The Routledge Handbook of Mesoamerican Bioarchaeology

The Routledge Handbook of Mesoamerican Bioarchaeology PDF Author: Vera Tiesler
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000586324
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 1055

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Book Description
This volume brings together a range of contributors with different and hybrid academic backgrounds to explore, through bioarchaeology, the past human experience in the territories that span Mesoamerica. This handbook provides systematic bioarchaeological coverage of skeletal research in the ancient Mesoamericas. It offers an integrated collection of engrained, bioculturally embedded explorations of relevant and timely topics, such as population shifts, lifestyles, body concepts, beauty, gender, health, foodways, social inequality, and violence. The additional treatment of new methodologies, local cultural settings, and theoretic frames rounds out the scope of this handbook. The selection of 36 chapter contributions invites readers to engage with the human condition in ancient and not-so-ancient Mesoamerica and beyond. The Routledge Handbook of Mesoamerican Bioarchaeology is addressed to an audience of Mesoamericanists, students, and researchers in bioarchaeology and related fields. It serves as a comprehensive reference for courses on Mesoamerica, bioarchaeology, and Native American studies.

The Routledge Handbook of Mesoamerican Bioarchaeology

The Routledge Handbook of Mesoamerican Bioarchaeology PDF Author: Vera Tiesler
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000586324
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 1055

Get Book Here

Book Description
This volume brings together a range of contributors with different and hybrid academic backgrounds to explore, through bioarchaeology, the past human experience in the territories that span Mesoamerica. This handbook provides systematic bioarchaeological coverage of skeletal research in the ancient Mesoamericas. It offers an integrated collection of engrained, bioculturally embedded explorations of relevant and timely topics, such as population shifts, lifestyles, body concepts, beauty, gender, health, foodways, social inequality, and violence. The additional treatment of new methodologies, local cultural settings, and theoretic frames rounds out the scope of this handbook. The selection of 36 chapter contributions invites readers to engage with the human condition in ancient and not-so-ancient Mesoamerica and beyond. The Routledge Handbook of Mesoamerican Bioarchaeology is addressed to an audience of Mesoamericanists, students, and researchers in bioarchaeology and related fields. It serves as a comprehensive reference for courses on Mesoamerica, bioarchaeology, and Native American studies.

The Routledge Handbook of Paleopathology

The Routledge Handbook of Paleopathology PDF Author: Anne L. Grauer
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000820440
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 1013

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Book Description
The Routledge Handbook of Paleopathology provides readers with an overview of the study of ancient disease. The volume begins by exploring current methods and techniques employed by paleopathologists as means to highlight the range of data that can be generated, the types of questions that can be methodologically addressed, our current limitations, and goals for the future. Building on these foundations, the volume introduces a range of diseases and conditions that have been noted in the fossil, archaeological, and historical record, offering readers a foundational understanding of pathological conditions, along with their potential etiologies. Importantly, an evolutionary and highly contextualized assessment of diseases and conditions will be presented in order to demonstrate the need for adopting anthropological, biological, and clinical approaches when exploring the past and interpreting the modern world. The volume concludes with the contextualization of paleopathological research. Chapters highlight ways in which analyses of health and disease in skeletal and mummified remains reflect political and social constructs of the past and present. Health and disease are tackled within evolutionary perspectives across deep time and generationally, and the nuanced interplay between disease and behavior is explored. The volume will be indispensable for archaeologists, bioarchaeologists, and historians, and those in medical fields, as it reflects current scholarship within paleopathology and the field’s impact on our understanding of health and disease in the past, the present, and implications for our future.

Mesoamerican Archaeology

Mesoamerican Archaeology PDF Author: Julia A. Hendon
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 111916091X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 428

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Book Description
A unique and wide-ranging introduction to the major prehispanic and colonial societies of Mexico and Central America, featuring new and revised material throughout Mesoamerican Archaeology: Theory and Practice, Second Edition, provides readers with a diverse and well-balanced view of the archaeology of the indigenous societies of Mexico and Central America, helping students better understand key concepts and engage with contemporary debates and issues within the field. The fully updated second edition incorporates contemporary research that reflects new approaches and trends in Mesoamerican archaeology. New and revised chapters from first-time and returning authors cover the archaeology of Mesoamerican cultural history, from the early Gulf Coast Olmec, to the Classic and Postclassic Maya, to the cultures of Oaxaca and Central Mexico before and after colonization. Presenting a wide range of approaches that illustrate political, socio-economic, and symbolic interpretations, this textbook: Encourages students to consider diverse ways of thinking about Mesoamerica: as a linguistic area, as a geographic region, and as a network of communities of practice Represents a wide spectrum of perspectives and approaches to Mesoamerican archaeology, including coverage of the Postclassic and Colonial periods Enables readers to think critically about how explanations of the past are produced, verified, and debated Includes accessible introductory material to ensure that students and non-specialists understand the chronological and geographic frameworks of the Mesoamerican tradition Discusses recent developments in the contemporary theory and practice of Mesoamerican archaeology Presents new and original research by a team of internationally recognized contributors Mesoamerican Archaeology: Theory and Practice, Second Edition, is ideal for use in undergraduate courses on the archaeology of Mexico and Central America, as well as for broader courses on the archaeology of the Americas.

Journey to the Republic of Guatemala; Land of the Maya

Journey to the Republic of Guatemala; Land of the Maya PDF Author: Kalman Dubov
Publisher: Kalman Dubov
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 291

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Book Description
The Central American country of Guatemala was populated by the Maya people whose empire extended from Honduras to the south to today's southern Mexico. Remnants of their presence are found throughout this region, with monumental architecture, cities, palaces, and great pyramids. Wherever one looks, the explosion of growth and development captures the viewer in its thrall. Even the many glyphs adorning these sites with their unique writing style are a marvel to behold. They lived here for an estimated two thousand years, and then, in the early 16th century, the Spanish came and conquered these people. By then, their greatness had already ended in the midst of the 10th century, when their culture and civilization collapsed. But they retained their culture by way of thousands of pictographic books which detailed their way of life and their advancements. But the Spaniards, zealous in their Catholicism, sought out and destroyed every such book they could find and burned them all. Except for three such books, known as the Maya Codices. Historians and scholars began the slow process of deciphering the Maya past. Great effort was expended and the reality of their lives, culture, kings, wars and daily practice began to emerge. And the world was astounded by the emerging picture. Perhaps a first in the world, was their mathematical calculation with 'zero,' a phenomenal achievement. Interestingly, the glyph of the zero depicted a woman - what mathematical genius was she to use zero in calculations? Their astronomy of the heavenly spheres was astoundingly precise, as was their knowledge of geometry and trigonometry. Their religion, however, included human sacrifices, following the practice of other nearby civilizations, such as the Aztecs, the Inca in South America, and others. The Spaniards stopped such worship and offerings and now subjugated these people into serfdom called encomiendas, or enforced working for the conquistadors and their descendants. Independence from Spain came in 1821, but the Mayan living conditions did not change. The country became divided between the Spanish descendants, now known as the Criollos, the middle class, known as Ladinos (not to be confused with Jews in 9th century Castilian Spain), and the Maya and other indigenous. The social distance from the upper to lower classes was immense. And that distance came forward during Guatemala's Civil War, from 1960 to 1996. The violence and massacres during this period was so evil, the president of the country, Rios Montt, was charged and convicted of Genocide, the first time a country charged its own leader with this crime. At a previous age and time, the face of Guatemala presented immense achievements. Today, violence, crime, and cultural penury is self-evident. Guatemala is a third-world country, where the majority of its people live in great poverty while the upper class has the land, its abundance and vast wealth.

Mesquite Pods to Mezcal

Mesquite Pods to Mezcal PDF Author: Verónica Pérez Rodriguez
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 1477327983
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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Book Description
New case studies documenting ten thousand years of cuisines across the cultures of Oaxaca, Mexico, from the earliest gathered plants, such as guajes, to the contemporary production of tejate and its health implications. Among the richest culinary traditions in Mexico are those of the “eight regions” of the state of Oaxaca. Mesquite Pods to Mezcal brings together some of the most prominent scholars in Oaxacan archaeology and related fields to explore the evolution of the area’s world-renowned cuisines. This volume, the first to address food practices across Oaxaca through a long-term historical lens, covers the full spectrum of human occupation in Oaxaca, from the early Holocene to contemporary times. Contributors consider the deep history of agroecological management and large-scale landscape transformation, framing food production as a human-environment relation. They explore how, after the arrival of the Spanish, Oaxacan cuisines adapted, diets changed, and food became a stronger marker of identity. Examining the present, further studies document how traditional foodways persist and what they mean for contemporary Oaxacans, whether they are traveling ancient roads, working outside the region, or rebuilding after an earthquake. Together, the original case studies in this volume demonstrate how new methods and diverse theoretical approaches can come together to trace the development of a rich food tradition, one that is thriving today.

Bone Histology

Bone Histology PDF Author: Sam D. Stout
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1040151205
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 751

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Book Description
Bone Histology: A Biological Anthropological Perspective, Second Edition builds on the success of the first edition, recognizing the significant advances that have occurred in bone biology, histology, and histological techniques and methods in subsequent years. Bones and teeth are of considerable importance for anthropological and related research, due to their nature as hard tissues. The physical remains of humans available to biological anthropologists, bioarchaeologists, paleopathologists, and paleontologists are, with exception to forensic anthropology, limited to skeletal material; fortunately, the same characteristics of hard tissues that lead to their persistence after death make them a storehouse of information about biological processes experienced during the life of the individual. This book covers important aspects of bone biology which underlie the microstructure of hard tissues that are crucial for histological analysis. This includes an overview of two major metabolic processes, bone remodelling and modelling, and their importance for understanding and interpreting bone histomorphology. Subsequent chapters apply histological methods to the biological profile, such as estimation of age and evaluation of pathological conditions that affect the skeleton, or to determine whether remains are human or nonhuman. Finally, there is a discussion of current research trends in bone histology, with a focus on technological advances in imaging and methods. Reviews of four well-documented skeletal collections—developed specifically for bone histological and imaging research—are discussed, as well as, the importance of such collections for future research. Bone Histology, Second Edition has assembled a collection of contributing authors, with extensive experience and expertise in various aspects of hard tissue biology, to provide readers with an overview of the current state of research and potential applications of histological analysis in biological anthropology, forensic anthropology, and skeletal biology. It serves as a valuable resource for students, researchers, and practitioners in these and related disciplines.

Ancient Maya Teeth

Ancient Maya Teeth PDF Author: Vera Tiesler
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 147732884X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 416

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Book Description
A study of Maya dental modification from archaeological sites spanning three millennia. Dental modification was common across ancient societies, but perhaps none were more avid practitioners than the Maya. They filed their teeth flat or pointy, polished and drilled them, and crafted decorative inlays of jade and pyrite. Unusually, Maya of all social classes, ages, and professions engaged in dental modification. What did it mean to them? Ancient Maya Teeth is the most comprehensive study of Maya dental modification ever published, based on thousands of teeth recovered from 130 sites spanning three millennia. Esteemed archaeologist Vera Tiesler sifts the evidence, much of it gathered with her own hands and illustrated here with more than a hundred photographs. Exploring the underlying theory and practice of dental modification, Tiesler raises key questions. How did modifications vary across the individual’s lifespan? What tools were used? How did the Maya deal with pain—and malpractice? How did they keep their dentitions healthy, functioning, and beautiful? What were the relationships among gender, social identity, and religious identifications? Addressing these and other issues, Ancient Maya Teeth reveals how dental-modification customs shifted over the centuries, indexing other significant developments in Mayan cultural history.

The Routledge Handbook of the Bioarchaeology of Climate and Environmental Change

The Routledge Handbook of the Bioarchaeology of Climate and Environmental Change PDF Author: Gwen Robbins Schug
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351030450
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 553

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Book Description
This handbook examines human responses to climatic and environmental changes in the past,and their impacts on disease patterns, nutritional status, migration, and interpersonal violence. Bioarchaeology—the study of archaeological human skeletons—provides direct evidence of the human experience of past climate and environmental changes and serves as an important complement to paleoclimate, historical, and archaeological approaches to changes we may expect with global warming. Comprising 27 chapters from experts across a broad range of time periods and geographical regions, this book addresses hypotheses about how climate and environmental changes impact human health and well-being, factors that promote resilience, and circumstances that make migration or interpersonal violence a more likely outcome. The volume highlights the potential relevance of bioarchaeological analysis to contemporary challenges by organizing the chapters into a framework outlined by the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. Planning for a warmer world requires knowledge about humans as biological organisms with a deep connection to Earth's ecosystems balanced by an appreciation of how historical and socio-cultural circumstances, socioeconomic inequality, degrees of urbanization, community mobility, and social institutions play a role in shaping long-term outcomes for human communities. Containing a wealth of nuanced perspectives about human-environmental relations, book is key reading for students of environmental archaeology, bioarchaeology, and the history of disease. By providing a longer view of contemporary challenges, it may also interest readers in public health, public policy, and planning.

Isotopic Proveniencing and Mobility

Isotopic Proveniencing and Mobility PDF Author: T. Douglas Price
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031257227
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
This volume provides a state-of-the-art presentation and discussion of procedures, especially what works and what doesn’t — on isotopic proveniencing, learned over the last 30 years. The volume focuses on application, not method, to emphasize to the reader the wide range of questions that can be addressed using isotopic proveniencing. Topics covered include samples, baselines, isoscapes, and place of origin. Isotopic proveniencing has become almost standard procedure in the analysis of archaeological burials as a means of distinguishing locals from foreigners. The combination of isotopic proveniencing and DNA has moved archaeological interest in migration and mobility to the fore, but there is very little synthetic work published for either technology.The field has evolved and new procedures and guidelines have emerged that have not been widely heard and this volume seeks to rectify this. The contributors have been selected from among the leaders in the field, those with active research and hands-on experience with the technology. This volume is of relevance to archaeologists.

The Routledge Handbook of Archaeothanatology

The Routledge Handbook of Archaeothanatology PDF Author: Christopher J. Knüsel
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351030612
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 768

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Book Description
The Routledge Handbook of Archaeothanatology spans the gap between archaeology and biological anthropology, the field and laboratory, and between francophone and anglophone funerary archaeological approaches to the remains of the dead and the understanding of societies, past and present. Interest in archaeothanatology has grown considerably in recent years in English-language scholarship. This timely publication moves away from anecdotal case studies to offer syntheses of archaeothanatological approaches with an eye to higher-level inferences about funerary behaviour and its meaning in the past. Written by francophone scholars who have contributed to the development of the field and anglophone scholars inspired by the approach, this volume offers detailed insight into the background and development of archaeothanatology, its theory, methods, applications, and its most recent advances, with a lexicon of related vocabulary. This volume is a key source for archaeo-anthropologists and bioarchaeologists. It will benefit researchers, lecturers, practitioners and students in biological anthropology, archaeology, taphonomy and forensic science. Given the interdisciplinary nature of these disciplines, and the emphasis placed on analysis in situ, this book will also be of interest to specialists in entomology, (micro)biology and soil science.