Assessment of Age and MNI of Children from Two Early Byzantine Graves in Southern Greece

Presenters

Chase RodriguezFollow

Disciplines

Anthropology | Archaeological Anthropology

Abstract (300 words maximum)

This project is an assessment of the age and minimum number of individuals (MNI) from two Early Byzantine gravesites from Chryssi Island, Greece. The goal of this research was to determine the number of juveniles in each of the two graves, A650 and A607, by analyzing the data collected from both graves. For my methods, I analyzed data from commingled bones. This task was difficult because the individuals in the grave were commingled. A commingled burial means that multiple individuals are buried within a single grave. I assessed each type of bone by identifying individual bones and determining the ages of individuals based on their size. I aimed to determine the minimum number of distinct individuals represented within each commingled burial assemblage. Dentition was assessed in a similar way. In A607, there are a total of eight juveniles. The ages range from perinate to 15 years old. In A650, there are a total of ten juveniles. The ages range from neonate to 13 years old. Overall, knowing the approximate number of individuals in these graves is important for understanding how the graves were used during their time. Understanding how these graves were used will give me a better understanding of Early Byzantine life in Chryssi Island, Greece.

Keywords

• Juveniles

• Minimum number of individuals

• Greece

• Early Byzantine

• Commingled

Academic department under which the project should be listed

RCHSS - Geography & Anthropology

Primary Investigator (PI) Name

Susan Kirkpatrick-Smith