Assessment of enamel hypoplasia in a high status burial site

Social differentiation is a characteristic of all societies, and higher social status is often associated with better nutrition and good health. Traditional archeologically inferred social status has been linked with biological evidence such as skeletal robusticity and the incidence of disease. In this regard, linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) is considered a good indicator of health, and individuals with a high status should, at least in theory, not suffer from severe defects. In order to test this hypothesis, the prevalence and occurrence of LEH were assessed in a skeletal sample at the Fort Center, Florida, site. Located near Lake Okeechobee, this site was occupied from about A.D. 200-800, and was considered a mortuary ceremonial center. These archeological findings suggested that individuals buried there belonged to a high class and merited special mortuary rituals. Although 1,835 teeth were found, only 679 maxillary and 393 mandibular teeth were analyzed. The upper I1 and lower C are reported to be most representative for LEH, and were thus selected for further analysis. There were 45 left incisors and 48 left canines. Results indicated that about 95% of incisors and 98% of canines were affected. The occurrence of severe hypoplastic lines was much lower (between 30% and 40%). The minimum number of defects affecting the canine surpassed three, thus showing evidence of repeated stress during childhood. Hypoplasia was first observed between the ages of 1.0 and 1.5 years for incisors and between 2.0 and 2.5 years for canines. Severe defects were first noted to occur at 2.5-3.0 years of age for incisors and 3.0-3.5 years for canines. In conclusion, the high frequency of LEH in this socially elite population seems to prove that in prehistory even privileged classes were severely subjected to stress and the social stratification alone was not sufficient to buffer them from rigorous environments. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 9:213-222, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.