A Reevaluation of Cribra Orbitalia at Early Bronze Age Bab adh-Dhra’

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Individuals at Early Bronze Age Bab adh-Dhra’ (located in modern Jordan) lived in densely populated, walled towns, which led to increased physiological stress. Cribra orbitalia, likely resulting from nutritional deficiency, was used as a measure of such stress. A new method of assessing cribra orbitalia using a Bone Porous Lesion Evaluation (BoPLE) form categorizes severity and healing scales, lesion area, and pits present in a 1 cm² area. Other pathological lesions like cranial depressed fractures are prevalent on Bab adh-Dhra’ individuals, representing a time period of increased interpersonal violence. A comparative study of both cribra orbitalia and cranial depressed fractures could identify a correlation between those experiencing malnutrition and those experiencing violence. This study reevaluates cribra orbitalia on complete crania of Bab adh-Dhra’ individuals, to assess how this new standard might enhance studies of stress and violence at Bab adh-Dhra’.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38674.0