Growth of the pectoral girdle in a sample of juveniles from the kellis 2 cemetery, Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigates growth patterns in the scapula and clavicle in a cross-sectional juvenile skeletal sample ranging from 20 weeks gestation to 8.5 years of age from the Kellis 2 cemetery, Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt. The primary goal is to quantify growth patterns and growth velocities in the scapula and clavicle to better understand the development of the pectoral girdle. METHODS: A series of low-order polynomial regression models was used to examine growth curves in clavicle diaphyseal length, scapular height, and scapular width. Incremental growth and relative percent increase were examined among successive age groups as a proxy measure of growth velocity. Scapular body proportions were assessed with the scapular index and compared across age groups using a Kruskal-Wallis test with post-hoc tests. RESULTS: A third-order polynomial best describes growth in clavicle diaphyseal length and scapular height, and a second-order polynomial best describes growth in scapular width. Growth velocity patterns are similar among clavicle diaphyseal length, scapular height, and scapular width particularly from birth until the end of early childhood. Clavicle diaphyseal length decelerates during middle childhood while scapular height and width accelerate during this time. With increasing age, the scapular body proportionately increases more in height than in width. The relatively narrow scapular body characteristic of adult scapulae is first evident during early childhood. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in scapular body shape during ontogeny may be a reflection of the greater alterations taking place in the integrated morphology of the pectoral girdle during the biomechanical shift from crawling to bipedalism. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 28:636-645, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Ontogenetic changes in intralimb proportions in a Romano-Christian period sample from the Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to document the appearance of adult patterns in intralimb indices during ontogeny in a skeletal sample from the Kellis 2 cemetery, Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt. In addition, this study explores evolvability in intralimb indices to understand relative differences in sensitivity to ecogeographic variables. METHODS: Brachial and crural indices were compared across age cohorts with Welch's ANOVA tests and post-hoc Dunnett-Tukey-Kramer (DTK) pairwise multiple comparison tests. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were used to examine developmental conservation and evolvability in intralimb proportions. RESULTS: Brachial and crural indices are greatest in the fetus/perinate cohort as compared to all other cohorts, decrease during infancy and early childhood, and increase during middle/late childhood. The adult pattern in the brachial index is first evident in infancy, but is not maintained throughout development. Conversely, the adult pattern in the crural index appears during early childhood and is maintained throughout development. The brachial index shows a higher degree of evolvability than the crural index in utero. CONCLUSIONS: The shifting pattern in intralimb proportions during development in the Kellis 2 sample is similar to that previously reported from globally diverse samples, which likely reflects the differential growth acceleration of proximal and distal intralimb skeletal elements during ontogeny. The brachial index may be more responsive to climatic conditions while the crural index may be more conserved due to functional demands. The data indicate that Kellis 2 juveniles were under strong selective pressures from climatic factors.

An exploration of adult body shape and limb proportions at Kellis 2, Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt.

Several studies have shown that the human body generally conforms to the ecogeographical expectations of Bergmann's and Allen's rules; however, recent evidence suggests that these expectations may not hold completely for some populations. Egypt is located at the crossroads of Sub-Saharan Africa, Southern Europe, and the Near East, and gene flow among groups in these regions may confound ecogeographical patterning. In this study, we test the fit of the adult physique of a large sample (N = 163) of females and males from the Kellis 2 cemetery (Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt) against ecogeographical predictions. Body shape (i.e., body mass relative to stature) was assessed by the femur head diameter to bicondylar femur length index (FHD/BFL), and brachial and crural indices were calculated to examine intralimb proportions. Body shape in the Kellis 2 sample is not significantly different from high-latitude groups and a Lower Nubian sample, and intralimb proportions are not significantly different from mid-latitude and other low-latitude groups. This study demonstrates the potential uniqueness of body shape and intralimb proportions in an ancient Egyptian sample, and further highlights the complex relationship between ecogeographic patterning and adaptation.

Shattered lives and broken childhoods: Evidence of physical child abuse in ancient Egypt.

Much can be learned about cultural attitudes of violence towards children from the analyses of their skeletal remains and mortuary patterns of the communities in which they lived and died. A bioarchaeological approach integrating biological, socio-cultural, and physical environments is used in analyzing the remains of a 2-3-year-old child from Kellis 2, a Romano-Christian period cemetery in the Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt. The skeletal remains of this individual show an unusual pattern of trauma and healing events, possibly indicating multiple episodes of non-accidental trauma. Macroscopic, radiographic, and histologic analyses show the extent of the skeletal trauma and healing, while stable carbon and nitrogen analyses of bone and hair reveal metabolic disturbances and changes in diet correlated with these traumatic events. Results from the differential diagnosis demonstrate that this individual exhibits skeletal fracture and healing patterns consistent with repeated non-accidental trauma, which may or may not have resulted in death. In addition, this individual may also represent the earliest documented case of violence against children from an archaeological context.