Growing Up in Tell el-Amarna: An Examination of Growth and Non-specific Stress Indicators in New Kingdom Children.

The health status of the subadult skeletal remains from the South Tombs Cemetery at Tell el-Amarna were assessed by examining fluctuations in childhood growth and rates of skeletal indicators of physiological stress within a biocultural framework. The long bone standardization method outlined by Goode et al. (1993) was used to compare the South Tombs cemetery’s crosssectional growth data to subadult samples from other cemeteries during which major social, political, and economic changes were taking place. The comparative subadult samples included the HK43 cemetery from Hierakonpolis (Egypt), the African American Cemetery from Cedar Grove (Arkansas), and the St. Martin’s Churchyard from Birmingham (United Kingdom). Incidences of skeletal stress markers (cribra orbitalia, linear enamel hypoplasias, and porotic hyperostosis) and diseases of malnutrition (scurvy and rickets) were examined to obtain a more holistic representation of the general health of the comparative populations. Result showed that the subadults from the South Tombs Cemetery were under tremendous childhood stress as evidenced by the reduced growth status and high rates of childhood stress indicators. Comparison of the biocultural models indicate that migration, population growth, and manufacturing were parallel factors contributing to the poor health and delayed growth seen in the South Tombs Cemetery and St. Martin’s Churchyard samples. ©2018 by Ashley E. Shidner All Rights Reserved Acknowledgements The road to completing any dream is rarely easy. If not for the support and guidance of my colleges, friends, and family, I would not have been able to finish this project. I would like to first thank Dr. Jerome Rose for accepting me as one of his graduate students and for being an incredibly supportive advisor and mentor. His constant support and tutelage has allowed me to grow as both an anthropologist and a scientist. To Dr. Michael Plavcan, thank you for providing me with the statistical knowledge and skills that has allowed me to be a better scientist. To Dr. Peter Ungar, thank you for stepping up at the final hour and becoming a member of my committee so that I could successfully defend. To Dr. Justin Nolan, thank you for your amazing insights and constant support over the years. I would like to thank Barry J. Kemp and the Amarna Project for allowing me the opportunity to conduct my research on the South Tombs Cemetery. To Middle East Studies and Anthropology Departments, thank you for the graduate and research funding that allowed me to travel and complete my analysis. To Dr. Gretchen Dabbs, thank you for your assistance and guidance with my data collection at Tell el-Amarna. To Dr. Megan Brickley, thank you for allowing me to collect the information I needed from the St. Martin’s Churchyard data sheets for it greatly enriched the finding of this project. I would also like to give special thanks to Dr. Kate Spradley and Dr. Elayne Pope for their guidance and recommendations that led me to becoming one of Rose’s students. Additionally, I would also like to mention my academic colleagues who over the years have provided both friendship and reassurance through this long adventure. To Alissa Bandy, thank you for the laughs and for your insight and knowledge of Egyptian History. To Amy Warren, thank you for our fun conversations and your support for a fellow mother. To Dr. Teresa Wilson, thank you for your advice, encouragement, and assistance throughout this entire process. I would also like to give special thanks to my friend and confidant, Heidi Davis who has provided friendship and years of endless support. Thank you all for being amazing, smart, strong, and beautiful women that I am honored to call my friends. I would also like to thank my family for their love and support. To my mother, Kathleen Davis, thank you for fostering my love for science and history at young age and your unwavering love and support. To my grandmother and papa, Audrey and Paul Wendel, thank you for your love and encouragement through this process. To Jennifer Peters, thank you for being an understanding and remarkable friend for many years. To Alan and Claudia Hogan, thank you for years of love and support. To Yolanda Carlisle and Demetra Williamson, thank for your support and friendship while I was writing. Lastly, I would like to thank my husband, Jacob Shidner, and my daughters, Abigail and Hannah Shidner, whose patience, love, and encouragement gave me the strength when I thought I could not finish. You made me laugh and smile when I needed