The usefulness and methodological validity of the study of musculoskeletal stress markers for the reconstruction of past human activities and life-styles

Abstract

（平成 23 年 9 月 22 日受付，平成 24 年 7 月 9 日受理） キーワード：筋骨格ストレスマーカー，生業・生活様式，活動パターン，吉母浜漁撈民，江戸時代武士The usefulness and methodological validity of the study of musculoskeletal stress markers for the reconstruction of past human activities and life-styles

Differences in the effects of age on the development of entheseal changes among historical Japanese populations

“…Use of the scoring method of Hawkey and Merbs is also appropriate in this study because it allows for the ranking of data with respect to entheseal severity. Finally, previous research involving Japanese samples has produced reliable results utilizing the scoring method of Hawkey and Merbs (Yonemoto, ). The author of this study collected all data used in the following analyses, thereby minimizing subjective variation in scoring.…”

“…The author of this study collected all data used in the following analyses, thereby minimizing subjective variation in scoring. By examining correlations between the entheseal changes of individuals from differing social classes during the Edo period using the scoring method of Hawkey and Merbs, Yonemoto () demonstrated that individuals known to be members of the samurai class shared similarities that could not be seen in non‐ samurai individuals in terms of their profiles of enthseal change. These results indicated the methodological validity of the scoring method of Hawkey and Merbs, and demonstrated its usefulness in the reconstruction of past human activities and lifestyles.…”

“…These sites were chosen based on four characteristics; they were frequently preserved on archaeological samples; easily identifiable on bones; showed sufficient variability to be divided into different stages of development; and represented major muscles involved in movement of the human body. Photographs of the entheseal changes at each observation site are shown in Yonemoto (). When two or more muscle attachment sites were present in the same area of a given bone and it was not possible to distinguish between them, the attachment sites were evaluated together.…”

“…The author of this study previously examined the association between physical activities carried out by samurai as well as characteristics in their entheseal changes. Characteristics of their entheseal markers indicated similar activity patterns among skeletal samples of samurai , while distinctly different characteristics were observed in the entheseal markers of samples representing the common people of Edo city (Yonemoto, ). Similarities in entheseal markers observed in the remains of samurai may have reflected lifestyle, behavior patterns, or class‐based etiquette unique to the samurai class, which could have included activities such as the samurai manner of walking, swordsmanship, archery, horseback‐riding, or other habitual behaviors (Yonemoto, ).…”

“…They identified occupational mobility and varying amounts of time spent at a given occupation as the two key problems preventing this data from being useful. Although detailed historical census records were not available, it was known that the historical Japanese samples used by Yonemoto () were Edo samurai from the Tokugawa period. During the Tokugawa period, the social order, known as mibunsei , was rigid and highly formalized.…”