Citation

Walker PL. Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 1989; 80(3): 313-323.

Affiliation

Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara 93106.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1989, Wiley-Blackwell)

DOI

10.1002/ajpa.1330800305

PMID

2686461

Abstract

Crania from the Channel Island area of southern California were examined for evidence of traumatic injuries. Well-healed depressed fractures in the outer table of the cranial vault are common in skeletal remains from the northern Channel Islands (18.56% n = 598) but rare in those from the mainland coast (7.5% n = 146). This prevalence of traumatic injuries among the islanders may be a result of intense competition over resources in a geographically circumscribed environment. The frequency of cranial injuries increases significantly between the early and late prehistoric periods on the Channel Islands. This temporal variation appears to reflect changes in patterns of violence associated with population growth and environmental instability.

Language: en