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ironment that thcy wcre crcating. ٨ gcncral picture of the biological effcct of
transition to citics ٦٧S٤ avait many more carcful studies of skeletal samples
١ othcr archacological sitcs, but somc interesting cases of skeletal pathology
e becn found which do hclp in forming a picture of disease as it affected the
ple in ancicnt times. In some cascs cvidence of skeletal disease provides

gstin einrs.ights into aspccts of the culture of these ancicnt inhabitants of cities‫؟‬
example, evidence of debilitating disease which would require major assistance
١ other people for survival can be interpreted as evidence of a humane society.

he major concentration of our research is on skeletons excavated in the
‫ﻫﺎ‬ntries of Jordan and Bahrain. In Jordan we have found bone conditions
2gestive of tuberculosis, osteoporosis, skin ulcer, tumor, and osteomyelitis. One
se of possible tuberculosis of the spine is associated with a young man about 18
ars of age (Ortner 1979) and is one of the oldest examples of this disease found
us far in the archaeological record, In the Jordanian skeletons we also ifnd
idence of trauma, in the form of penetrating defects of the skull, that may have
sulted from warfare. AIl the cases we have studied thus far show evidence of
ealing, indicating survival of life-threatening skull injuries probably resulting from
blow by an ax-like weapon (Frohlich and Ortner 1982, and Ortner 1981).

In Bahrain, one of the striking archaeological features is the vast area associated
rith the burial mounds (Figure 1). hese mounds have been described in many
rchaeological reports (e.g. Bibby 1969, Ibrahim 1982, Mughal 1983, Larsen 1983
nd Frohlich 1982, 1983 and 1986) where the reader can find a detailed review of
he archaeological and anthropological context.

he approximately 85,000 burial mounds found on the island, each containing at
ast one burial, appear to be associated with the late third and early second
aillennia B.C. (Ibrahim 1982, and Larsen 1983). Within the burial mound cultural
radition, these are architectural variations that appear to be related to time, i.e.,
n Early ype variant and a Late ype variant (Froihiich 1986). he major
ifference between the two types are size and architectural structure. he Early
iype lacks a capstone covering the burial chamber, is smaller and of a simple
bnstruction in contrast to the Late ype which has between two and five capstones
nd is larger and more complex in its construction. Another difference is that the
arly ype is located primarily around wadis on the higher plateaus toward the
enter of the island, while the Late ype mounds are concentrated in eight major
:iusters closer to the coast.

Preliminary studies at the Smithsonian lnstitution in Washington D.C. of buirals
:‫ﻡ‬cavated in Bahrain have revealed the presence of several cases of skeletal
aleopathology that is of both medical and cultural significance. One of these
pecimens is from B-South 40, a late third millennium B.C. burial mound located in
he northern part of the Hamad own mound field east of Karzakkan Village. he

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