Reading  Report 3                 Due: 2/23

Answer the following questions based on the assigned paper: J. E. Buikstra, L. W. Konigsberg, J. Bullington. 1986. Fertility and the Development of Agriculture in the Prehistoric Midwest. American Antiquity 51: 528-546.

1. Summarize the main point of the paper.

2. How does mean age at death estimated from skeletal remains relate to fertility and mortality in the actual population represented by these skeletons? Why do the authors say that the mean age at death is subject to numerous possibilities for error and miscalculation?

3. What is D30+/D5+? What can this ratio be used for?

4. How did the D30+/D5+ ratio change in the prehistoric Midwest with the development of agriculture? In your opinion, why did it change?