assessed age-at-death for one individual with leprosy and found no indication the disease process affected cementum formation or preservation. The results of this research indicate the potential value of cementochronology in cases where skeletal pathological conditions constrain the usefulness of traditional age estimation approaches.

  Age-at-death estimation of pathological individuals: A complementary approach using teeth cementum annulations

  Leprosy is strongly stigmatized in South Asia

  being regarded as a manifestation of extreme levels of spiritual pollution going back through one or more incarnations of the self. Stigma has significant social consequences

  including surveillance

  exclusion

  discipline

  control

  and punishment; biologically speaking

  internalized stigma also compounds the disfigurement and disability resulting from this disease. Stigma results from an othering process whereby difference is recognized

  meaning is constituted

  and eventually

  sufferers may be negatively signified and marked for exclusion. This paper traces the history of leprosy's stigmatization in South Asia

  using archaeology and an exegesis of Vedic texts to examine the meaning of this disease from its apparent zero-point—when it first appears but before it was differentiated and signified—in the mature Indus Age. Results suggest that early in the second millennium BCE

  leprosy was perceived as treatable and efforts were apparently made to mitigate its impact on the journey to the afterworld. Ignominy to the point of exclusion does not emerge until the first millennium BCE. This paper uses archaeology to create an effective history of stigma for leprosy

  destabilizing what is true about this disease and its sufferers in South Asia today.

  Begotten of Corruption? Bioarchaeology and “othering” of leprosy in South Asia

  Paleodemography II: Age Estimation from Dental Histology

  In biology

  the maternal-fetal interface refers specifically to the hemochorial

  immunological

  and hormonal relations between mother and offspring in placental mammals. Anthropologists broaden the definition to include sociocultural

  behavioral

  and emotional aspects of the developmental environment. This chapter describes the differential diagnosis and bioarchaeological interpretation of crania from two children

  interred in an ossuary (Area G) at the prehistoric city of Harappa

  Pakistan (2000-1900 BCE). Both children were affected by variation in cranial shape known as plagiocephaly

  the crania are asymmetrically distorted by flattening on one side. This striking variation in shape results from postnatal deformation or in cases where cartilaginous sutures that typically separate the bones of the cranial vault fail to form or prematurely close. This paper describes a biomedical method to tease apart intrauterine and post-natal etiological factors that result in plagiocephaly—genetics

  epigenetic factors

  intrauterine constraints

  plural birth

  prolonged vertex molding

  post-natal sleeping posture

  supine positioning

  and/or conditions that limit movement in young infants and children

  such as torticollis—and then describes a biocultural interpretation of these two individuals using a theoretical approach rooted in an archaeology of emotion to explore social identity

  motherhood

  and the emotional response to plagiocephaly at Harappa.

  Maternal Forces: Biological

  behavioral

  and emotional aspects of plagiocephaly in the past

  A bioarchaeological exploration of experience of crisis and resilience in the past

  based on abnormal porosity in infants' and childrens' skeletons from the urban to post-urban transition at Harappa and the Jorwe phase at Inamgaon.

  The Center Cannot Hold: A Bioarchaeology of Environmental Crisis in the Second Millennium BCE

  South Asia.

  Emily Parnell

  As members of the global public become increasingly concerned about climate change

  popular presses promote \" scientific \" narratives about the success or failure of past societies (e.g.

  Diamond 2011)

  human security literature perpetuates a narrative that violence is a \" natural \" outcome of increased competition in such circumstances (e.g.

  Barnett 2007)

  and generally

  neither the public nor policy-makers are exposed to information about the topic of human-environmental interactions from those who know it best

  anthropologists. This chapter explores the development of the human security field and the development of pseudo-evolutionary

  ahistorical

  adaptationist narratives about human behavior in the face of changing climates. The chapter also demonstrates implications of these narratives as they have been adopted by policy-makers at the EPA and DoD. Finally

  the chapter provides an example of a bioarchaeological approach to research on human-environmental relations in the past and the complex dynamics that shaped the human experience of climate

  social

  and economic changes in the first and second millennium BCE in South Asia. Human security literature is the basis for planning for a warmer world. Anthropological perspectives are the necessary antidote to narratives of competition and violence that promote a governmental agenda to prevail at all costs.

  Changing the Climate: Bioarchaeology Responds to Deterministic Thinking About Human-Environmental Interactions in the Past

  A Companion to South Asia in the Past provides the definitive overview of research and knowledge about South Asia’s past

  from the Pleistocene to the historic era in India

  Pakistan

  Sri Lanka

  Bangladesh and Nepal

  provided by a truly global team of experts.\n\nThe most comprehensive and detailed scholarly treatment of South Asian archaeology and biological anthropology

  providing ground-breaking new ideas and future challenges \n\nProvides an in-depth and broad view of the current state of knowledge about South Asia’s past

  from the Pleistocene to the historic era in India

  Pakistan

  Sri Lanka

  Bangladesh and Nepal\n\nA comprehensive treatment of research in a crucial region for human evolution and biocultural adaptation\n\nA global team of scholars together present a varied set of perspectives on South Asian pre- and proto-history

  A Companion to South Asia in the Past

  Human skeletons are an inherently fascinating subject. Humans have interacted with the remains of our dead for aesthetic and ritual purposes for thousands of years and we have utilized them for medical

  educational

  and scholarly pursuits for several centuries. Recently

  it has become possible to use digital technologies such as 3D scanners and printers for reconstructing

  representing

  and disseminating bodies. At the same time

  there is growing interest among professional academic curators in taking a more reflexive approach to the ethical and social dimensions of conservation. This chapter considers theoretical and practical aspects of ethics as they apply to the 3D scanning and printing of human remains for curation or dissemination and suggests guidelines for best practices.

  Ethics of 3D Scanning and Printing of Human Remains. In: Wells J.J.

  ed. Archaeological Informatics: Ethics in Practice.

  Introduction to A Companion to South Asia in the Past

  Here we evaluate Bhattacharya et al.’s (2018) recent paper “Whole-genome sequencing of Atacama skeleton shows novel mutations linked with dysplasia” published in Genome Research. In this short report

  we examine the hypothesis that the so-called “Atacama skeleton” has skeletal abnormalities indicative of dysplasia

  critique the validity of the interpretations of disease based on genomic analyses

  and comment on the ethics of research on this partially mummified human foetus. The current paper acts as a case study of the importance of using an anthropological approach for aDNA research on human remains. A critical evaluation of the ethically controversial paper by Bhattacharya et al. highlights how an understanding of skeletal biological processes

  including normal and abnormal growth and development

  taphonomic processes

  environmental context

  and close attention to ethical issues of dealing with human remains

  is vital to scientific interpretations. To this end

  close collaboration with palaeopathologists and local archaeologists through appropriate peer-reviewed journals will add to the rigour of scientific interpretation and circumvent misinterpretation.

  On engagement with anthropology: A critical evaluation of skeletal developmental abnormalities in the Atacama preterm baby and issues of forensic and bioarchaeological research ethics. Response to Bhattacharya et al. “Whole-genome sequencing...\"

  The second millennium BC was a period of significant social and environmental changes in prehistoric India. After the disintegration of the Indus civilization

  in a phase known as the Early Jorwe (1400–1000 BC)

  hundreds of agrarian villages flourished in the Deccan region of west-central India. Environmental degradation

  combined with unsustainable agricultural practices

  contributed to the abandonment of many communities around 1000 BC. Inamgaon was one of a handful of villages to persist into the Late Jorwe phase (1000–700 BC)

  wherein reliance on dry-plough agricultural production declined. Previous research demonstrated a significant decline in body size (stature and body mass index) through time

  which is often used to infer increased levels of biocultural stress in bioarchaeology. This article assesses evidence for growth disruption in the immature human skeletal remains from Inamgaon by correlating measures of whole bone morphology with midshaft femur compact bone geometry and histology. Growth derangement is observable in immature archaeological femora as an alteration in the expected amount and distribution of bone mass and porosity in the midshaft cross-section. Cross-section shape matched expectations for older infants with the acquisition of bipedal locomotion. These results support the hypothesis that small body size was related to disruptions in homeostasis and high levels of biocultural stress in the Late Jorwe at Inamgaon. Further

  the combined use of geometric properties and histological details provides a method for teasing apart the complex interactions among activity and “health

  ” demonstrating how biocultural stressors affect the acquisition and quality of bone mass.

  Birth is but our death begun: a bioarchaeological assessment of skeletal emaciation in immature human skeletons in the context of environmental

  social

  and subsistence transition