Paleodemography: Age Distributions from Skeletal Samples

Paleodemography: Age Distributions from Skeletal Samples
ISBN-10
1139441558
ISBN-13
9781139441551
Category
Social Science
Language
English
Published
2008-10-30
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Authors
James W. Vaupel, Robert D. Hoppa

Description

Paleodemography is the field of enquiry that attempts to identify demographic parameters from past populations (usually skeletal samples) derived from archaeological contexts, and then to make interpretations regarding the health and well-being of those populations. However, paleodemographic theory relies on several assumptions that cannot easily be validated by the researcher, and if incorrect, can lead to large errors or biases. In this book, physical anthropologists, mathematical demographers and statisticians tackle these methodological issues for reconstructing demographic structure for skeletal samples. Topics discussed include how skeletal morphology is linked to chronological age, assessment of age from the skeleton, demographic models of mortality and their interpretation, and biostatistical approaches to age structure estimation from archaeological samples. This work will be of immense importance to anyone interested in paleodemography, including biological and physical anthropologists, demographers, geographers, evolutionary biologists and statisticians.

Similar books