title: Osteoarchaeological Studies of Human Systemic Stress of Early Urbanization in Late Shang at Anyang, China.
abstract: Through the analysis of human skeletal remains and mortuary practice in Yinxu, this study investigates the impact of early urbanization on the commoners during the Late Shang dynasty (ca. 1250-1046 B.C.). A total of 347 individuals examined in this study represent non-elites who were recovered from two different burial contexts (formally buried in lineage cemeteries and randomly scattered in refuse pits). Frequencies of enamel hypoplasia (childhood stress), cribra orbitalia (childhood stress and frailty) and osteoperiostitis (adult stress) were examined to assess systemic stress exposure. Our results reveal that there was no significant difference in the frequency of enamel hypoplasia between two burial groups and between sexes, suggesting these urban commoners experienced similar stresses during childhood, but significantly elevated levels of cribra orbitalia and osteoperiostitis were observed in the refuse pit female cohort. Theoretically, urbanization would have resulted in increased population density in the urban centre, declining sanitary conditions, and increased risk of resource shortage. Biologically, children would be more vulnerable to such physiological disturbance; as a result, high percentages of enamel hypoplasia (80.9% overall) and cribra orbitalia (30.3% overall) are observed in Yin commoners. Adults continued to suffer from stress, resulting in high frequencies of osteoperiostitis (40.0% total adults); in particular, in the refuse pit females who may also reflect a compound impact of gender inequality. Our data show that the non-elite urban population in the capital city of Late Shang Dynasty had experienced extensive stress exposure due to early urbanization with further social stratification only worsening the situation, and eventually contributing to collapse of the Shang Dynasty.
authors.affiliation: Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.|SFU-JLU Joint Centre for Bioarchaeological Research, Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.|SFU-JLU Joint Centre for Bioarchaeological Research, Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Deborah C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Merrett
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Zhichun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jing
authors.affiliation: Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Jigen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yuling
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Hongbin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yue
authors.affiliation: Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Zhanwei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yue
authors.affiliation: Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.|SFU-JLU Joint Centre for Bioarchaeological Research, Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Dongya Y
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002048:Burial / Q000266:history*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China; D003744:Dental Enamel Hypoplasia / Q000266:history*; D005260:Female; D049691:History, Medieval; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000266:history*; D010000:Osteitis / Q000266:history*; D010164:Paleopathology; D010522:Periostitis / Q000266:history*; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D014507:Urbanization; D055815:Young Adult