Juvenile mortality in Southern African archaeological contexts
| dc.contributor.author | Harrington, Lesley | |
| dc.contributor.author | Pfeiffer, Susan | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2017-07-14T11:11:54Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2017-07-14T11:11:54Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2008 | |
| dc.date.updated | 2016-01-12T09:54:03Z | |
| dc.description.abstract | 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. | |
| dc.identifier | http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/20475004 | |
| dc.identifier.apacitation | Harrington, L., & Pfeiffer, S. (2008). Juvenile mortality in Southern African archaeological contexts. <i>South African Archaeological Bulletin</i>, http://hdl.handle.net/11427/24744 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.chicagocitation | Harrington, Lesley, and Susan Pfeiffer "Juvenile mortality in Southern African archaeological contexts." <i>South African Archaeological Bulletin</i> (2008) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/24744 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.citation | Harrington, L., & Pfeiffer, S. (2008). Juvenile mortality in southern African archaeological contexts. The South African Archaeological Bulletin, 95-101. | |
| dc.identifier.ris | TY - Journal Article AU - Harrington, Lesley AU - Pfeiffer, Susan AB - 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. DA - 2008 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town J1 - South African Archaeological Bulletin LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2008 T1 - Juvenile mortality in Southern African archaeological contexts TI - Juvenile mortality in Southern African archaeological contexts UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/24744 ER - | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/24744 | |
| dc.identifier.vancouvercitation | Harrington L, Pfeiffer S. Juvenile mortality in Southern African archaeological contexts. South African Archaeological Bulletin. 2008; http://hdl.handle.net/11427/24744. | en_ZA |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.publisher.department | Department of Archaeology | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher.faculty | Faculty of Science | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher.institution | University of Cape Town | |
| dc.source | South African Archaeological Bulletin | |
| dc.source.uri | http://www.archaeologysa.co.za/saab | |
| dc.subject.other | Later Stone Age | |
| dc.subject.other | Iron Age | |
| dc.subject.other | long bones | |
| dc.subject.other | dental development | |
| dc.subject.other | osteology | |
| dc.subject.other | childhood | |
| dc.subject.other | health | |
| dc.title | Juvenile mortality in Southern African archaeological contexts | |
| dc.type | Journal Article | en_ZA |
| uct.type.filetype | Text | |
| uct.type.filetype | Image | |
| uct.type.publication | Research | en_ZA |
| uct.type.resource | Article | en_ZA |