The Term Bioarchaeology - Case Study Example

Why do Bioarchaeologists pay so much Attention to Human Dental Remains? First and foremost, there is a need to understand what bioarchaeology is all about before one delves further into the relevant discussion. The term bioarchaeology was initially put into effect by British archaeologist Grahame Clark in the year 1972 when he made a direct reference to zooarchaeology – the study of animal bones recovered or excavated from archaeological sites and places. Bioarchaeology indeed refers to the biological remains which have been recovered as well as analyzed from similar sites and areas. However this term is used interchangeably with ‘environmental archaeology.’ It has close association with osteoarchaeology and palaeo-osteology. Bioarchaeology has a close link with the New Archaeology and has a clear-cut setting of its development within the United States in the period of 1970s where there was a reaction with the basis of the cultural as well as the historical settings that need to gauge the past times. There have been certain repatriation issues which have affected the American bioarchaeology basis but has not made a similar mark on the British (or European) one. The European bioarchaeology has based its focus on learning the intricate selves of the artifacts and the classical roots. The basis of bioarchaeology involves a detailed discussion – one that is not relevant entirely to the domains of this topic, however there are certain links and adaptations within this paper which will make for a sound and interesting read every now and then. Now, the focus shifts to the mannerisms of the bioarchaeologists who seem to pay a lot of attention towards the human dental remains for some strange and odd reason. What is the reason for this? Let us ponder deeper. The bioarchaeologists seem to find out a lot of basis of the human beings of the past through the human remains that are excavated or recovered from different sites from time to time. However the teeth have a special meaning in the eyes of the bioarchaeologists. The genetic variations as well as the skeletal make-ups are studied in a very deep manner if the basis of dental remains are made apparent. Bioarchaeologists thus understand that the teeth have a meaning on the whole outlook of man which hailed from the yesteryears and for this reason, there is a special significance for teeth, if not the other skeletal parts like bones, nose, skull and so on and so forth. The skeletal variations look to solve the basis of the genetic relationships which used to exist in those times as well as give the base for the different mutation methods which were in use. Since there is a lot of material which is not possibly available in the best condition, there are ambiguities that are raised every now and then and the bioarchaeologists thus have to live with the said notion and consequently continue with their respective works. The basis and significance of the dental remains still present a mystery which is looked into in a detail manner by the bioarchaeologists and there seems to be a lot of rationale and reasoning for the very same. Bioarchaeology looks at the definition of a basis related with the human disease, health as well as medical treatments that were present in the past and the same are studied within a context that has got more semblance with human evolution regimes as well as adaptation bases which are documented time and again as per the archaeological records. What this means is the fact that all those artifacts and human skeletal details which provide one aspect or the other regarding the significance of the archaeological discoveries should be saved and stored in order to learn more and more about them in the coming times. These also include the dental remains as we are trying specifically to study the basis of the very same here. The dental characteristics have been modified with the passage of time, so much so that there are alterations and changes as we move from one continent to another and from one family to the other one. The studies into the dental human remains as per the archaeological foundations look at the metric as well as the non-metric dental data that has been gathered over a period of time and which is tested over different layers of hypothesis made available owing to the different regions of the world, from where the data has thus been generated. The dental remains thus aim to check for the records as well as take into consideration the differences which have taken place within individuals as they move from one region to another. This is also possibly true for people hailing from two different regions of the world altogether. Thus a lot of significance is derived from these data sets and then the same are compared over a period of time to look out for the slight as well as considerable changes that have happened every now and then, coming directly under the archaeological details and as studied by the bioarchaeologists every now and then. Teeth examination has happened within individuals who hailed from Southeast Asia as well as that of Australo-Melanesian populations and thus the differences are accounted for so as to bring the changes, alterations and modifications to a common ground right at the very end. In order to carry out the same, different samples of research were taken so that a select sample could present a better idea of the whole population. Then the research work was started and the archaeological details as mentioned above were examined in a close enough manner to reach at different possible results, which were not only astounding but also eye opening for the whole of the medical science and indeed the field of archaeology so to speak. Similarly, spiral computer tomography (SCT) was used in order to study the basis of comparisons and to reach the results between the human populations which are present today and that which existed in the past. What this does is to provide a clear-cut basis for the differences thus agreed upon and which have been accepted to have occurred over a period of time. The basis of spiral computer tomography (SCT) gives knowledge concerning the isolation of teeth of both the people hailing from the yesteryears and coming directly under the archaeological findings as well as those of today. This study examines the ways under which new methods are found out relating to the measurement of a tooth in three separate dimensions. These dimensions are taken in consideration when the tooth undergoes its shaping basis through the external and internal structure, which means that the enamels, dentins and pulp tissues are studied at length so as to reach a commonly accepted myth or conclusion so to speak. Scanning makes use of the lower molars, the lower first premolars, lower canines as well as the central incisors and thus makes the whole process of SCT workable. Moving further ahead, the tooth was scanned in a longitudinal as well as cross-sectional manner so as to account for its different shapes and related ways with sizes and the like. SCT looks at the thickness aspect of the enamel and thus reaches to a judgment that it is indeed employed in order to discern the extent of attrition. Similarly, the thickness of dentin and the size of the pulp are made use of in terms of validating the age and not to forget the pulpal reaction to the external form of stimulus. In order to determine the maximum data for the dental attrition and the mesio-distal width present within the tooth, SCT ensures that there is a basis of properly scanning the tooth in a longitudinal fashion with the facilitation of the bucco-lingual side that runs parallel to the plain of slice cut. The field of archaeology would be greatly facilitated if the artifacts and the similar remains are preserved in a fashion that it close to their excavation and there are no differential changes within their structures since the same forms the basis for the eventual discernment of their historical basis and whether or not they are genuine and belonging to a particular age, going back in time. This is indeed one of the few challenges that are being faced by the different bioarchaeologists every now and then. Efforts need to be made in order to preserve the exact basis of the dental and other human remains in the most original form that there could possibly be, because this guarantees that the research which would be carried out on the dental remains is of highest quality possible and the results are revealing to a fairly better degree than was possible in the past. The bioarchaeologists are particularly interested in a number of details related with these artifacts and remains. These include the basis for the complete documentation in terms of archaeological contexts, completeness and preservation steps, age at the time of death, the gender of the person whose skeleton is being examined, stature and skull related aspects including its variation and paleopathology. Apart from these facets, his dental observations are recorded alongside the dental paleopathology and not to forget the skeletal variation and the paleopathology of the skeleton itself. All these individual pieces of data and information thus received forms the basis for the correct examination and findings of the archaeological grounds and thus the reasons related with the dental remains and the other body parts’ remains are judged in a proper fashion. This is backed up by complete documentation and preservation measures which are made use of in similar instances, coming directly under the fold of the archaeological excavation and finding regimes. Moving further ahead with the discussion of the dental remains and as to why the bioarchaeologists are most interested in them, we find out that these dental remains are encompassed of the different instances and examples related with tooth caries, the tooth attrition condition in terms of the moderate to extreme levels and the presence of the periodontal disease within the dental remains. Carabelli’s cusp is an accessory cusp which occurs from time to time in the first maxillary molars and usually is found within the deciduous and dentitions which are more permanent than anything else. Thus there are a lot of details which could be received by these bioarchaeologists through the study of the Carabelli’s cusp concerning the staining ability of the person whose remains have been excavated as well as the society that he belonged to and the conditions under which he lived in different eras. Thus, in the end it would be correct to state here that the basis of dental remains within humans is of particular significance to bioarchaeologists since these people know that a lot of details and findings could be received from the teeth of the excavated skeletons. Also the fact that a lot of data is hidden within these teeth itself presents food for thought to the works of the bioarchaeologists. Bioarchaeology is a field that will surely continue to prosper courtesy the dedicated bioarchaeologists who seem to make one discovery after another and thus come up with marvels which surely fascinate the whole basis of medical science endlessly. It is only with the help and support of the government authorities within different countries that this field would surely receive a boost and there would be tremendous improvements within the related ranks. The need of the hour is to ascertain the fact that the bioarchaeologists are doing their bit in the best manner possible and that they are contributing to the cause of humanity in one way or the other. All said and done, the works of the bioarchaeologists in the field of human remains and more specifically for the dental remains of the human beings deserves a lot of praise and there should be separate subjects that need to be instituted for these fields of medical science in the coming times. All efforts and energies must be geared in the proper direction to extract the best results that there could be. BIBLIOGRAPHY Author Unknown. Bioarchaeology of Southeast Asia. Cambridge University Press, 2005 Word Count: 2,011 Read More