ABSTRACT
Trauma is damage to living human tissue. One of the most common types of trauma in the archaeological record is bone fractures, the result of violence of some kind, either interpersonal violence or warfare. Interpersonal violence was primarily sublethal and most commonly directed at women, children, the elderly, and captives. Warfare, either small or large scale, often involved lethal trauma and is more commonly observed in males. Cannibalism, human sacrifice, and execution were common in prehistory and can be detected. Medical trauma may also be present in the form of healed repairs of broken or otherwise damaged bone. In addition, the modification of both bone (e.g., shaped skulls) and soft tissues (piercings and tattoos) may be present.
