Children's Health in Archaic Texas: A Paleopathological Analysis of Juvenile Remains

Summary

While many dissertations, theses, and publications have repeatedly touted the relatively low number of juvenile burials at Texas mortuary sites, this research project serves to reconsider their importance in the archaeological record. The Archaic Period mortuary sites of Ernest Witte and Morhiss on the Western Gulf Coastal Plains of Texas have an abundance of juvenile skeletons on which to conduct an analysis. Juvenile bones are especially susceptible to extrasomatic stress where adult bones may not be affected. By studying the remains of these children from a paleopathological perspective, a connection can be made to diet, lifestyle, and overall community health. This study aims to prove that a consideration of juvenile presence and contributions in past societies is important to reconstructing and understanding the past.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14456