Divergence in male and female manipulative behaviors with the intensification of metallurgy in Central Europe.

ABSTRACT: Humeral morphology has been shown to reflect, in part, habitual manipulative behaviors in humans. Among Central European agricultural populations, long-term social change, increasing task specialization, and technological innovation all had the potential to impact patterns of habitual activity and upper limb asymmetry. However, systematic temporal change in the skeletal morphology of agricultural populations in this region has not been well-characterized. This study investigates diachronic patterns in humeral biomechanical properties and lengths among 174 adult Central European agriculturalists through the first ∼ 5400 years of farming in the region. Greater asymmetry in biomechanical properties was expected to accompany the introduction of metallurgy, particularly in males, while upper li

SUBMITTER: Macintosh AA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4229139 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature