The Bioarchaeology of Cardiovascular Disease

Michaela Binder · Charlotte A. Roberts · Daniel Antoine

Apr 2023 · Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology Book 91 · Cambridge University Press

About this ebook

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide today, but are not just a modern phenomenon. To explore the deep roots of CVDs in human history, this book, for the first time, brings together bioarchaeological evidence from different periods, as old as 5000 BC, and geographic locations from Alaska to Northern Africa. Experts in their fields showcase the powerful tool set available to bioarchaeology, which allows a more comprehensive reconstruction of the human past through evidence for disease. The tools include aDNA and histological analyses and digital imaging techniques for studying skeletal and mummified human remains. The insights gained from these studies are not only of value to historical research but also demonstrate how the science of archaeological human remains can provide the long view of the history of disease and contributes to modern biomedical research within the context of evolutionary medicine.

About the author

Michaela Binder is a bioarchaeologist who has conducted research and fieldwork projects in many different countries, including Austria, Sudan, Egypt, Italy and Saudi Arabia. Combining cultural and biological perspectives, her work focusses on the comprehensive reconstruction of living conditions of past human populations. She is Senior Project Manager at Novetus GmbH Archaeological Services, Austria and lectures at the University of Vienna, Austria.

Charlotte A. Roberts is Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at Durham University, UK. A bioarchaeologist and former nurse, she has conducted palaeopathological research for over forty years. She has authored over 200 papers/book chapters, and authored/edited a number of books, including The Backbone of Europe (Cambridge University Press, 2018) and Palaeopathology and Evolutionary Medicine: An Integrated Approach (Oxford University Press, 2022). She was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2014.

Daniel Antoine is the Keeper (Head) of the Department of Egypt and Sudan at the British Museum and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at University College London, UK. He has published widely on bioarchaeology and palaeopathology, including Regarding the Dead: Human Remains in the British Museum and Ancient Lives, New Discoveries: Eight Mummies, Eight Stories (both British Museum Press, 2014).