Anthropology 275       Reading Report 18
Disease in Prehistory      

Answer the following questions based on a paper by Berger TD and Trinkaus E. 1995. Patterns of trauma among Neandertals. Journal of Archaeological Science 22:841-852.

1. What types of injuries are overrepresented in the Neandertals? underrepresented? Speculate Why.
2. How does the origin of samples affect frequencies and distribution of traumatic injury? How can the structure and origin of New York samples explain the somewhat elevated frequencies of head and neck injuries in this sample? 3. What is a possible explanation for a low frequency of leg injury in Neandertals? What behavior might account for this?
4. Why do the authors of this paper conclude that the Neandertals were using large bovids for recreational purposes?
5. How could preservation of Neandertal bones affect comparisons of injury distribution and frequencies between the Neandertals and "modern" humans?