Childhood development and adult longevity in an archaeological population from Barton-upon-Humber, Lincolnshire, England

Abstract

Changing patterns of stress indicators were used to examine the impact of external biocultural changes on childhood development and to explore the association between developmental health and adult longevity in a small market town in Lincolnshire, England. Cribra orbitalia, linear enamel hypoplasias (LEH), vertebral neural canal (VNC) size, craniofacial fluctuating asymmetry and femoral length were recorded in 267 adult skeletons dating from an earlier agricultural community (n=157) (AD1150–1700) and a later urbanised, middle-class community (n=110) (AD1700–1855) buried at St. Peter's Church, Barton-upon-Humber. The only stress indicator to display a statistical difference between periods was VNC size, which increased significantly in AD1700–1855. Analysis of stress indicators according to adult age-at-death revealed that cribra orbitalia, small VNC diameter and short femoral length in males and cribra orbitalia and craniofacial asymmetry in females were associated with a younger age-at-death in AD1150–1700. During AD1700–1855 both sexes showed selectivity for small VNC size. This demonstrates that external biocultural changes at Barton-upon-Humber had limited impact on growth, but did alter the long term sequelae of health insults experienced during childhood development.