Rachel K. Wentz

A Bioarchaeological Assessment of Health from Florida's Archaic Rachel K. Wentz

Windover (8BR46) represents one of the most ancient and well-preserved skeletal populations in North America. Excavated in the 1980s from a mortuary pond near Florida's eastern coast, the remains represent over 168 individuals, from neonates to elderly, enabling an evaluation of health at all stages of life. Through the application of the Western Hemisphere Health Index (Steckel and Rose, 2002), the overall health of the Windover population has been assessed and compared to populations utilizing various subsistence practices, in a variety of geographic regions spanning 7,000 years of human history.