Juvenile mortality ratios in Anglo-Saxon and medieval England : a contextual discussion of osteoarchaeological evidence for infanticide and child neglect
This thesis presents an osteoarchaeological analysis of juvenile mortality profiles questioning the speculations made by some archaeologists that the under-representation of infants from Anglo-Saxon and medieval burial populations could be due to the practice of infanticide in England during these periods. Morphological and metrical age estimation and sex assessment methods are used to determine the age-at-death and sex of 1275 children from fifty-three Anglo-Saxon and medieval sites located in southern England. The age and sex distribution of the Anglo-Saxon and medieval children under six-years-old are then compared with age-specific United Nations demographic statistics see to whether or not a normative mortality profile is presented by the archaeological populations. This study identified an abnormal age-at-death distribution for the early Anglo-Saxon perinatal individuals. Excess female mortality was observed for the perinatal individuals from all three periods; early Anglo-Saxon, late Anglo-Saxon and medieval, and for the neonatal and infant individuals from the early Anglo-Saxon and medieval periods. The results of this osteoarchaeological analysis are discussed in conjunction with a review of the Anglo-Saxon
Dapling, Amy Charlotte
Infanticide ; Anglo-Saxon ; Mortality ; Sex assessment ; Osteoarchaeological analysis ; Juvenile mortality ratios ; Medieval England ; Infants ; Age-at-death analysis
Juvenile mortality ratios in Anglo-Saxon and medieval England : a contextual discussion of osteoarchaeological evidence for infanticide and child neglect. This thesis presents an osteoarchaeological analysis of juvenile mortality profiles questioning the speculations made by some archaeologists that the under-representation of infants from Anglo-Saxon and medieval burial populations could be due to the practice of infanticide in England during these periods. Morphological and metrical age estimation and sex assessment methods are used to determine the age-at-death and sex of 1275 children from fifty-three Anglo-Saxon and medieval sites located in southern England. The age and sex distribution of the Anglo-Saxon and medieval children under six-years-old are then compared with age-specific United Nations demographic statistics see to whether or not a normative mortality profile is presented by the archaeological populations. This study identified an abnormal age-at-death distribution for the early Anglo-Saxon perinatal individuals. Excess female mortality was observed for the perinatal individuals from all three periods; early Anglo-Saxon, late Anglo-Saxon and medieval, and for the neonatal and infant individuals from the early Anglo-Saxon and medieval periods. The results of this osteoarchaeological analysis are discussed in conjunction with a review of the Anglo-Saxon
juvenile mortality ratio anglo_saxon medieval_england contextual discussion osteoarchaeological evidence infanticide child neglect present osteoarchaeological analysis juvenile mortality_profile question speculation make archaeologist under representation infant anglo_saxon medieval burial population could due practice infanticide england_period morphological metrical age estimation sex assessment method_use determine age death sex child fifty anglo_saxon medieval site_locate southern_england age_sex distribution anglo_saxon medieval child years old compare age specific united_nations demographic statistic see_whether normative mortality_profile present archaeological_population study identify abnormal age death distribution early_anglo_saxon individual excess female mortality observe individual period early_anglo_saxon late_anglo saxon medieval infant individual early_anglo saxon medieval period osteoarchaeological analysis discuss conjunction review anglo_saxon