Main description:

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.

Contents:

1. The bioarchaeology of cardiovascular diseases - Introduction Michaela Binder; 2. Exploring the sources of indirect evidence for cardiovascular disease in bioarchaeology: potential impact on understanding its evolution Charlotte A. Roberts; Part I. Evidence from Mummified Tissues: 3. Atherosclerosis, mummies and histological analysis. A review Gino Fornaciari and Raffaele Gaeta; 4. Computed tomography evidence of atherosclerosis in ancient mummies: the Horus studies of mummies from five continents Randall C. Thompson, Ashna Mahadev, M. Linda Sutherland and Gregory S. Thomas; 5. The genetic background of atherosclerosis in ancient mummies Albert Zink, Christina Wurst, Frank Maixner, Samuel Wann, Randall C. Thompson and Gregory S. Thomas; 6. Cardiovascular disease in Nile valley mummies: exploring the need for a more systematic approach that accounts for vessel prevalence, links to oral health and the impact of dual energy CT scanning Daniel Antoine, Marie Vandenbeusch, Rebecca Whiting and Benjamin Moreno; 7. Atherosclerosis among the elites: a bioarchaeological investigation of 17th-19th century mummified human remains from Palermo, Sicily (Italy) and Vilnius (Lithuania) Dario Piombino-Mascali, Rimantas Jankauskas, Albert Zink and Stephanie Panzer; Part II. Cardiovascular Diseases Associated with Human Skeletal Remains: 8. Calcified structures as potential evidence of atherosclerosis associated with human skeletal remains from Amara West, Nubia (1300-800BC) Michaela Binder and Charlotte A. Roberts; 9. Intracranial atherosclerosis in Medieval Scandinavia Caroline Arcini and Elisabeth Englund; 10. Abnormalities of the vertebral artery: are cervical pressure defects being overlooked in palaeopathology? Daniel Antoine and Tony Waldron; 11. A heart of stone - constrictive pericarditis and other calcified tissues from the pathologic-anatomical collection at the Narrenturm in Vienna, Austria. A review Karin Wiltschke-Schrotta, Eduard Winter and Michelle Gamble; 12. 'Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence': why is there a lack of evidence for cardiovascular disease in the bioarchaeological record? Michaela Binder and Charlotte A. Roberts; Part III. 'Contemporary Perspectives': 13. The challenging diagnosis of cardiovascular disease in skeletal remains: identifying atherosclerotic calcifications from modern documented individuals Lucie Biehler-Gomez, Emanuela Maderna and Cristina Cattaneo; 14. Atherosclerosis in indigenous Tsimane - A contemporary perspective Randall C. Thompson, Gregory S. Thomas, Angela D. Neunuebel, Ashna Mahadev, Benjamin C. Trumble, Edmond Seabright, Daniel K. Cummings, Jonathan Stieglitz, Michael Gurven and Hillard Kaplan.