Abstract

BRACHETTA-APORTA, Natalia. Bone weathering and the reconstruction of craniofacial bone remodeling patterns in samples from prehistoric human populations from Pampa Grande (Salta) and Chubut river valley (Chubut). Rev. Mus. Antropol. [online]. 2022, vol.15, n.1, pp.00-00. ISSN 1852-060X.  http://dx.doi.org/http://doi.org/10.31048/1852.4826.v15.n1.32703.

Abstract The analysis of bone remodeling patterns from the facial skeleton is relevant in archaeological and bioarchaeological studies due the information provided for growth processes and dietary hardness in chewing loads, among others. However, the exposure to post-depositional alterations can affect the cortical surface of the bone and, consequently, make the identification of histological features associated with bone remodeling difficult. In particular, one of the processes that can alter the cortical surface in archaeological contexts is weathering. The aim of this work is to evaluate the effect of weathering on the description of facial bone remodeling in subadults from two samples from Northwest Argentina and Patagonia. The degree of association between weathering stage and bone remodeling data was evaluated for facial bones. A higher incidence of weathering was observed for Patagonia, mainly in younger individuals, associated with a higher percentage of remodeling data. On the other hand, the individuals from NOA showed a better preservation of the surfaces, mainly at younger ages, but a lower percentage of bone remodeling data. Further evaluations of post-depositional processes in relation to the reconstruction of bone remodeling patterns are required.

Keywords : Bone formation and resorption; Taphonomy; Subadults; Archaeological collections.

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