An isotopic study of environmental influences on early Anglo-Saxon health and nutrition
Early life has long been associated with high vulnerability to morbidity and mortality, risks which are reduced in infancy and early childhood through strategically high levels of parental or alloparental investment. More recently, theories have emerged addressing the manner in which poor health and nutritional stress during early life may impact upon the future health of those who survive this period. Thus, the significance of early life health and parental care extends far beyond the domain of childhood studies and may provide insight regarding population-level biocultural responses to environmental pressures throughout the lifecourse. Skeletal and environmental data indicate that the 5-7th century cemeteries at Littleport and Edix Hill (Barrington A), Cambridgeshire represented similar communities with contrasting environments and states of population health. High prevalence of skeletal stress markers at Littleport suggests a community coping with unusual levels of biological stress, potentially a consequence of the endemic malaria historically known to be present in the Fens. In contrast, Edix Hill was an upland site which exhibited lower skeletal stress marker prevalence comparable to wider British data
Kendall, Ellen Jean
An isotopic study of environmental influences on early Anglo-Saxon health and nutrition. Early life has long been associated with high vulnerability to morbidity and mortality, risks which are reduced in infancy and early childhood through strategically high levels of parental or alloparental investment. More recently, theories have emerged addressing the manner in which poor health and nutritional stress during early life may impact upon the future health of those who survive this period. Thus, the significance of early life health and parental care extends far beyond the domain of childhood studies and may provide insight regarding population-level biocultural responses to environmental pressures throughout the lifecourse. Skeletal and environmental data indicate that the 5-7th century cemeteries at Littleport and Edix Hill (Barrington A), Cambridgeshire represented similar communities with contrasting environments and states of population health. High prevalence of skeletal stress markers at Littleport suggests a community coping with unusual levels of biological stress, potentially a consequence of the endemic malaria historically known to be present in the Fens. In contrast, Edix Hill was an upland site which exhibited lower skeletal stress marker prevalence comparable to wider British data
isotopic_study environmental influence early_anglo_saxon health nutrition early_life long associate high vulnerability morbidity mortality risk reduce infancy early childhood strategically high_level parental investment recently theory emerge address manner poor health nutritional stress early_life may impact_upon future health survive period thus significance early_life health parental care extend far_beyond domain childhood study may provide_insight regard population_level biocultural response environmental pressure throughout skeletal environmental_data indicate cemetery hill cambridgeshire represent similar community contrast environment state population health high_prevalence skeletal_stress marker suggest community cop unusual level biological stress potentially consequence endemic malaria historically know present contrast hill upland site exhibit low skeletal_stress marker prevalence comparable wider british data