The social structuring of stress in contact-era Spanish Florida: a bioarchaeological case study from Santa Catalina de Guale, St. Catherines Island, Georgia
Year: 2011
Type: article
Abstract: Skeletal biology offers a potential wealth of information about human social behavior, especially in regard to inequality and how differences in access to resources are expressed in stress and wellbeing in past societies.This paper explores the relationship between stress and social status at Mission Santa Catalina de Guale (n = 421), a key mission outpost located on St. Catherines Island, Georgia, dating ca A.D. 1600-1680), testing the hypothesis that relative position of the remains of decreased interred closest to the ritual nucleus of the church (the altar) reflects higher social position in the community in life, and hence, greater access to resources and better living circumstances.Dental caries, linear enamel hypoplasias, and long bone length are used as indicators of stress.Burial artifacts (both quantity and quality) and location in the cemetery are used to identify social status.Fisher's Exact test reveals no association between these indicators of stress and burial artifacts (p>0.05).However, the ANOVA test shows a correlation (p<0.05) between burial location, dental caries, and male femur length.This study suggests that individuals buried closer to the altar had a higher-quality diet and greater access to resources, especially protein, than those buried farther from the altar.
Author: Lauren A. Winkler
Institution: The Ohio State University
Language: English
Subfield: Archeology (arts and humanities)
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Reduced inequalities
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2280251153