Subsistence activities and the sexual division of labor in the European Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic: Evidence from upper limb enthesopathies

Villotte, Sébastien; Churchill, Steven E.; Dutour, Olivier; Henry-Gambier, Dominique

doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2010.02.001

Cited by 91 publications

(76 citation statements)

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“…Physical activity is essential for individual health and survival (Lieberman, 2013), it can be a driving force behind phenotypic evolution (Wallace et al, 2010; Raichlen and Polk, 2013), and it is a nexus that links features of economy, technology, and social relations (Kelly, 2013). For these reasons, paleoanthropological investigations of the lifeways of our ancient ancestors often aim to glean information about their levels of physical activity, typically by analyzing their skeletal remains (e.g., Villotte et al, 2010; Lieverse et al, 2013; Shaw and Stock, 2013; Chirchir et al, 2015; Ruff et al, 2015). Two skeletal features are assumed to be especially informative: (1) the quantity and distribution of bone within the limb elements, and (2) the morphology of muscle and tendon attachments sites, or entheses (Jurmain et al, 2012; Larsen, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical activity alters limb bone structure but not entheseal morphology

Wallace

Winchester

et al. 2017

Journal of Human Evolution

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Studies of ancient human skeletal remains frequently proceed from the assumption that individuals with robust limb bones and/or rugose, hypertrophic entheses can be inferred to have been highly physically active during life. Here, we experimentally test this assumption by measuring the effects of exercise on limb bone structure and entheseal morphology in turkeys. Growing females were either treated with a treadmill-running regimen for 10 weeks or served as controls. After the experiment, femoral cortical and trabecular bone structure were quantified with μCT in the mid-diaphysis and distal epiphysis, respectively, and entheseal morphology was quantified in the lateral epicondyle. The results indicate that elevated levels of physical activity affect limb bone structure but not entheseal morphology. Specifically, animals subjected to exercise displayed enhanced diaphyseal and trabecular bone architecture relative to controls, but no significant difference was detected between experimental groups in entheseal surface topography. These findings suggest that diaphyseal and trabecular structure are more reliable proxies than entheseal morphology for inferring ancient human physical activity levels from skeletal remains.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical activity alters limb bone structure but not entheseal morphology

Wallace

Winchester

et al. 2017

Journal of Human Evolution

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“…If so, the gains in extractive eficiency derived from the invention of the spearthrower could have been twofold as, by increasing the minimum approachdistance to prey, the new technology (a) increased the number of opportunities to take an accurate shot and, therefore, the effective number of kills that could be achieved per unit of time/energy spent in the pursuit of the game, and (b) increased the security of the hunt, allowing the incorporation of females without jeopardising the reproductive potential of the group, thereby multiplying the workforce involved in the task and, therefore, its yield. However, this incorporation does not seem to have taken place across the board, as suggested by a study of upper-limb enthesopathies, which are lesions caused by activity-related stress at muscle attachment sites (Villotte et al 2010). This study conirmed a higher level of upper-limb activity in the Magdalenian relative to the earlier UP and also found that, although none of the observed lesions could be speciically attributed to atlatl use, some were clearly related to the hand-throwing of spears -in all cases, however, the affected individuals were male, not female.…”

Section: Division Of Labourmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Upper Palaeolithic of Europe

Zilhão¹

The Cambridge World Prehistory 3 Volume Set

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the later part of the MP were lake-based, whereas, after about forty-ive thousand years ago, blade/bladelet production became predominant, if not exclusive, and remained so for thirty millennia; (b) such blade/bladelet blanks were obtained in the framework of volumetric core reduction schemes, while the Levallois method, characteristic of the MP, was entirely abandoned, even for the production of lake blanks; (c) as a result, the domestic component of retouched tool assemblages became dominated by end-scrapers and retouched blades instead of side-scrapers, notches and denticulates; (d) a component of points and barbs designed to be mounted on projectile tips and shaped to recognisable templates became readily apparent (probably in relation to the widespread adoption of complex composite tools requiring standardised blanks); and (e) implements made of bone and antler became ubiquitous at about the same time, even in those parts of the continent where wood was never in short supply, not even when climatic conditions were at their harshest. Secondly, in terms of demography, society and culture, the evidence for territoriality and identity, both individual and social, rare prior to ~45,000 years ago, became widespread thereafter and until the end of the Palaeolithic (Gamble 1983(Gamble , 1999 Vanhaeren & d'Errico 2006).After a review of current knowledge concerning the climatic and environmental background, this chapter will discuss issues of human ecology, culture and history. Given the limitations of space, the geographical and chronological coverage is of necessity imbalanced, and the emphasis will lie on describing and proposing interpretations for perceived general patterns, using speciic case studies to support the arguments, rather than on the illustration of regional or temporal particularities. The aim is to bring into focus what the UP as a whole represents in evolutionary terms by comparison with preceding times, namely where (a) technological innovation and adaptive success relate to demographic growth and social complexiication, and (b) these and related factors set a base line for the momentous developments that led to the emergence of food production in the later prehistory of Europe and the Greater Mediterranean.Throughout, calendar ages before present will be used (i.e., when relying upon radiocarbon results, after calibration; Reimer et al. 2009). The location of all sites mentioned in the text is given in Map 3.19.1, and the units of analysis are the different techno-complexes recognised in the literature (Table 3.19.1), grouped into four major phases: Transitional, The Upper Palaeolithic of EuropeEarly, Full and Final. The irst phase begins some time between ifty thousand and forty-ive thousand years ago with a period during which European Neanderthals experimented with novel technological systems in regionally diverse ways, and ends with the Protoaurignacian intrusion, which at present seems to be devoid of local roots and thus may well represent the archaeological signature of the irst wave ...

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“…Entre los más utilizados se encuentran las lesiones asociadas a la enfermedad degenerativa articular u osteoartrosis, y los cambios entésicos o marcadores de estrés músculo-esqueletal (Hawkey y Merbs 1995;Robb 1998;Capasso et al 1999;Jurmain et al 2012;Kennedy 1989;Santos et al 2011;Villotte et al 2010aVillotte et al , 2010bVillotte y Knüsel 2013). Basándose en las propiedades plásticas del hueso, estos marcadores se manifestarían como producto de las continuas exigencias mecánicas requeridas durante la realización de actividades pautadas y rutinarias (Robson Brown et al 2008;Galtés et al 2007;Kennedy 1989;Rodrigues Carvalho 2004).…”

Section: Marcadores óSeos De Actividad Y Movilidadunclassified

“…Asimismo la etiología multifactorial de los marcadores óseos implica que no todos son consecuencia de la realización de actividades rutinarias y/o intensivas (Jurmain et al 2012;Santos et al 2011;Weiss y Jurmain 2007). Entre las aplicaciones actuales en arqueología se han llevado a cabo estos estudios desde perspectivas poblacionales para discutir y definir patrones de actividad asociados con la organización del trabajo y el tipo de subsistencia (Bridges 1989(Bridges , 1992(Bridges , 1994Cope et al 2005;Henderson et al 2013a;2013b;Quevedo 2000;Villotte et al 2010b;Wilczak 1998). Distintos trabajos han interpretado estos marcadores óseos como informativos sobre la movilidad, principalmente entre grupos cazadores-recolectores (Quevedo 2000;Salega y Fabra 2013;Scabuzzo 2012;Al-Oumaoui et al 2004).…”

Section: Marcadores óSeos De Actividad Y Movilidadunclassified

Cambios y continuidades en la movilidad humana a finales del holoceno tardío: cambios entésicos, lesiones articulares e isótopos estables en el sur de Mendoza

Peralta

2017

Rev. Mus. Antrop.

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RMA Cambios y continuidades en la movilidad humana a finales del holoceno tardío: cambios entésicos, lesiones articulares e isótopos estables en el sur de Mendoza O, es necesario ajustar estos patrones con otros indicadores que puedan observarse a nivel del individuo. En el presente trabajo se articulan estos datos isotópicos con información derivada del análisis de lesiones degenerativas articulares y cambios entésicos que permitan discutir las estrategias de subsistencia y movilidad que implementaron las poblaciones que habitaron la región a finales del Holoceno tardío. Se analizaron muestras osteológicas humanas de diez sitios arqueológicos de la cuenca del Atuel (n=25). Se comparó un entierro múltiple mezclado con entierros aislados e individualizados, que presentan cronologías posteriores a los 2000 años AP. Los patrones de actividad identificados indican grupos que mantienen una alta movilidad para momentos posteriores a la introducción de los cultígenos en el área. Partiendo de un modelo dicotómico ideal (cazadores-recolectores móviles/agricultores sedentarios) pueden entenderse estas tendencias como el resultado de estrategias que combinan a través del tiempo y del espacio, lo productivo y lo extractivo.Palabras clave: Movilidad; estrategias humanas; frontera agrícola; estrés; δ 18O. Abstract Variability in human mobility is one of the most important topics in the study of past societies. In southern Mendoza province, researches deal with this issue in the context of large scale process, such as introduction of food production and intensification in the exploitation of resources (ca. 2000 yr BP). Although mobility can be understood through

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Subsistence activities and the sexual division of labor in the European Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic: Evidence from upper limb enthesopathies

Cited by 91 publications

References 37 publications

Physical activity alters limb bone structure but not entheseal morphology

Physical activity alters limb bone structure but not entheseal morphology

The Upper Palaeolithic of Europe

Cambios y continuidades en la movilidad humana a finales del holoceno tardío: cambios entésicos, lesiones articulares e isótopos estables en el sur de Mendoza

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