Browsing by Author "Pfeiffer, Susan"

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    Juvenile mortality in Southern African archaeological contexts
    (2008) Harrington, Lesley; Pfeiffer, Susan
    Estimates of age at death that are both accurate and precise and provide information about the patterns and causes of premature mortality in both Later Stone Age and Iron Age archaeology. Assuming a link between subsistence and health differences in patterns of childhood growth are hypothesized. The best source of this information comes from the formation of tooth crowns and roots. Through the study of femurs hafts from Later Stone Age juvenile skeletons, it can be demonstrated that linear growth was normal in tempo. The study of femora from a smaller number of Iron Age juvenile skeletons suggests that growth in this group did not follow a normal pattern, perhaps because prolonged ill health preceded death. Growth of Iron Age children who failed to reach adulthood appears to be variable but slow and this may provide insights into the Iron Age biosocial environment. Because of the demonstrated correlation between dental development and femur shaft length, the Later Stone Age juvenile long bone lengths provided here can be used in Later Stone Age contexts to estimate chronological age at death if dental information is unavailable. This approach should not be used in Iron Age contexts, since such an approach is likely to yield biased (under-aged) estimates of age at death.
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    Postural behaviour of Later Stone Age people in South Africa
    (South African Archaeological Society, 2004) Dewar, Genevieve; Pfeiffer, Susan
    Prehistoric human skeletal remains from Later Stone Age archaeological sites, South Africa, were examined for evidence of habitual use of a squatting posture during life. Bony facets that are believed to be associated with habitual squatting were identified on the tali and the proximal tibial condyles of adult bones. The sample (n=98 adults) was found to exhibit the highest frequency yet reported of the lateral F squatting facet on the talus. A high frequency of medial traits is also reported, including both the medial squatting facet and medial condylar rounding, which have been rare in other populations. There is no statistically significant difference in the expression of traits by broadly defined time periods, age at death, or sex. Individuals from the same region show similar patterns of squatting facets, but there is considerable interregional variation among the Western Cape, the Southern Cape, and the Eastern Cape. The pattern of traits related to squatting postures is consistent with lean body builds, in which there is little soft tissue resistance to deep joint flexion. Most adults appear to have regularly assumed the squatting posture, but there may have been regional differences in stance preferences.