A Willis
Biographic Data
| ID | 6979 |
|---|---|
| NAME | A Willis |
| GIVEN NAMES | A |
| FAMILY NAME | Willis |
| SIGNATURE | WILLIS A |
| AFFILIATIONS | James Cook University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3265-862X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 25 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 102 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 25 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1989 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Bioarcheological Insights From Fragmented Remains
To investigate oral health in the fragmented human remains from the Punic necropolis of Monte Luna, Sardinia, and evaluate what dental pathologies reveal about lifeways and diet. Human remains from 227 individuals recovered from 70 tombs were analyzed, including 21 females, 16 males (> 15 years), and 59 non‐adults (1–15 years). The sample comprised 2362 teeth. Caries, antemortem tooth loss (AMTL), and periapical lesions were recorded and compared…
A Possible Case of Temporomandibular Joint Dislocation, Trepanation, and Metabolic Bone Disease in a Young Adolescent From North‐Central Myanmar (1000–700 bce )
This osteobiography explores the life history of an adolescent who lived during the early‐mid Bronze Age (c. 1000–700 bce ) and was buried at Nyaung'gan, a site in north‐central Myanmar. Burial 3b had multiple skeletal lesions, and their bones were covered in well‐remodeled subperiosteal new bone. A differential diagnosis was undertaken to evaluate the etiology of the lesions and potential co‐morbidity. The lesions observed have different underly…
Isotopes and isoscapes for Australian archaeology
Isoscapes are important for studies of provenance, migration and diet. • Isoscapes the Australian continent now exist for H, C, N, O, S, Sr, Nd and Pb. • We review the factors controlling isotope variation across Australia. • The development of isoscapes for multiple isotope systems provides new opportunities for archaeology in Australia. Both stable and radiogenic isotope analyses are widely applied in archaeological science to examine questions…
Southeast Asian mainland archaeological science 1964–2034
Mobility patterning during the Neolithic and the Bronze Age in north-central Myanmar
Living in the middle of the edge
The origins of agriculture have been a focal point of interest in Southeast Asia because of the profound influence domestication of cereal crops had on the ancient inhabitants of the region. Historically, an emphasis has been placed on the movement of farmers from China into Southeast Asia during the Neolithic, however, the origin of agriculture in Myanmar remains unknown. Recently, stable carbon and oxygen isotope analyses have provided insight …
Fragmentary and dispersed
Bioarchaeological analyses of preadults provide a wealth of information about past lifeways and social structures, including aspects of personhood. However, studies of personhood and childhood in archaeological hunter-gatherer (or forager) contexts remain limited, particularly for Southeast Asia. Here, we explore aspects of personhood and the lived experiences of preadults at Con Co Ngua, an early seventh millennium BP sedentary hunter-gatherer c…
Late prehistoric and early historic chronology of Myanmar
Myanmar is located within an important geographic corridor of prehistoric demographic and technological exchange, yet relatively few archaeological sites have been securely dated. Here, the authors present a new radiocarbon chronology for Halin, a UNESCO-listed complex in the north-central Sagaing Division of Myanmar, which contributes to the generation of nuanced regional chronologies and to improving the temporal resolution of Southeast Asia mo…
Living in the dry zone
An unusual case of prone position in the Punic/Roman necropolis of Monte Luna in Sardinia (Italy)
Sardinia (Italy), noted for its wealth and strategic position, has been conquered through time by different populations and each one of them instilled their specific culture, ritual behaviour, and customs. Sometimes a clearcut distinction is evident between these cultures, while other times it is more of a natural progression with no marked moment of change evident. This study discusses a single grave from the Necropolis of Monte Luna, establishe…
Late Neolithic to Early-Mid Bronze Age semi-precious stone bead production and consumption at Oakaie and Nyaung’gan in central-northern Myanmar
Pratiques funéraires et dynamique spatiale à Oakaie 1, une nécropole à la transition du Néolithique à l’Âge du Bronze au Myanmar (Birmanie)
In Southeast Asia, the late prehistoric period, from the appearance of farming to the rise of proto-states, lasts only 1500-2000 years, and is thus extremely brief in comparison to Europe. Cemeteries represent critical sites in the chronological and cultural understanding of these changes, stimulated by influences from both China and India. Myanmar is the only Southeast Asia nation to share terrestrial frontiers with both these vast neighbours, b…
Ancient genomes document multiple waves of migration in Southeast Asian prehistory
Ancient migrations in Southeast Asia The past movements and peopling of Southeast Asia have been poorly represented in ancient DNA studies (see the Perspective by Bellwood). Lipson et al. generated sequences from people inhabiting Southeast Asia from about 1700 to 4100 years ago. Screening of more than a hundred individuals from five sites yielded ancient DNA from 18 individuals. Comparisons with present-day populations suggest two waves of mixin…
Social differences in Neolithic/Bronze Age Myanmar
Between foraging and farming
Large, ‘complex’ pre-Neolithic hunter-gatherer communities thrived in southern China and northern Vietnam, contemporaneous with the expansion of farming. Research at Con Co Ngua in Vietnam suggests that such hunter-gatherer populations shared characteristics with early farming communities: high disease loads, pottery, complex mortuary practices and access to stable sources of carbohydrates and protein. The substantive difference was in the use of…
A first absolute chronology for Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age Myanmar
Nutrition knowledge and Mediterranean diet adherence in the southeast United States
Do the Elderly Get the Message? A Comparative Study of Stories Produced Verbally and as a Text Message
When young adults re-tell a story, they naturally produce more concise but sufficiently informative narratives. The repeated narratives of elderly adults, on the other hand, tend towards prolixity. In the present study, participants were explicitly instructed to re-tell a story in a more succinct (but informative format) to investigate whether they were able to produce informative narratives in a compressed format. 30 younger adults ([Formula: se…
Emergence and Diversification of the Neolithic in Southern Vietnam
We examine the southern Vietnamese site of Rach Nui, dated to between 3390 and 3850 cal BP, in the context of three major aspects of the Neolithic in Mainland Southeast Asia: mound formation and chronology, construction techniques, and subsistence economy. Results indicate that this ca. 75 m in diameter, 5 m high mound, comprising over a dozen phases of earthen platforms, upon which were raised sophisticated wooden structures, was built in <200 y…
Early Evidence for Pig and Dog Husbandry from the Neolithic Site of An Son, Southern Vietnam
An Son in southern Vietnam is one of a series of Neolithic (food producing) settlement/cemetery sites in Southeast Asia that appear, archaeologically, shortly before and after 2000 cal. bc. Excavations in 2009 produced a small but important assemblage of vertebrate remains that permit relative comparisons with other zooarchaeological assemblages of similar date in Thailand and northern Vietnam. At An Son, domestic dogs are present from the earlie…
The neolithic demographic transition and oral health
The purpose of this article is to present new oral health data from Neolithic An Son, southern Vietnam, in the context of (1) a reassessment of published data on other Neolithic, Bronze, and Iron Age Southeast Asian dental series, and (2) predictions of the Neolithic Demographic Transition (NDT). To this end, frequencies for three oral conditions (caries, antemortem tooth loss, and alveolar lesions) were investigated for seven Southeast Asian adu…
An Son and the Neolithic of Southern Vietnam
Between 4500 and 3500 years ago, partially intrusive Neolithic populations in the riverine basins of mainland Southeast Asia began to form mounded settlements and to develop economies based on rice cultivation, fishing, hunting, and the domestication of animals, especially pigs and dogs. A number of these sites have been excavated in recent years and they are often large mounds that can attain several meters in depth, comprising successive layers…
A Case of Maternal and Perinatal Death in Neolithic Southern Vietnam, c. 2100–1050 BCE
Despite ostensibly elevated rates of young female mortality in the past, believed to be associated with the risks of pregnancy and child birth, surprisingly few cases of pregnant female burials are reported in the bioarchaeological literature. This paper describes and discusses the case of a young female who died and was interred with an unborn full‐term breech foetus at the Neolithic site of An Son, southern Vietnam c. 2100–1050BCE. Her exceptio…
Field anthropology
The Effects of Perceived Parental Preferences and Vocational Goals on Adoption Decisions
Emergence and Diversification of the Neolithic in Southern Vietnam
We examine the southern Vietnamese site of Rach Nui, dated to between 3390 and 3850 cal BP, in the context of three major aspects of the Neolithic in Mainland Southeast Asia: mound formation and chronology, construction techniques, and subsistence economy. Results indicate that this ca. 75 m in diameter, 5 m high mound, comprising over a dozen phases of earthen platforms, upon which were raised sophisticated wooden structures, was built in <200 y…
Field anthropology
A Case of Maternal and Perinatal Death in Neolithic Southern Vietnam, c. 2100–1050 BCE
Despite ostensibly elevated rates of young female mortality in the past, believed to be associated with the risks of pregnancy and child birth, surprisingly few cases of pregnant female burials are reported in the bioarchaeological literature. This paper describes and discusses the case of a young female who died and was interred with an unborn full‐term breech foetus at the Neolithic site of An Son, southern Vietnam c. 2100–1050BCE. Her exceptio…
Between foraging and farming
Large, ‘complex’ pre-Neolithic hunter-gatherer communities thrived in southern China and northern Vietnam, contemporaneous with the expansion of farming. Research at Con Co Ngua in Vietnam suggests that such hunter-gatherer populations shared characteristics with early farming communities: high disease loads, pottery, complex mortuary practices and access to stable sources of carbohydrates and protein. The substantive difference was in the use of…
The neolithic demographic transition and oral health
The purpose of this article is to present new oral health data from Neolithic An Son, southern Vietnam, in the context of (1) a reassessment of published data on other Neolithic, Bronze, and Iron Age Southeast Asian dental series, and (2) predictions of the Neolithic Demographic Transition (NDT). To this end, frequencies for three oral conditions (caries, antemortem tooth loss, and alveolar lesions) were investigated for seven Southeast Asian adu…
A first absolute chronology for Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age Myanmar
Early Evidence for Pig and Dog Husbandry from the Neolithic Site of An Son, Southern Vietnam
An Son in southern Vietnam is one of a series of Neolithic (food producing) settlement/cemetery sites in Southeast Asia that appear, archaeologically, shortly before and after 2000 cal. bc. Excavations in 2009 produced a small but important assemblage of vertebrate remains that permit relative comparisons with other zooarchaeological assemblages of similar date in Thailand and northern Vietnam. At An Son, domestic dogs are present from the earlie…
Pratiques funéraires et dynamique spatiale à Oakaie 1, une nécropole à la transition du Néolithique à l’Âge du Bronze au Myanmar (Birmanie)
In Southeast Asia, the late prehistoric period, from the appearance of farming to the rise of proto-states, lasts only 1500-2000 years, and is thus extremely brief in comparison to Europe. Cemeteries represent critical sites in the chronological and cultural understanding of these changes, stimulated by influences from both China and India. Myanmar is the only Southeast Asia nation to share terrestrial frontiers with both these vast neighbours, b…
Late prehistoric and early historic chronology of Myanmar
Myanmar is located within an important geographic corridor of prehistoric demographic and technological exchange, yet relatively few archaeological sites have been securely dated. Here, the authors present a new radiocarbon chronology for Halin, a UNESCO-listed complex in the north-central Sagaing Division of Myanmar, which contributes to the generation of nuanced regional chronologies and to improving the temporal resolution of Southeast Asia mo…
The Effects of Perceived Parental Preferences and Vocational Goals on Adoption Decisions
Fragmentary and dispersed
Bioarchaeological analyses of preadults provide a wealth of information about past lifeways and social structures, including aspects of personhood. However, studies of personhood and childhood in archaeological hunter-gatherer (or forager) contexts remain limited, particularly for Southeast Asia. Here, we explore aspects of personhood and the lived experiences of preadults at Con Co Ngua, an early seventh millennium BP sedentary hunter-gatherer c…
Living in the dry zone
Late Neolithic to Early-Mid Bronze Age semi-precious stone bead production and consumption at Oakaie and Nyaung’gan in central-northern Myanmar
Social differences in Neolithic/Bronze Age Myanmar
The Effects of Perceived Parental Preferences and Vocational Goals on Adoption Decisions
Field anthropology
An Son and the Neolithic of Southern Vietnam
Between 4500 and 3500 years ago, partially intrusive Neolithic populations in the riverine basins of mainland Southeast Asia began to form mounded settlements and to develop economies based on rice cultivation, fishing, hunting, and the domestication of animals, especially pigs and dogs. A number of these sites have been excavated in recent years and they are often large mounds that can attain several meters in depth, comprising successive layers…
A Case of Maternal and Perinatal Death in Neolithic Southern Vietnam, c. 2100–1050 BCE
Despite ostensibly elevated rates of young female mortality in the past, believed to be associated with the risks of pregnancy and child birth, surprisingly few cases of pregnant female burials are reported in the bioarchaeological literature. This paper describes and discusses the case of a young female who died and was interred with an unborn full‐term breech foetus at the Neolithic site of An Son, southern Vietnam c. 2100–1050BCE. Her exceptio…
The neolithic demographic transition and oral health
The purpose of this article is to present new oral health data from Neolithic An Son, southern Vietnam, in the context of (1) a reassessment of published data on other Neolithic, Bronze, and Iron Age Southeast Asian dental series, and (2) predictions of the Neolithic Demographic Transition (NDT). To this end, frequencies for three oral conditions (caries, antemortem tooth loss, and alveolar lesions) were investigated for seven Southeast Asian adu…
Early Evidence for Pig and Dog Husbandry from the Neolithic Site of An Son, Southern Vietnam
An Son in southern Vietnam is one of a series of Neolithic (food producing) settlement/cemetery sites in Southeast Asia that appear, archaeologically, shortly before and after 2000 cal. bc. Excavations in 2009 produced a small but important assemblage of vertebrate remains that permit relative comparisons with other zooarchaeological assemblages of similar date in Thailand and northern Vietnam. At An Son, domestic dogs are present from the earlie…
Emergence and Diversification of the Neolithic in Southern Vietnam
We examine the southern Vietnamese site of Rach Nui, dated to between 3390 and 3850 cal BP, in the context of three major aspects of the Neolithic in Mainland Southeast Asia: mound formation and chronology, construction techniques, and subsistence economy. Results indicate that this ca. 75 m in diameter, 5 m high mound, comprising over a dozen phases of earthen platforms, upon which were raised sophisticated wooden structures, was built in <200 y…
Do the Elderly Get the Message? A Comparative Study of Stories Produced Verbally and as a Text Message
When young adults re-tell a story, they naturally produce more concise but sufficiently informative narratives. The repeated narratives of elderly adults, on the other hand, tend towards prolixity. In the present study, participants were explicitly instructed to re-tell a story in a more succinct (but informative format) to investigate whether they were able to produce informative narratives in a compressed format. 30 younger adults ([Formula: se…
Nutrition knowledge and Mediterranean diet adherence in the southeast United States
Ancient genomes document multiple waves of migration in Southeast Asian prehistory
Ancient migrations in Southeast Asia The past movements and peopling of Southeast Asia have been poorly represented in ancient DNA studies (see the Perspective by Bellwood). Lipson et al. generated sequences from people inhabiting Southeast Asia from about 1700 to 4100 years ago. Screening of more than a hundred individuals from five sites yielded ancient DNA from 18 individuals. Comparisons with present-day populations suggest two waves of mixin…
Social differences in Neolithic/Bronze Age Myanmar
Between foraging and farming
Large, ‘complex’ pre-Neolithic hunter-gatherer communities thrived in southern China and northern Vietnam, contemporaneous with the expansion of farming. Research at Con Co Ngua in Vietnam suggests that such hunter-gatherer populations shared characteristics with early farming communities: high disease loads, pottery, complex mortuary practices and access to stable sources of carbohydrates and protein. The substantive difference was in the use of…
A first absolute chronology for Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age Myanmar
Pratiques funéraires et dynamique spatiale à Oakaie 1, une nécropole à la transition du Néolithique à l’Âge du Bronze au Myanmar (Birmanie)
In Southeast Asia, the late prehistoric period, from the appearance of farming to the rise of proto-states, lasts only 1500-2000 years, and is thus extremely brief in comparison to Europe. Cemeteries represent critical sites in the chronological and cultural understanding of these changes, stimulated by influences from both China and India. Myanmar is the only Southeast Asia nation to share terrestrial frontiers with both these vast neighbours, b…
Late Neolithic to Early-Mid Bronze Age semi-precious stone bead production and consumption at Oakaie and Nyaung’gan in central-northern Myanmar
Living in the dry zone
An unusual case of prone position in the Punic/Roman necropolis of Monte Luna in Sardinia (Italy)
Sardinia (Italy), noted for its wealth and strategic position, has been conquered through time by different populations and each one of them instilled their specific culture, ritual behaviour, and customs. Sometimes a clearcut distinction is evident between these cultures, while other times it is more of a natural progression with no marked moment of change evident. This study discusses a single grave from the Necropolis of Monte Luna, establishe…
Late prehistoric and early historic chronology of Myanmar
Myanmar is located within an important geographic corridor of prehistoric demographic and technological exchange, yet relatively few archaeological sites have been securely dated. Here, the authors present a new radiocarbon chronology for Halin, a UNESCO-listed complex in the north-central Sagaing Division of Myanmar, which contributes to the generation of nuanced regional chronologies and to improving the temporal resolution of Southeast Asia mo…
Southeast Asian mainland archaeological science 1964–2034
Mobility patterning during the Neolithic and the Bronze Age in north-central Myanmar
Living in the middle of the edge
The origins of agriculture have been a focal point of interest in Southeast Asia because of the profound influence domestication of cereal crops had on the ancient inhabitants of the region. Historically, an emphasis has been placed on the movement of farmers from China into Southeast Asia during the Neolithic, however, the origin of agriculture in Myanmar remains unknown. Recently, stable carbon and oxygen isotope analyses have provided insight …
Fragmentary and dispersed
Bioarchaeological analyses of preadults provide a wealth of information about past lifeways and social structures, including aspects of personhood. However, studies of personhood and childhood in archaeological hunter-gatherer (or forager) contexts remain limited, particularly for Southeast Asia. Here, we explore aspects of personhood and the lived experiences of preadults at Con Co Ngua, an early seventh millennium BP sedentary hunter-gatherer c…
Bioarcheological Insights From Fragmented Remains
To investigate oral health in the fragmented human remains from the Punic necropolis of Monte Luna, Sardinia, and evaluate what dental pathologies reveal about lifeways and diet. Human remains from 227 individuals recovered from 70 tombs were analyzed, including 21 females, 16 males (> 15 years), and 59 non‐adults (1–15 years). The sample comprised 2362 teeth. Caries, antemortem tooth loss (AMTL), and periapical lesions were recorded and compared…
A Possible Case of Temporomandibular Joint Dislocation, Trepanation, and Metabolic Bone Disease in a Young Adolescent From North‐Central Myanmar (1000–700 bce )
This osteobiography explores the life history of an adolescent who lived during the early‐mid Bronze Age (c. 1000–700 bce ) and was buried at Nyaung'gan, a site in north‐central Myanmar. Burial 3b had multiple skeletal lesions, and their bones were covered in well‐remodeled subperiosteal new bone. A differential diagnosis was undertaken to evaluate the etiology of the lesions and potential co‐morbidity. The lesions observed have different underly…
Isotopes and isoscapes for Australian archaeology
Isoscapes are important for studies of provenance, migration and diet. • Isoscapes the Australian continent now exist for H, C, N, O, S, Sr, Nd and Pb. • We review the factors controlling isotope variation across Australia. • The development of isoscapes for multiple isotope systems provides new opportunities for archaeology in Australia. Both stable and radiogenic isotope analyses are widely applied in archaeological science to examine questions…
Archaeology (16 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (14 works) · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies (14 works) · Geography (14 works) · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies (14 works) · History (12 works) · Ancient history (11 works) · Bronze Age (10 works) · Bronze (6 works) · History (6 works)