A statistical analysis of the relationship between enamel hypoplasias and periosteal lesions among the colonial Maya from Tipu, Belize
| dc.contributor.committeeChair | Paine, Robert R. | |
| dc.contributor.committeeMember | Durband, Arthur C. | |
| dc.creator | Murphy, Megan | |
| dc.date.available | 2012-11-08T02:23:23Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2012-08 | |
| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this project it to determine if there is a significant statistical correlation between enamel hypoplasias and periosteal lesions of long bones among the Colonial Maya from the archaeological site of Tipu in Belize. Enamel hypoplasias and periosteal lesions are commonly recognized as indicators of physiological stress in skeletal populations. Although the exact etiology of enamel hypoplasias is unknown, their presence has been linked to periods of metabolic stress during the first 7 years of life. Non-specific periosteal lesions are the result of an inflamed periosteum due to infection or trauma. This study provides information about the relationship between enamel hypoplasias and periosteal lesions, which can in turn be interpreted to determine a correlation between individuals who incurred metabolic stress during childhood and the frequency of periosteal infections they sustained as an adult. The skeletal material used in this project comes from the Tipu collection, which is housed at SUNY in Plattsburgh, NY. The Tipu skeletal collection has an occupational history stretching as far back as 300 B.C. The individuals in this study however, are from the Colonial period between 1544 and 1707. For this study, 111 individuals were selected based on the completeness of the skeletons, presence of associated teeth, and completeness of demographic profiles. Fisher’s exact tests were performed to determine if there was any statistically significant correlation between the presence of enamel hypoplasias and periosteal lesions for the whole sample and for subcategories. Subcategories were divided by sex, age, specific long bones, and specific teeth. Several hypotheses have been formulated to increase our understanding of the data. | |
| dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/2346/47000 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.rights.availability | Unrestricted. | |
| dc.subject | Paleopathology | |
| dc.subject | Periostitis | |
| dc.subject | Enamel hypoplasia | |
| dc.subject | Tipu | |
| dc.title | A statistical analysis of the relationship between enamel hypoplasias and periosteal lesions among the colonial Maya from Tipu, Belize | |
| dc.type | Thesis | |
| thesis.degree.department | Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work | |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Anthropology | |
| thesis.degree.grantor | Texas Tech University | |
| thesis.degree.level | Masters | |
| thesis.degree.name | Master of Arts |