Tesi etd-03012021-174047 |
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Tipo di tesi
Tesi di laurea magistrale
Autore
FERRO, CLAUDIA
URN
etd-03012021-174047
Titolo
Biomechanical approach to the study of Medieval and Iron Age skeletal remains from the same geographical area (Matera, Italy)
Dipartimento
BIOLOGIA
Corso di studi
CONSERVAZIONE ED EVOLUZIONE
Relatori
relatore Prof. Marchi, Damiano
Parole chiave
- cross-sectional geometry
- humeral asymmetry
- Iron Age
- Matera
- medieval
- mobility
Data inizio appello
23/03/2021
Consultabilità
Completa
Riassunto
The aim of this work is to investigate the relationship between femoral and humeral cross-sectional geometric properties, subsistence economy and the effect of terrain on lower limb robusticity in two Materan diachronic samples: Iron Age herders dated to between the 7th and the 4th century B.C.E. (4 males and 8 females), and a medieval sample dated to about 9th and 10th century C.E. (9 males and 8 females), presumably relying on herding and agriculture. Upper and lower limb cross-sectional geometric properties were obtained from external contours of the diaphysis.
Sexual dimorphism was not observed within the Materan medieval sample, maybe as a consequence of the involvement of both sexes in similar activity patterns. However, sample size is low and the results may be influenced by this factoror or by the presence of individuals selected by social status or other. Similarly, the lack of sexual dimorphism in the Materan Iron Age sample, described as highly dimorphic in a previous study, is probably due to low sample size.
Comparisons were carried out also between the Materan samples and Ligurian Neolithic herders, Ligurian medieval fishermen and Samnites from the Alfedena necropolis (Abruzzo). Despite the differences in subsistence economy, our results show high levels of mechanical stress on the femur among males between all periods, probably reflecting the effect of uneven terrain on lower limb remodeling. Materan Iron Age and medieval males do not show a trend in increasing humeral robusticity from the Neolithic period, may be because the increase of mechanical load on the upper limb due to agriculture intensification was compensated by technological innovations. Materan Iron Age and medieval females do not show a decrease in humeral robusticity compared to Neolithic females, suggesting that, despite the abandonment of bimanual cereal grinding, Materan females were involved in stressful household and secondary production related activities.
Sexual dimorphism was not observed within the Materan medieval sample, maybe as a consequence of the involvement of both sexes in similar activity patterns. However, sample size is low and the results may be influenced by this factoror or by the presence of individuals selected by social status or other. Similarly, the lack of sexual dimorphism in the Materan Iron Age sample, described as highly dimorphic in a previous study, is probably due to low sample size.
Comparisons were carried out also between the Materan samples and Ligurian Neolithic herders, Ligurian medieval fishermen and Samnites from the Alfedena necropolis (Abruzzo). Despite the differences in subsistence economy, our results show high levels of mechanical stress on the femur among males between all periods, probably reflecting the effect of uneven terrain on lower limb remodeling. Materan Iron Age and medieval males do not show a trend in increasing humeral robusticity from the Neolithic period, may be because the increase of mechanical load on the upper limb due to agriculture intensification was compensated by technological innovations. Materan Iron Age and medieval females do not show a decrease in humeral robusticity compared to Neolithic females, suggesting that, despite the abandonment of bimanual cereal grinding, Materan females were involved in stressful household and secondary production related activities.
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| TesiWCEFerro.pdf | 2.85 Mb |
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