Award Date

5-1-2015

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Anthropology

First Committee Member

Debra Martin

Second Committee Member

Alan Simmons

Third Committee Member

Liam Frink

Fourth Committee Member

John Curry

Fifth Committee Member

Kathryn Korgan

Number of Pages

322

Abstract

The analysis of human remains from the Bronze Age on Cyprus offers insights into underlying issues of social change and identity formation. Data collected from human remains from six sites throughout the southern half of Cyprus dating to the PreBA through the ProBA (2400--1100 BC) provide insight into social cohesion and group identity during this time of constant social change. Human remains were used to provide demographic data (such as number of individuals interred together, age at death and sex), health profiles (such as incidence of childhood stress, pathologies, and trauma), and robusiticty. Specifically, these data were gathered to provide an additional line of evidence regarding social identity on Cyprus during the Bronze Age and to address the issues of identity formation and change through time. Biocultural bioarchaeology is poised to address such issues through the combined examination of skeletal data in conjunction with archaeological data (such as tomb type, location, settlement pattern, subsistence pattern). In using a biocultural model, bioarchaeological data can help to examine social interaction and cultural buffering mechanisms.

An additional goal of this research was the examination of bioarchaeological data to provide an additional line of evidence for issues of migration versus colonization and integration of external peoples at two pivotal times in the Bronze Age (the PreBA 1 and the ProBA 1 periods). These two time periods have been seen as moments in time where population influx occurred, usually explained by colonization or migration. This work supports the migration and hybridization model by showing a consistent lack of indicators expected to be present during times of social upheaval.

Keywords

Bioarchaeology; Bronze Age; Cyprus; Forensic archaeology; Group identity

Disciplines

Archaeological Anthropology | Biological and Physical Anthropology

File Format

pdf

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Download


Share

COinS