ReviewPhilosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences2021
The past, present and future of skeletal analysis in palaeodemography.
Review in Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Urban survival, population dynamics and historical transitions in Thessaloniki (316 BC-AD 1500).Archaeological and anthropological sciences · 2026Article
- Article
- A manifesto for palaeodemography in the twenty-first century.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2021Article
- Demographic uniformitarianism: the theoretical basis of prehistoric demographic research and its cross-disciplinary challenges.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2021Review
- Archaeology, demography and life history theory together can help us explain past and present population patterns.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The study of past population dynamics is imperative to our understanding of demographic processes in the context of biology, evolution, environment and sociocultural factors. Retrospective consideration of a population's capacity to resist and adapt to change aims to contribute insights into our past, a point of comparison to the present and predictions for the future. If these aims are to be achieved, the accuracy and precision of palaeodemographic methods are of paramount importance. This article considers the emergence of skeletally based palaeodemographic methods, specifically life tables and demographic proxies, and early controversies and issues. It details the process of methodological development and refinement, and success in addressing many of the historical limitations. The contribution and potential of skeletally based methods are discussed and comparisons and contrasts made with alternative palaeodemographic approaches, and avenues for future research are proposed. Ultimately, it is concluded that skeletal analysis provides unique opportunities to investigate population dynamics with spatial specificity, examine individuals and groups within a population, and integrate demographic and pathological information to evaluate population health in the past. This article is part of the theme issue 'Cross-disciplinary approaches to prehistoric demography'.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.