Trade Relationships and Gene Flow at Pottery Mound Pueblo, New Mexico

Pottery Mound is a large Ancestral Puebloan site situated within the Middle Rio Grande (MRG) region of New Mexico. This article adds to our understanding of relationships between Pottery Mound, the Western Pueblos, and Mexico through use of biological distance analysis based on dental nonmetric traits. Extensive material and cultural influences, as well as migration events from Western Pueblos to Pottery Mound, have been proposed by several scholars, while others have highlighted parallels to Mexico, especially Paquimé. A total of 1,528 individuals from the U.S. Southwest and Mexico were used to examine relationships between Pottery Mound and these areas. We find no evidence of close biological similarity between Pottery Mound and the Western Pueblos or northern Mexico. Instead, the results indicate biological affinity between Pottery Mound and sites in the MRG region and Mogollon areas. This similarity suggests that although there is evidence for trade between Pottery Mound and other sites in the southwestern United States and Mesoamerica, trade may not have been accompanied by significant gene flow from those areas from which the trade goods originated. It is possible that neighboring regions, such as the Mogollon, served as intermediaries for trade between Pottery Mound and distant regions.

Contribution to the study of frontal sinus familial similarity based on genealogically documented individuals (Bohemia, 19th to 20th centuries)

The issue of the influence of biological relatedness on frontal sinus patterns is still the subject of discussion. Research possibilities worldwide are however limited by the lack of genealogically documented skeletal remains. This study presents the results of analyses of seven identified 19th-20th century skulls from two families, discovered in the collections of the Hrdlička Museum of Man. Anteroposterior X-rays were created and the morphology of the frontal sinuses was evaluated using two approaches: A) a simple visual assessment indicating shared or similar features; and B) calculation of the degree of similarity based on a scoring system. With both approaches, the results of family relationship assessments were best reflected in the first family, between individuals with the smallest degree of biological distance. In the second family, which had more distant relationships compared to the first, the positive relationship between biological distance and degree of similarity was not clearly apparent. Although this is a small sample with a small number of generations, our findings support the conclusions of previous studies, i.e. that the degree of similarity between individuals decreases with their increasing biological distance.

Temporal and Spatial Biological Kinship Variation at Campovalano and Alfedena in Iron Age Central Italy

This chapter utilizes craniometric, dental metric, and Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System (ASUDAS) data to investigate temporospatial differences in biological distance patterns at the monumental necropoles of Campovalano and Alfedena, Iron Age Central Italy. Results of craniometric one-way analyses of variance suggest that Campovalano crania exhibit great biological continuity through time, while geometric mean scaled dental metric multidimensional scaling and ASUDAS neighbor-joining clustering indicate Campovalano samples are more similar to each other than compared to Alfedena Campo Consolino, the ritual core of the broader Alfedena necropolis. Also, Mantel tests reveal that male faces and cranial bases faintly correlate with burial distances at Alfedena Campo Consolino, which is consistent with previous research. However, female tooth row metrics slightly correlate with burial distances at Campovalano, which was unexpected. Finally, logistic regression and analyses of covariance models of a small dental metric subset could suggest that Alfedena Campo Consolino is the most different of the metric samples and that more comprehensive modelling of sex-specific dental morphogenetic field variation should be considered in bioarchaeology. Results are discussed in terms of biological and physical distances, endogamy and marriage rules, heritability, and small and imbalanced samples for investigating the frontiers and borderlands of the past.

BIOLOGICAL DISTANCE PATTERNS AMONG THE NORTHERN MOCHE LORDS: DENTAL PHENOTYPES AND POLITICAL ORGANIZATION IN ANCIENT PERU

Between AD 100 and 800, the Moche culture emerged on the north coast of Peru. Diverse debates surround the nature of Moche territorial and political centralization, sociopolitical identities, and the internal social diversity of Moche society. Here we address some of these issues in a biodistance study based on phenotypic variation of inherited dental traits within and between 36 individuals in the royal tombs of Sipán (Lambayeque valley), Úcupe (Zaña valley), and Dos Cabezas (Jequetepeque valley). Metric and nonmetric dental trait data were analyzed using hierarchical cluster and R-matrix analyses. The results independently indicate that the highest-level Sipán and Dos Cabezas lords likely represented different endogamous kin groups, while limited gene flow occurred between groups of Moche lower nobility between the Lambayeque and Jequetepeque regions. Although biology and material cultural link the Lord of Úcupe to Dos Cabezas, many objects in his tomb demonstrate his participation the world of the Sipán elites. These Moche lords were, on some levels, bioculturally interconnected. Nonetheless, the data broadly lend support to a “many Moches” model of sociopolitical structure, further casting doubt on earlier one-dimensional visions of a centralized hegemonic Moche polity.

The Effects of Sexual Dimorphism, Asymmetry, and Intertrait Association on the Distribution of Thirteen Deciduous Dental Nonmetric Traits in a Sample of Pima Amerindians

One hundred dental casts of modern Pima Amerindian children, 50 male and 50 female, wereexamined for the presence and expression of thirteen deciduous nonmetric traits. The effects of sexual dimorphism,asymmetry, and inter-trait association on trait presence were examined to evaluate their utility in populationdistance studies. No statistically significant differences between the sexes were observed. The majority of examinedvariants displayed a strong trend toward bilateral expression and no statistically significant differences betweenantimeres occurred. These data support the hypothesis that strong genetic components coupled with negligibleenvironmental influences are involved in deciduous trait presence. Five statistically significant associations betweenvariants were detected. Four of these involved a combination of incisor and canine shoveling within and betweenjaws. This indicates that their combined use in biological distance studies violates the mathematical assumption ofindependence. The lack of significant sexual dimorphism and asymmetry in the deciduous discrete traits examinedherein supports their use in population distance analyses if precautions are taken to use non-associated traits.

Torus Mandibularis: Etiology and Bioarcheological Utility

Torus mandibularis is a non-metric traitcommonly recorded in bioarcheological investigationand often included in the battery of non-metric traitsused to analyse biological distance among populations.However, there is considerable debate regarding theetiology of the trait, with genetic and environmentalfactors both having been posited as the primary factorin torus development. This study of 498 individuals,drawn from eight archeological samples, investigatesthe variation in torus frequency in different groups asdefined by sample, age, sex, and measures of functionalstress. Frequencies varied significantly among bothsamples and dental attrition categories, supportingthe idea that mandibular tori are a threshold trait,influenced by both genetic and environmental factors.Results of this study suggest the utility of mandibulartori in bioarchaeology may lie outside of biodistanceanalyses that rely on the high heritability quotient ofnon-metric traits to establish population distances.

Supernumerary Teeth from Two Mesoamerican Archaeological Contexts

Supernumerary teeth are uncommon but have been well documented clinically. The majority of cases are isolated anterior teeth; examples of multiple or posterior supernumerary teeth are less common. This paper describes two examples of supernumerary teeth from archaeological contexts in Mesoamerica. The first case is of three individuals with supernumerary posterior teeth found in skull rows and pairs in a Postclassic Maya temple at the site of Ixlú in northern Guatemala. Two of these individuals exhibited bilateral supernumerary mandibular teeth. The second context is a Zapotec burial from the Jalieza site in Oaxaca, Mexico. This individual exhibited a single supernumerary tooth. The paper reviews supernumerary teeth with regard to frequency, ontogeny, and mode of inheritance and discusses the cases’ relevance for biological distance analyses.