Rebecca Gowland
On completing my undergraduate degree at the Department of Archaeology, Durham University, I spent a year working for various archaeological units; excavating sites of all periods and types from settlements to cemeteries. This work gave me the opportunity to excavate and analyse human skeletal remains from a number of different archaeological contexts. Having enjoyed this experience immensely, I subsequently undertook the MSc in Osteology, Palaeopathology and Funerary Archaeology taught jointly between the Universities of Sheffield and Bradford. It was during this time that I began to specialise in skeletal ageing techniques and age as an aspect of social identity, and I returned to the Durham University to pursue this subject at doctoral level. During the course of my PhD I also became interested in the divide between science and social theory in archaeology and the implications of this for human skeletal analysis and funerary archaeology. This became the subject of a book that I co-edited with Dr Chris Knüsel (University of Exeter) 'The Social Archaeology of Funerary Remains'.
After completing my PhD, I took up the post of Postdoctoral Research Assistant back at the Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield, where I worked on a project examining skeletal indicators of age-at-death and the palaeodemography of both catastrophic and attritional skeletal assemblages. On completing this post I was awarded a Junior Research Fellowship at St John’s College, University of Cambridge, which I began in February 2003. Whilst at Cambridge I began to collaborate with several members of the Classics Faculty on projects involving human skeletal remains from Rome and this collaboration continues today.
In October 2006 I was appointed as Lecturer in Bioarchaeology at the University of Durham. I am very happy to be teaching human bones in the department where I first became fascinated by them myself.
I currently teach human skeletal analysis at both Undergraduate and Masters level. I also co-organise and teach a short course in Forensic Anthropology and Archaeology with Dr Tim Thompson at Teesside University. Tim and I have recently completed a co-authored book 'Human Identity and Identification' which examines the inter-relationship between social identity and the biological tissues of the body.
After completing my PhD, I took up the post of Postdoctoral Research Assistant back at the Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield, where I worked on a project examining skeletal indicators of age-at-death and the palaeodemography of both catastrophic and attritional skeletal assemblages. On completing this post I was awarded a Junior Research Fellowship at St John’s College, University of Cambridge, which I began in February 2003. Whilst at Cambridge I began to collaborate with several members of the Classics Faculty on projects involving human skeletal remains from Rome and this collaboration continues today.
In October 2006 I was appointed as Lecturer in Bioarchaeology at the University of Durham. I am very happy to be teaching human bones in the department where I first became fascinated by them myself.
I currently teach human skeletal analysis at both Undergraduate and Masters level. I also co-organise and teach a short course in Forensic Anthropology and Archaeology with Dr Tim Thompson at Teesside University. Tim and I have recently completed a co-authored book 'Human Identity and Identification' which examines the inter-relationship between social identity and the biological tissues of the body.
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Papers by Rebecca Gowland
isotope studies of mobility and diet, which have revealed further complexities.
This study integrates osteological, palaeopathological and stable isotope evidence to investigate the interrelationship between migrant and local population disease frequencies in Roman Britain. Previous analyses have identified migrants from across the Roman Empire,
along with increases in the prevalence rates of infectious and metabolic diseases, poor dental health and non-specific indicators of stress. This study aims to explore the extent to which migrants and people born in Britain differed in terms of mortality risk and the frequencies of
disease variables. Osteological and dental data from 151 individuals excavated from 24 Romano-British cemetery sites with mobility isotope data were statistically analysed. The results reveal significant differences between migrant and local populations for periosteal
new bone formation, rib lesions, residual rickets, and dental health variables. When data were pooled for both sexes, a statistically significant difference in mortality between the two groups was also observed.
Overall, the results of this study suggest that migrants transformed patterns of disease in the Romano-British period, and combined with the changes to settlement patterns and environment, created new disease risks for both groups. The results also show that many of
the key bioarchaeological indicators of change following the Roman conquest may actually reveal more about disease and health experienced in the wider Empire.
DEH is associated with a temporary cessation of enamel development caused by bouts of febrile illness or nutritional deficiency.
CO has been linked to childhood anaemia, more specifically the haemolytic and megaloblastic anaemias that result in erythroid hyperplasia, an excessive growth of immature blood cells manifest osteologically as bone marrow expansion.
Here we will use spatial epidemiology to explore environmental variables contributing to these conditions, with the aim of identifying specific factors in their underlying pathogenesis. More specifically, we will explore the role of endemic vivax malaria as a potential cause of CO and the influence of wetland environments in its prevalence.
KEYWORDS: Bibliometry, life course, stable isotopes, palaeopathology, breastfeeding, physiological stress
In this study we investigate the efficacy of micro-CT in studying bone diagenesis by scanning three archaeological human femoral samples where levels of diagenesis are known and varied, before scanning a novel sample set of ten Romano-British young infant/perinatal femora to test the dichotomous appearance of bioerosion. We find that micro-CT is a viable non-destructive method of investigating bone bioerosion, but is less useful for characterising diagenetic staining and inclusions. Half of the infant samples studied here were free from bacterial bioerosion, further suggesting that histological analysis can be used to identify archaeological remains of stillborn and short-lived infants.
Puberty is a key transitional phase of the human life course, with important biological and social connotations. Novel methods for the identification of the pubertal growth spurt and menarche in skeletal remains have recently been proposed (Shapland and Lewis, 2013, 2014). In this study we applied the methods to two Romano-British cemetery samples (1st-early 5th centuries AD) in order to investigate the timing of puberty during this period and further assess the veracity of the methods.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
Shapland and Lewis' methods (2013, 2014) were applied to 38 adolescents (aged 8–20 years) from the British cemetery sites of Roman London (1st-early 5th centuries AD) and Queenford Farm, Oxfordshire (4th-early 5th centuries AD).
RESULTS:
Overall, the Romano-British males and females experienced the onset of puberty at similar ages to modern European adolescents, but subsequently experienced a longer period of pubertal development. Menarche occurred between the ages of 15 and 17 years for these Romano-British females, around 2 to 4 years later than for present-day European females.
DISCUSSION:
The observed Romano-British pattern of pubertal timing has various possible explanations, including exposure to environmental stressors in early urban environments. The pattern of pubertal timing is largely congruent with social age transitions alluded to in ancient texts and funerary evidence for this period. While there are limitations to the application of these techniques to archaeological samples, they were successfully applied in this study, and may have important implications for understandings of past life courses, as well as providing a long-term perspective on pubertal timing and biocultural interactions.
Puberty is a key transitional phase of the human life course, with important biological and social connotations. Novel methods for the identification of the pubertal growth spurt and menarche in skeletal remains have recently been proposed (Shapland and Lewis, 2013, 2014). In this study we applied the methods to two Romano-British cemetery samples (1st-early 5th centuries AD) in order to investigate the timing of puberty during this period and further assess the veracity of the methods.
Materials and Methods
Shapland and Lewis' methods (2013, 2014) were applied to 38 adolescents (aged 8–20 years) from the British cemetery sites of Roman London (1st-early 5th centuries AD) and Queenford Farm, Oxfordshire (4th-early 5th centuries AD).
Results
Overall, the Romano-British males and females experienced the onset of puberty at similar ages to modern European adolescents, but subsequently experienced a longer period of pubertal development. Menarche occurred between the ages of 15 and 17 years for these Romano-British females, around 2 to 4 years later than for present-day European females.
Discussion
The observed Romano-British pattern of pubertal timing has various possible explanations, including exposure to environmental stressors in early urban environments. The pattern of pubertal timing is largely congruent with social age transitions alluded to in ancient texts and funerary evidence for this period. While there are limitations to the application of these techniques to archaeological samples, they were successfully applied in this study, and may have important implications for understandings of past life courses, as well as providing a long-term perspective on pubertal timing and biocultural interactions.
isotope studies of mobility and diet, which have revealed further complexities.
This study integrates osteological, palaeopathological and stable isotope evidence to investigate the interrelationship between migrant and local population disease frequencies in Roman Britain. Previous analyses have identified migrants from across the Roman Empire,
along with increases in the prevalence rates of infectious and metabolic diseases, poor dental health and non-specific indicators of stress. This study aims to explore the extent to which migrants and people born in Britain differed in terms of mortality risk and the frequencies of
disease variables. Osteological and dental data from 151 individuals excavated from 24 Romano-British cemetery sites with mobility isotope data were statistically analysed. The results reveal significant differences between migrant and local populations for periosteal
new bone formation, rib lesions, residual rickets, and dental health variables. When data were pooled for both sexes, a statistically significant difference in mortality between the two groups was also observed.
Overall, the results of this study suggest that migrants transformed patterns of disease in the Romano-British period, and combined with the changes to settlement patterns and environment, created new disease risks for both groups. The results also show that many of
the key bioarchaeological indicators of change following the Roman conquest may actually reveal more about disease and health experienced in the wider Empire.
DEH is associated with a temporary cessation of enamel development caused by bouts of febrile illness or nutritional deficiency.
CO has been linked to childhood anaemia, more specifically the haemolytic and megaloblastic anaemias that result in erythroid hyperplasia, an excessive growth of immature blood cells manifest osteologically as bone marrow expansion.
Here we will use spatial epidemiology to explore environmental variables contributing to these conditions, with the aim of identifying specific factors in their underlying pathogenesis. More specifically, we will explore the role of endemic vivax malaria as a potential cause of CO and the influence of wetland environments in its prevalence.
KEYWORDS: Bibliometry, life course, stable isotopes, palaeopathology, breastfeeding, physiological stress
In this study we investigate the efficacy of micro-CT in studying bone diagenesis by scanning three archaeological human femoral samples where levels of diagenesis are known and varied, before scanning a novel sample set of ten Romano-British young infant/perinatal femora to test the dichotomous appearance of bioerosion. We find that micro-CT is a viable non-destructive method of investigating bone bioerosion, but is less useful for characterising diagenetic staining and inclusions. Half of the infant samples studied here were free from bacterial bioerosion, further suggesting that histological analysis can be used to identify archaeological remains of stillborn and short-lived infants.
Puberty is a key transitional phase of the human life course, with important biological and social connotations. Novel methods for the identification of the pubertal growth spurt and menarche in skeletal remains have recently been proposed (Shapland and Lewis, 2013, 2014). In this study we applied the methods to two Romano-British cemetery samples (1st-early 5th centuries AD) in order to investigate the timing of puberty during this period and further assess the veracity of the methods.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
Shapland and Lewis' methods (2013, 2014) were applied to 38 adolescents (aged 8–20 years) from the British cemetery sites of Roman London (1st-early 5th centuries AD) and Queenford Farm, Oxfordshire (4th-early 5th centuries AD).
RESULTS:
Overall, the Romano-British males and females experienced the onset of puberty at similar ages to modern European adolescents, but subsequently experienced a longer period of pubertal development. Menarche occurred between the ages of 15 and 17 years for these Romano-British females, around 2 to 4 years later than for present-day European females.
DISCUSSION:
The observed Romano-British pattern of pubertal timing has various possible explanations, including exposure to environmental stressors in early urban environments. The pattern of pubertal timing is largely congruent with social age transitions alluded to in ancient texts and funerary evidence for this period. While there are limitations to the application of these techniques to archaeological samples, they were successfully applied in this study, and may have important implications for understandings of past life courses, as well as providing a long-term perspective on pubertal timing and biocultural interactions.
Puberty is a key transitional phase of the human life course, with important biological and social connotations. Novel methods for the identification of the pubertal growth spurt and menarche in skeletal remains have recently been proposed (Shapland and Lewis, 2013, 2014). In this study we applied the methods to two Romano-British cemetery samples (1st-early 5th centuries AD) in order to investigate the timing of puberty during this period and further assess the veracity of the methods.
Materials and Methods
Shapland and Lewis' methods (2013, 2014) were applied to 38 adolescents (aged 8–20 years) from the British cemetery sites of Roman London (1st-early 5th centuries AD) and Queenford Farm, Oxfordshire (4th-early 5th centuries AD).
Results
Overall, the Romano-British males and females experienced the onset of puberty at similar ages to modern European adolescents, but subsequently experienced a longer period of pubertal development. Menarche occurred between the ages of 15 and 17 years for these Romano-British females, around 2 to 4 years later than for present-day European females.
Discussion
The observed Romano-British pattern of pubertal timing has various possible explanations, including exposure to environmental stressors in early urban environments. The pattern of pubertal timing is largely congruent with social age transitions alluded to in ancient texts and funerary evidence for this period. While there are limitations to the application of these techniques to archaeological samples, they were successfully applied in this study, and may have important implications for understandings of past life courses, as well as providing a long-term perspective on pubertal timing and biocultural interactions.
However, little of the mythos of the Fens or its people originated with Fenlanders themselves. Renowned for their insularity, Fenlanders appear to have had little urge to explain themselves or their culture to the outside world. Instead, the majority of sources on the Fens have been written by non-native observers. While some perceptions of the landscape and environment may be outright dismissed based on available evidence, the lives of past Fenlanders themselves, particularly those of children, remain more enigmatic, and significant challenges still exist to the interpretation of past practices of care. This paper discusses obstacles to understanding the ethos of care in the pre-drainage Fens, particularly for the more distant past, and critically examines available evidence for parental care.
A comprehensive analysis of growth was undertaken on non-adults (0-17yrs) from four London based populations (c.1712-1854) of varying socioeconomic status. Measurements of diaphyseal length, cortical thickness, and vertebral dimensions (neural canal size and body height) were taken from the Chelsea Old Church (high status), St Benet Sherehog (middle status), Bow Baptist (middle status), and Cross Bones (low status) skeletal collections to compare longitudinal, appositional, and vertebral growth.
The non-adults of Cross Bones did demonstrate deficient growth values as expected, due to their heightened exposure to the harmful industrial environment. However, the non-adults of Chelsea Old Church also demonstrated some of the poorest growth values in infancy. The middling sort tended to show improved growth, especially those of St Benet Sherehog. Fashionable child-care practises (such as a disinclination to breastfeed, the use of artificial infant feeds, swaddling, and confining children indoors) may have contributed to poor infant health in high status groups of this time. These data were corroborated by the high rates of rickets seen in the Chelsea group, as well as in Cross Bones. Therefore life in the city came with significant health risks to all of its members, regardless of class.
This study used a combination of methods to assess growth and health status, along with historical documentation, to quantify and discuss the effects of social status on childhood and child health in the Industrial Revolution. It also introduces vertebral growth profiles as a potential technique by which growth data may still be accessed in the absence of long bones.
for many years. However, there have been critiques of the value and rigour of such
studies (Jurmain 1999), mainly because the skeletal indicators reported have a
multifactorial aetiology. This paper approaches “reconstructing occupation” from the
premise of skeletal changes in a skeleton from an area of north-east England where
historical evidence describes hazardous industries. Pathological lesions are described in
a 12-14 year old individual buried in the Quaker cemetery of Coach Lane, North Shields,
Tyne and Wear (n=236; c.1711-1857AD; PCA 2012). Skeletal changes throughout the
skeleton are described and differential diagnoses considered, and comparisons made
with documented pathology museum data. The mandible’s appearance is similar to the
condition called “phossy jaw”, or osteomyelitis associated with exposure to phosphorus.
Contemporary historical data indicate that the matchmaking industry was one of the
local industries where this population worked. This condition is described in more
recent literature in association with bisphosphonates used for treating cancer and
osteoporosis (Jacobsen et al 2014). This skeleton is discussed alongside the extant
historical data about matchmaking (and child labour) to show the benefits of this type of
bioarchaeological study to approach what our ancestors did “for a living”. It also
considers, from a clinical standpoint, the challenges this person may have faced as their
identity changed, likely affected by the experience of pain and swelling of the mandible
(facial appearance), and the foul taste and smell of pus draining from the lesions. These
signs and symptoms may have influenced how the person and their community reacted
to “phossy jaw”.
References: Jacobsen C, Zemann W, Obwegeser JA, Grätz KW, Metzler P 2014 The phosphorous
necrosis of the jaws and what we can learn from the past: a comparsion of “phossy” and
“biphossy” jaw. Oral Maxillofac Surg 18:31-37. Jurmain R 1999 Stories from the skeleton.
Behavioral reconstruction in human osteology. Amsterdam, Gordon and Breach. Pre-Construct
Archaeology Limited 2012 Archaeological evaluation of the former Quaker burial ground on
Caoch Lane, North Shields, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear. PCA Limited.
The river Tyne divides the cities of North Shields and South Shields, yet they experienced parallel economic developments throughout the period in question. The skeletal sample from North Shields comprises individuals excavated from a Quaker cemetery site (Coach Lane), likely to be of the ‘middling sort’, while the individuals excavated from South Shields (Coronation Street) are thought to represent lower status individuals. These two skeletal populations present an interesting opportunity to examine the distribution of joint disease during this period of industrialisation.
A compartmental recording method was employed to provide detailed information concerning the degenerative state of several joints in the body. The expectation that the individuals from the lower classes would have a higher prevalence of joint disease was not found in these towns. For example, individuals from Coach Lane had higher prevalences of temporomandibular and hand degeneration, while the prevalence in other joints are similar. An interdisciplinary analysis of the results, integrating historical and clinical evidence is provided to explain these unexpected patterns. A new way of interpreting the osteobiographies of archaeological individuals and the potential influence of the urban environment on the prevalence of joint-related problems is discussed.
The elbow is frequently affected by rheumatoid arthritis in clinical cases, with erosive lesions observable in the radial head, the coronoid process of the ulna and the distal humerus. The proximal ulna is the focus of this research as it shows a very distinctive pattern of erosive lesions in advanced rheumatoid arthritis.
This poster will present photographic evidence of these lesions and will include a differential diagnosis with reference to the clinical literature. In conclusion this poster will highlight the importance of this feature when making a diagnosis of advanced rheumatoid arthritis in paleopathology.
through two inter-related objectives: 1) Our targeted invitation of participants who are leaders in different sub-disciplines of
anthropology and beyond, whose research is breaking new methodological and theoretical ground in investigating mother-infant
relationships and; 2) To assess a series of inter-related research topics/themes through multiple anthropological approaches in order to develop a holistic biocultural understanding of the mother-infant relationship and broader implications for population well-being. Outputs will include an edited volume, 'The Mother-Infant Nexus in Anthropology:
Small Beginnings, Significant Outcomes' with Springer, a collaborative Major Article for Current Anthropology, and dissemination via major forms of social media.