Osteoarchaeological Studies of Human Systemic Stress of Early Urbanization in Late Shang at Anyang, China

Extensive systemic stress exposure was documented among non-elite populations during the Late Shang Dynasty (ca. 1250–1046 B.C.) at Yin Xu, suggesting early urbanization exacerbated health disparities and contributed to societal collapse. Analysis of skeletal remains from two burial contexts—lineage cemeteries and refuse pits—revealed high frequencies of enamel hypoplasia (80.9%), cribra orbitalia (30.3%), and osteoperiostitis (40.0% in adults), indicating severe childhood stress, frailty, and adult morbidity. Notably, females from refuse pits showed significantly elevated levels of cribra orbitalia and osteoperiostitis, potentially reflecting gender inequality compounding urbanization-related stressors. The study employed osteological markers to assess physiological disturbances linked to urban crowding, sanitation decline, and resource scarcity, providing evidence that social stratification intensified these burdens.

Zhang, H., Merrett, D. C., Jing, Z., Tang, J., He, Y., Yue, H., Yue, Z., & Yang, D. Y. (2016). Osteoarchaeological Studies of Human Systemic Stress of Early Urbanization in Late Shang at Anyang, China. Plos One, 11(4), e0151854. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0151854