Bioarchaeological investigation of an obstetric death at Huigou site (3900–2900 BC), Henan, China

Abstract

AbstractHistorical documents record that many young women died of pregnancy, delivery, or related complications. However, such cases are rare archaeologically due to the limitations of archaeological materials. Here, we report the case of an adult female buried with an infant in the Neolithic graveyard of Huigou (Yangshao Culture, 3900–2900 BCE) in China's Henan Province. The remains of the infant were positioned between the lower legs of the adult. Both appear to have died during or shortly after delivery, as the estimated age of the infant is full term. The adult female's pubic symphysis was unusually long compared with a modern Chinese reference sample, a trait that increases the risk of dystocia in modern clinical cases. The pelvis also shows a hyperplastic lesion on the superior margin of the pubic symphysis that might reflect a prior difficult birth that was survived. Taken together this evidence suggests a history of obstetric problems that ultimately led to the death of the woman and her last child. Our reconstruction offers a glimpse of an ancient life, suggesting the difficulties this woman suffered in childbirth before her death and illustrating the insights that osteology can offer into obstetric experiences in the past.