I. Archaeological Notions of Kinship
- How did past people conceptualize the family?
- Which family members cohabitated?
- How can ancient DNA be used to reconstruct familial lineages? How can it not?
- How old were the most senior family members?
- How long was a generation?
- For how long did children in the past breastfeed?
- Were breastfeeding and weaning meaningful to one’s kinship status?
Image from Gadot & Yasur-Landau 2006.
This is the topic of my dissertation. Articles that result from this work will be linked here when available.
II. Stress, Disease, and Care in Antiquity
- How was individual illness conceptualized by the broader community?
- What responses were employed to address illness?
- Who could access this care?
Cranium photo is Jericho G88, from Oakley et al. 1959.
III. Reproductive Histology
- How do pregnancy, parturition, and lactation change hard tissue microstructure?
- Can we observe these microstructural changes in archaeological bone to understand reproductive status?
Image of female nonhuman primate vertebra taken on SEM.