Author ORCID Identifier:
Date of Graduation
12-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology (PhD)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Anthropology
Advisor/Mentor
Rose, Jerome
Committee Member
Plavcan, J. Michael
Second Committee Member
D'Alisera, Joann
Keywords
Bioarchaeology, Skeletal Trauma, Occupational Stress, Amarna (South Tombs Cemetery)
Abstract
This dissertation examines patterns of work-related indicators of physical stress in a skeletal sample from the non-elite adult population of the South Tombs Cemetery (STC) of Amarna, Egypt. Assessing work-related pathology using an integrative model of physical stress, this study considers the interactions of demographic parameters of age, sex, and injury recurrence, along with archaeological and documentary data to provide a biocultural contextual approach to physical stress in this population. The STC sample is compared to other samples from Egyptian and Nubian sites as well as historical samples believed to be under high physical demands and stressful conditions. The STC skeletal sample comprises a total of 260 adult individuals (those estimated to be 15 years or older). Within this sample 196 individuals had both a known adult age and a sex estimation of male or female, while 64 individuals had an adult age but a sex estimation of indeterminate or unknown. Proliferative and/or erosive osseous changes associated with fractures and/or osteoarthritis were recorded based on macroscopic observation. Patterns of injury are examined by age and sex as well as by element and skeletal completeness. The more complete skeletons are used to investigate rates of multiple fractures, using an injury recurrence approach. Patterns of traumatic injury were examined by element/joint for all adults, with divisions by sex and age (young adult, middle adult, and old adult) cohorts. Overall, both males and females were found to have similar rates of trauma, significant spinal injury, and unexpected degenerative joint changes in the young adult sample.
Citation
Davis, H. S. (2025). Work-related Pathology at Tell el-Amarna: The Physical Cost of Building a New Capital City in the New Kingdom, Egypt. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/6086
