Puberty and adolescence represent a significant period of physical growth and maturation and a critical life stage in which children transition into adults within their societies. Numerous studies have observed a secular trend and have determined that puberty is now occurring earlier than in the past. This investigation represents the first application of a methodology for assessing the pubertal status of osteological remains to a prehistoric skeletal sample. Six Bronze Age adolescent skeletons from the Cerro de La Encantada archaeological site (Ciudad Real, Spain) were analyzed. Pre-pubescence was observed at age 9 and the transition phase of the pubertal growth spurt at 15 years of age. These results were similar to those obtained from medieval, Industrial Revolution, and modern populations, both within and outside of the Iberian Peninsula. The similarity in the development of the Bronze Age adolescents to that of other past and contemporary populations suggests that the pubertal process has remained essentially unchanged across millennia until recent times. However, other interpretations, including the influence of a subpar developmental environment and potential methodological artifacts, are possible. Nevertheless, studies of this type provide important information about a crucial transitory period in human development.
Introduction From an evolutionary perspective, the ribcage has changed substantially in the subfamily Homininae. Among many other features, the amount of mineralized tissues of the rib cross‐section at the midshaft could be informative about potential biomechanical changes during Homininae evolution. These changes would be related to the different loading stresses that each costal level has to deal with. Nevertheless, this knowledge remains hypothetical and has never been properly addressed. Materials and Methods This issue was assessed by analysing via micro‐CT the internal rib anatomy of the complete sets of ribs belonging to ten Homo sapiens and ten Pan troglodytes adult individuals. Additionally, five fossil ribs of Australopithecus africanus Sts 14 (costal levels 5–9) were also included to evaluate similarities with the two tested extant species. Results The mineralized area of P. troglodytes rib cross‐sections was higher than that of H. sapiens. However, its serial change along the rib sequence (1–12/13) was similar in both species. The mineralized area of the Sts 14 rib cross‐sections was closer to H. sapiens than to P. troglodytes for costal levels 7–9 (Sts 14w) but not for levels 5 and 6, where it was distinct from both comparative samples. Discussion The variation in the amount of mineralized tissues along the rib sequence in H. sapiens and P. troglodytes might indicate a common upper‐lower thorax division probably linked to the insertions of the diaphragm. This variation is similar between ribs Sts 14w and the corresponding modern human costal levels, which could be potentially related to closer breathing kinematics in the lower thorax of Sts 14 and H. sapiens.
The methodology for sex determination in human skeletal remains depends on the different bone morphologies presented by men and women. Due to their direct implications in reproduction, the whole pelvis, particularly the os coxae, shows different characteristics in either sex. The sacrum and the os coxae constitute the birth canal. In this research study, the os coxae shape is analyzed using geometric morphometrics, providing information on morphology, regardless of size or any other factor beyond the geometry itself. A total of 46 adult ossa coxae from a Spanish archaeological collection were studied using geometric morphometrics. The results show that there is a restriction on the shape of female os coxae. In contrast, male os coxae presents a greater range of variation. The biological reason for this difference is the obstetrical dilemma; a concept defined as the anatomical conflict between bipedalism and the full-term birth of a neonate whose large head requires greater dimensions in the pelvic cavity. Our experimental data reinforce the validity of the obstetrical dilemma as source of the restriction on the shape of female ossa coxae. Additionally, according to the results obtained, size itself does not represent a condition for belonging to one sex or another.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the pubertal status of skeletons belonging to young females who died while pregnant to better understand puberty, the attainment of reproductive capacity, pregnancy, and maternal and fetal mortality in the past. A method to analyze pubertal development in osteological remains was applied to three skeletons of pregnant individuals from different medieval Spanish cemeteries. Pelvic measurements, stature estimates, and pathology studies were also employed. One pregnant individual, determined to have possibly been “at risk” for a complicated delivery, was found to be pubescent having died during the maturation phase of the pubertal growth spurt. Two Hispano‐Muslim individuals were both postpubescent, although one had passed this milestone not long before death. This study is the first of its kind to apply puberty determination methodology to the skeletons of pregnant individuals and as such, was able to identify the skeleton of a pregnant, but still pubescent, girl in an archaeological collection. Delays observed in reaching the later pubertal stages prolonged puberty and could have enabled girls to become pregnant before having achieved complete maturity. The authors suggest that this skeleton is not one of a kind and believe it necessary to consider the reevaluation of maternal–fetal burials making use of pubertal status determination methods. In this way, puberty, the early reproductive stages, and motherhood in the past can be better understood.
RESUMENLa Paleodemografía es la disciplina que se ocupa del estudio de los parámetros demográficos de las poblaciones pretéritas y su evolución diacrónica, resultando el punto de partida de cualquier investigación posterior. En este trabajo se analizan las características paleodemográfi-cas de los antiguos pobladores de Marialba de la Ribera (Villaturiel, León), a partir del estudio de 269 individuos recuperados en su cementerio. Este yacimiento, con una extensa secuencia cronológica desde época tardorromana a medieval, es considerado de los más importantes del noroeste peninsular. Los resultados del estudio paleodemográfico parecen concordantes con un modelo pretransicional de mortalidad natural, obteniéndose datos afines a los referidos para otras poblaciones de la región con similar cronología. Sin embargo, se ha evidenciado una subrepresentación en el grupo de 0-4 años y una sobrerepresentación en el grupo 5-9 años, que ahora podrían ser explicadas por el uso diferencial del espacio funerario y la excavación parcial del yacimiento. LABURPENAPaleodemografia da iraganeko populazioen parametro demografikoak eta haien bilakaera diakronikoa aztertzeaz arduratzen den diziplina. Ondoren egin beharreko edozein ikerketatarako abiapuntua izaten da. Lan honetan, Marialba de la Riberako (Villaturiel, Leon) garai bateko biztanleen ezaugarri paleodemografikoak aztertu dira bertako hilerrian berreskuratu dituzten 269 banakoren ikerketatik abiatuta. Aztarnategi hori da penintsulako ipar-mendebaldeko garrantzitsuenetako bat eta sekuentzia kronologiko zabala jasotzen du erromatar berantiarretik hasi eta Erdi Arora arte. Ikerketa paleodemografikoaren emaitzak, itxuraz, bat datoz hilkortasun naturalaren trantsizio aurreko ereduarekin eta antzeko kronologia duten eskualdeko beste populazio batzuetarako aipatutakoen antzeko datuak lortu dira. Dena den, 0-4 urte artekoen taldean ordezkaritza txikiegia eta 5-9 urtekoen taldearen gehiegizko ordezkaritza ikusi dira. Ehorzketarako eremuaren eta aztarnategiaren indusketa partzialaren arteko erabilera diferentziala izan daiteke horren guztiaren azalpena. ABSTRACTThe Archaeology and Physical Anthropology represent a multidisciplinary approach from which human past researchers could enrich their archaeological sites interpretations. The interaction of both disciplines permit overpass the analysis of isolated individuals in a specific archaeological context, and to reach a holistic understanding of the entire osteological remains recovered. Paleodemography deals with the study of demographic structure in this archaeological populations and their diachronic evolution, and is an essential starting point for any investigation that involve inferences related with the biology and behaviour of past populations.Taking into account the particular historical context, being an important Early-Christian monument founded in the 4 th century and used as a cemetery until the 13 th century, and due to the exceptional stage of preservation presented by the skeletal material, Marialba de la Ribera is Carac...
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