Bioarchaeological reconstruction of physiological stress during social transition in Albania.

OBJECTIVE

We test the hypothesis that physiological stress increased in response to increasing social turmoil following waves of colonization and social transition. The ways local conditions, including variation in geography, environment, and levels of urbanization impact physiological stress are also explored.

MATERIALS: In Albania, the historic period is a sequence of different waves of colonization. Skeletal data come from three Albanian archaeological sites: Apollonia (n = 231), Durrës (n = 246), and Lofkënd (n = 129).

METHODS

Prevalence of cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis, linear enamel hypoplasia, and periosteal new bone formation are analyzed using chi-square and logistic regression tests.

RESULTS

We observe increased skeletal manifestations of physiological stress between prehistoric and historic groups, but physiological stress is generally consistent through time.

CONCLUSIONS

General increase in skeletal pathology between prehistoric and historic periods corresponds to broad increases in political unrest associated with colonization spanning the entire historic period. However, little difference in physiological stress across colonization episodes (Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Bulgarian, Ottoman) suggests skeletal health is affected similarly by colonization, regardless of particularities in method and type of colonial control.

SIGNIFICANCE: Examining human response to social change across broad time scales is useful in identifying broad patterns in the human experience.

LIMITATIONS: Exploring variation across broad time scales and multiple sites is potentially problematic because confounding factors could impact results and interpretations.

SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: Environmental, social, and geographic differences, likely impacted the lives and lifestyles of individuals living in the past and should be explored further to understand the nuances in local response to colonization.