Application of geographic information systems to investigating associations between social status and burial location in medieval Trino Vercellese (Piedmont, Italy)

Datos Bibliográficos

ID8316032
AutoresMarissa C Stewart (0000-0002-1215-8820, Department of Anthropology The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio, autor de correspondencia), Giuseppe Vercellotti (0000-0002-2935-8589, Department of Anthropology The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio)
Año2017
Volumen164
Número1
Páginas11-29
Fecha de publicación2017-09-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAmerican Journal of Physical Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0002-9483 • E-ISSN: 1096-8644
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ajpa.23251
PMID28542797
OpenAlexW2620267402
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas7
Referencias citadas44

OBJECTIVES: Socioeconomic status differences in skeletal populations are often inferred from skeletal indicators of stress and burial location. However, to date, the association between osteometric parameters and spatial location in relation to socioeconomic status in medieval Italy has not been explicitly tested. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study examined the spatial distribution of osteometric data in the medieval (8th-13th c.) cemetery of San Michele di Trino (Trino Vercellese, VC, Italy) to determine whether skeletal correlates of socioeconomic status correspond with privileged burial locations. Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that greater growth outcomes are associated with privileged burials located inside the church by examining osteometric data (femoral bicondylar length [N = 74], maximum tibial length [N = 62], and the sum of the two measurements [N = 59]) in a geographic information system (GIS) of the cemetery. RESULTS: Getis-Ord G Hot Spot analysis identified significant (90% CI) spatial clustering of high osteometric values within the church, while low values clustered in areas of the cemetery farther from the church. These results, supported by the results of interpolation analyses, became more pronounced when z-scores were calculated to combine the male and female samples and the analyses were repeated. DISCUSSION: Overall, the findings corroborate the observation that the spatial distribution of osteometric data reflects socioeconomic status differences within the population. This research exemplifies the advantages of integrating bioarchaeology and spatial analysis to examine mortuary behavior and health outcomes in highly stratified societies where access to resources is demarcated in both life and in death

Archaeology · Bioarchaeology · Cartography · Geography · Physical geography · Population · Socioeconomic status · Bone health and osteoporosis research · Demography · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Paleopathology and ancient diseases