Petra Molnar

This chapter presents the results of a study on the occurrence of cranial trauma in a sub-Neolithic maritime hunter-gatherer population on the island of Gotland, in the central Baltic Sea. The material derives from cemeteries of the Pitted Ware Culture, the last hunter-gatherers of southern Scandinavia. A total of 109 adult crania were analysed (fifty-seven males and fifty-two females). Evidence for trauma was found in 14% of the males and 7.7% of the females analysed. However, with the exception of one female cranium, all showed evidence of healing.

The occurrence of osteoarthritis (OA) as an indicator of physical activity was explored in two Middle Neolithic samples from Gotland (c. 3400–2300 BC) in the Baltic Sea: Ajvide (n = 46) and Västerbjers (n = 32). The difficulty in diagnosing OA is recognised and only eburnation was used as a definite criterion for OA. The relationship between eburnation lesions and Musculoskeletal Stress Markers (MSM) was investigated particularly in relation to age, but also with reference to patterns of sex, body side and site. Results show that increasing prevalence of eburnation as well as increased MSM scores was highly correlated with age. In the combined sample, females exhibited higher frequencies of eburnation, while total MSM mean scores were higher in males. Significantly higher MSM mean scores were also found in those individuals with eburnation lesions. Västerbjers exhibited higher frequencies of eburnation as well as higher mean MSM scores, which in part may be explained by the difference in age distribution at the two sites. However, the differences in both eburnation and MSM patterns between the sexes, and between age groups as well as between the two sites indicate that other factors also have to be considered. These may include genetic predisposition and possibly activity, although, a direct link (other than age) between eburnation and MSM was difficult to discern. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In skeletal remains, teeth are valuable sources of information regarding age, diet, and health. Dental wear is especially helpful in reconstructions of dietary patterns in populations of varying subsistence. In past societies, teeth have also been used as “a third hand” or as a “tool.” The present article examines this type of dental wear and traits attributed to habitual behavior during prehistoric and historic times. Terminology and classification of habitual dental wear are described mainly by appearance, for instance, notching, grooving, cuts, scrapes, and polished surfaces, and their characteristics are illuminated by different case studies. Secondary health effects caused by the extramasticatory use of teeth, such as periapical lesions, tilting, skeletal changes at the temporomandibular joint, chipping, and antemortem tooth loss are also examined. During the examination of extramasticatory dental wear, information should be recorded on morphology, size, frequency, intensity, and location within the dental arch, as well as descriptions and detailed photographic documentation. The advantage of using a low- to medium-resolution microscope in all dental examination is emphasized. By categorizing the wear marks, characteristics are emphasized rather than an exact causing agent. In this way, tentative analogies for the origin of different extramasticatory wear, and consequently for human behavior in the past, can be avoided.

Background: Genes and culture are believed to interact, but it has been difficult to find direct evidence for the process. One candidate example that has been put forward is lactase persistence in adulthood, i.e. the ability to continue digesting the milk sugar lactose after childhood, facilitating the consumption of raw milk. This genetic trait is believed to have evolved within a short time period and to be related with the emergence of sedentary agriculture.Results: Here we investigate the frequency of an allele (-13910*T) associated with lactase persistence in a Neolithic Scandinavian population. From the 14 individuals originally examined, 10 yielded reliable results. We find that the T allele frequency was very low (5%) in this Middle Neolithic hunter-gatherer population, and that the frequency is dramatically different from the extant Swedish population (74%).Conclusions: We conclude that this difference in frequency could not have arisen by genetic drift and is either due to selection or, more likely, replacement of hunter-gatherer populations by sedentary agriculturalists.

Linking MSM (Musculoskeletal Stress Markers) to specific activities is difficult. This problem is explored by combining and comparing patterns of MSM and material culture. Sex‐ and age‐related patterns for MSM and grave goods distributions are analysed and compared from five Pitted Ware (c. 3400–2300 BC) sites on Gotland, Sweden. Possible links between MSM patterns, burial objects, faunal remains and subsistence are explored for a better understanding of some of the irregularities surrounding the Pitted Ware culture hunter‐gatherer complex on Gotland. Fifty‐two muscle and ligament attachments on seven skeletal elements were scored on adult skeletal remains (n = 126) from the five Middle Neolithic Pitted Ware sites at Ajvide, Västerbjers, Visby, Ire and Fridtorp. Noteworthy differences were observed in MSM mean scores between the sexes as well as significantly increased scores with increased age. Distributions for ten selected grave goods categories were also examined for the adult individuals as well as for 50 subadult individuals. The grave goods frequencies showed the opposite pattern from that of MSM: young individuals had higher frequencies of the selected grave goods than the old, and females generally more than males. Burial find distributions also differ at the five sites, as well as faunal refuse proportions, while isotopic data indicate homogeneous subsistence all over the island. Circumstances surrounding the faunal remains in graves and surrounding cultural layers indicate site‐specific utilisation, but also ritual handling of animals. An image of common identity on the island and membership of the local community is visible in the material culture. In addition, individual differences are apparent through MSM patterns and grave goods, but not in direct correlation to activities implied by the artefacts in the grave. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Atypical wear and oral lesions were studied in the dental remains from the Middle Neolithic Pitted Ware Culture site Ajvide on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea. Teeth (n = 764) from 17 males and 11 females were examined microscopically to document unusual wear, assess wear patterns and oral lesions as evidence of habitual behavior, and determine their effect on the oral health of this population. Five atypical wear types were observed: occlusal facets, occlusal excessive load, labial vertical striae, labial horizontal striae, and interproximal striae. Three oral lesions were recorded: chipping, periapical lesions, and dental tilting. Results indicate that teeth were used in a habitual manner at Ajvide, based on the morphology and regularity of the patterns of atypical wear. Differences were observed between the sexes, indicating gender‐related differences in the habitual use of teeth. Some wear categories showed a significant correlation with age, signifying increased or accumulated wear with age. Statistically significant positive correlations were found in the molars between occlusal excessive load wear and periapical lesions as well as tilting. Other apparent links were also observed between chipping and vertical striae as well as excessive load, although these were not significant. This suggests a relationship between dental wear and dental pathologies at this site, suggesting that habitual use of teeth indirectly affected the general oral health at the site. Wear patterns, furthermore, seem to mirror both frequent activities as well as single events. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2008.

The skeletal remains from the Middle Neolithic (2750–2300 BC) burial ground at Ajvide, Gotland, are analyzed in order to explore musculoskeletal patterns and to attempt to trace general as well as three specific prehistoric activities (archery, harpooning, and kayaking) that are likely to have been performed in this marine setting of fishing, hunting, and gathering. Scoring of muscular and ligament attachments is performed using the scoring method of Hawkey and Merbs ([1995] Int. J. Osteoarchaeol. 5:324–338) for muskuloskeletal stress markers (MSM). The skeletal material consists of 24 male and 15 female adult individuals divided into three age groups: young (40 years). Thirty upper body MSM sites, on both the left and right sides, are scored and form the basis of the study. Results show that males most frequently have higher mean MSM scores than females. Bilateral asymmetry was noted as low in both sexes. Age proved to be a contributing factor to increased MSM scores, with a greater age‐related increase in females. MSM patterns were analyzed statistically in muscle groups associated with the three investigated activities. Significant positive correlations were observed in male individuals in muscle groups associated with archery and to some extent harpooning, an indication that these activities would mainly have been performed by men. Correlations in kayaking muscles were not evidently consistent with the kayaking motion. Furthermore, the costoclavicular ligament, often referred to in connection with “kayaker's clavicle,” showed no positive statistical correlation with the kayaking muscles. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2006.