Research conducted by Varunavi Battula and Sanjana Vookanti
Mentored by Dr. Britney Kyle and Elizabeth Jennings
What Is It?
Himera
The ancient Sicilian colony of Himera, founded in 648 B.C, was known for its trade routes along the Tyrrhenian sea. As it commanded major sea lanes and land routes, it became well sought over by the Greeks and Carthaginians (Lee 2011). The Battle of Himera initiated between the two, ending in 480 B.C as a victory for the Greeks, allowing them to colonize Himerans and put the citizens through stress (Stress will be explained later in the website). As a result of the battle (in this day and age), 10,000 skeletons were discovered within the Western Necropolis (by archaeologists), near to the battleground, in addition to the East Necropolis, which contained a total of at least 2,000 bodies that are also being examined (Lonoce et al. 2018).
Linear Enamel Hypoplasia
Linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) is a condition that appears as horizontal lines or “rings” along the enamel of the tooth. LEH occurs when the body’s resources are redirected from dental growth to helping the body recover from physiological stress, wider lines indicating longer periods of stress. Macroscopic LEH is visible to the naked eye while microscopic LEH is not. LEH is also referred to as accentuated perikymata. Perikymata are enamel deposits that are laid down in the tooth every eight days for the first six years of life. LEH can occur when the deposit takes longer than eight days.
