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Age and Inclusivity in Umm an-Nar Communal Tombs from Southeastern Arabia
Lesley A. Gregoricka, Jaime M. Ullinger, Christian Berends, Alyssa Bolster, Brittany Clark, Hannah Jeanlouis, Urvi Kaul, and Rachael Orkin
Umm an-Nar (2700-2000 BCE) tombs in the United Arab Emirates contained the commingled remains of hundreds of individuals interred across multiple generations. Archaeologists commonly reference tomb demographics as being inclusive of all ages, but this assumption is based on a handful of studies that rarely distinguish age categories beyond “subadult” or “adult.” An undergraduate research training program sought to examine age distributions – and thus inclusivity in tomb membership – in greater detail, with a particular focus on fetal and older adult age categories.
A combination of traditional and novel aging techniques were applied to bones from tombs Unar 1 (U1; MNI = 194) and 2 (U2; MNI = 410) at Shimal. Transition Analysis 3 scores for the femur, humerus, and pubic symphysis revealed older age categories not previously recognized in the region, with means ranging from 40.4-47.8 years, contrasting with an average of 31 years produced by Suchey-Brooks. Measurements identified fetuses and perinates in both tombs using the basilar (U1: 5; U2: 10), petrous (U1 left: 29; U2 right: 33), and distal femur (U1 left: 5; U2 left: 11), some as young as 20-22 fetal weeks. MicroCT scans of suspected fetal humeri (U1: 10; U2: 14) revealed a lack of bioerosion, confirming that stillborn infants were permitted access to tombs. These data substantiate the presence of very young and older adults in both tombs, and demonstrate that despite subsistence and environmental changes tied to increasing social stratification during this period, no age group was separated from the larger community in death.
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Analyzing the Prevalence and Severity of Cribra Orbitalia in Bronze Age Arabia
Urvi Kaul, Brittany Clark, Lesley A. Gregoricka, and Jaime M. Ullinger
Background: The Umm an-Nar period (ca. 2700-2000 BCE) in southeastern Arabia was marked by the intensification of oasis agriculture and a corresponding shift to sedentism. Cribra orbitalia lesions from tombs Unar 1 and Unar 2 (Emirate of Ras al-Khaimah, UAE) were observed for rates of nonspecific stress during this period of transition. We hypothesized that due to increased reliance on agriculture beginning around 2200 BCE, Unar 1 individuals would have a higher prevalence of active cribra orbitalia.
Methods: Given the commingled and fragmentary nature of these collections, we first scored percentage of orbit present in 25% increments. Scorable orbits (defined as ≥25%) were then evaluated as present or absent for cribra orbitalia and scored for severity and healing.
Results: There was no statistically significant differences in rates of cribra orbitalia between tombs (2=0.02, df=1, p=0.89), nor for measures of severity (2=0.59, df=2, p=0.74). However, a statistically significant difference was found between tombs for degree of healing for the left orbit (Fisher’s Exact; p=0.0004, df=3), with individuals from Unar 1 (69%) exhibiting higher rates of healing compared to Unar 2 (14%). Stable resource accumulation from oasis agriculture and herding coupled with enhanced interregional trade may explain this difference.
Conclusion: Our results suggest frequency and severity of cribra orbitalia did not change over time, despite archaeological evidence for agricultural intensification in the latter third millennium, and that later individuals possessed improved healing of these lesions. This indicates that local inhabitants of this region were able to adapt successfully without negatively impacting their health.
Funding Statement: This research was funded by a National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates Award (#1852426)
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Estimating Age from Fetal and Young Nonadults from Basilar Portions at Umm an-Nar Tombs from the UAE
Rachael Orkin, Christian Berends, Lesley A. Gregoricka, and Jaime M. Ullinger
Background: The Umm an-Nar period (2700-2000 BCE) was a time of significant change in southeastern Arabia, prompted by agricultural shifts and seen in shifting social and mortuary practices. Communal tombs Unar 1 and Unar 2 from the Emirate of Ras al-Khaimah (United Arab Emirates), which date to the end of the third millennium BCE, contained commingled, cremated, and fragmented skeletons, a common mortuary pattern in this period.
Methods: Unfused basilar portions of nonadult occipital bones were examined to assess tomb membership and inclusion of young individuals. Three methods were used to analyze age, and measurements taken included sagittal length and maximum width. Regression formulae and equation tables were applied to find an estimated age range of fetal and nonadult bones up to 3 years of age. The age estimates generated by these different methods were then compared.
Results: Various methods produced different age ranges for basilar portions in both tombs, with estimates indicating that between 20-50% were fetal in age. This is similar to other sites in the same time period. Due to our small sample size (n=11) of intact basilar portions, demographics between Unar 1 and 2 could not be statistically compared.
Conclusion: This research showed that fetuses were allowed interment alongside other nonadults and adults in both tombs. Nevertheless, varying age estimations produced by different methods suggest that more research is needed on basilar age estimation before these results can be reliably applied to bioarchaeological contexts.
Funding Statement: This research has been funded through the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program (Award #1852426).
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