The Bioarchaeology of An Sơn and Hòa Diêm: Biosocial Insights into Prehistoric Southern Vietnam
type: CreativeWork
description: This thesis investigated the lifeways of two prehistoric Vietnamese communities, An Sơn from southern Vietnam and Hòa Diêm from the south central coast of Vietnam, representing two temporally distinct periods. Three themes were employed to assess and situate the health and behaviour of these people 1) health as an indicator of childhood stress 2) oral health and extramasticatory modifications and 3) palaeodiet. The interpretation of these key factors were undertaken with a consideration of the local natural and cultural environments, drawing comparisons and further contextualising the findings within the wider Southeast Asian bioarchaeological context. Using standard bioarchaeological approaches the following results were obtained: childhood stress was generally worse during the Neolithic and improved over the Bronze and Iron Ages, oral health was significantly worse for females, particularly in the Neolithic and palaeodiet was consistent with the local zooarchaeological and environmental information available. In interpreting the evidence for health as an indicator of childhood stress, oral health and extramasticatory modifications and palaeodiet, four metathemes of population history, connectivity, the Neolithic Demographic Transition and the osteological paradox were developed as a conceptual framework in which to explore these health indicators. The population affinities of both An Sơn and Hòa Diêm support the notion of genetic exchange between indigenous and migrating populations, albeit of different groups during different time periods. These observations play directly into what we know about connectivity and the complexity of regional mobility in the past. Large scale interaction spheres operating independently during the Neolithic and the Iron Age are supported by the evidence for the population history of the region. Contextualising palaeodiet with other assemblages that were part of these interaction spheres suggests that diet was consistent with the expec…
abstract: This thesis investigated the lifeways of two prehistoric Vietnamese communities, An Sơn from southern Vietnam and Hòa Diêm from the south central coast of Vietnam, representing two temporally distinct periods. Three themes were employed to assess and situate the health and behaviour of these people 1) health as an indicator of childhood stress 2) oral health and extramasticatory modifications and 3) palaeodiet. The interpretation of these key factors were undertaken with a consideration of the local natural and cultural environments, drawing comparisons and further contextualising the findings within the wider Southeast Asian bioarchaeological context. Using standard bioarchaeological approaches the following results were obtained: childhood stress was generally worse during the Neolithic and improved over the Bronze and Iron Ages, oral health was significantly worse for females, particularly in the Neolithic and palaeodiet was consistent with the local zooarchaeological and environmental information available. In interpreting the evidence for health as an indicator of childhood stress, oral health and extramasticatory modifications and palaeodiet, four metathemes of population history, connectivity, the Neolithic Demographic Transition and the osteological paradox were developed as a conceptual framework in which to explore these health indicators. The population affinities of both An Sơn and Hòa Diêm support the notion of genetic exchange between indigenous and migrating populations, albeit of different groups during different time periods. These observations play directly into what we know about connectivity and the complexity of regional mobility in the past. Large scale interaction spheres operating independently during the Neolithic and the Iron Age are supported by the evidence for the population history of the region. Contextualising palaeodiet with other assemblages that were part of these interaction spheres suggests that diet was consistent with the expec…
author: Willis, Anna Corinna Juanita
language: en
keywords: Bioarchaeology, Prehistoric Vietnam, Oral Health, Palaeohealth, Palaeodietary Reconstruction, Isotopes
date published: 2015
date modified: 2026-07-24T00:55:02Z
provider: Australian National University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Australian National University

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/1885/107226