Past research on the transition from hunting and gathering to production economy has suggested some general trends in past populations, i.e. decreased diaphyseal robusticity, increased cross-sectional circularity and decreased sexual dimorphism in the lower limb bones (femur and tibia), generally explained as a consequence of decreased mobility levels. Previous results from the study of the Ligurian Neolithic populations (LIG) from North-Western Italy (6th millennium BP) have suggested an exception to these trends. In particular, the LIG lower limb robusticity and diaphyseal shape reflect high levels of terrestrial mobility throughout a rugged terrain. These results argue in favour of the growing consensus that the Neolithic transition was a region-specific process. In this work we expand the sample to include remains from caves from the same area, all within the same pastoral system, and extend the analysis to include the fibula. These new results show that the LIG sample is more similar to highly mobile European Late Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic populations. Furthermore, in the LIG population sexual dimorphism for diaphyseal shape is quite high, suggesting marked behavioural differences between sexes, with males much more mobile than females. The results found here also indicate that inclusion of the fibula may contribute to a better understanding of past population mobility especially when it is considered in association with the tibia.

Mobility and lower limb robusticity of a pastoralist Neolithic population from North-Western Italy

MARCHI, DAMIANO;
2011-01-01

Abstract

Past research on the transition from hunting and gathering to production economy has suggested some general trends in past populations, i.e. decreased diaphyseal robusticity, increased cross-sectional circularity and decreased sexual dimorphism in the lower limb bones (femur and tibia), generally explained as a consequence of decreased mobility levels. Previous results from the study of the Ligurian Neolithic populations (LIG) from North-Western Italy (6th millennium BP) have suggested an exception to these trends. In particular, the LIG lower limb robusticity and diaphyseal shape reflect high levels of terrestrial mobility throughout a rugged terrain. These results argue in favour of the growing consensus that the Neolithic transition was a region-specific process. In this work we expand the sample to include remains from caves from the same area, all within the same pastoral system, and extend the analysis to include the fibula. These new results show that the LIG sample is more similar to highly mobile European Late Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic populations. Furthermore, in the LIG population sexual dimorphism for diaphyseal shape is quite high, suggesting marked behavioural differences between sexes, with males much more mobile than females. The results found here also indicate that inclusion of the fibula may contribute to a better understanding of past population mobility especially when it is considered in association with the tibia.
2011
Marchi, Damiano; Sparacello, Vs; Shaw, Cn
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11568/146934
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