Is the evaluation of millennial changes in stature reliable? A study in southern Europe from the Neolithic to the Middle
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Is the evaluation of millennial changes in stature reliable? A study in southern Europe from the Neolithic to the Middle Ages Patrizia Martella 1 & Maurizio Brizzi 2 & Emanuele Sanna 1
Received: 11 August 2015 / Accepted: 2 August 2016 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2016
Abstract Analyses of stature variation in prehistoric and historical populations encounter considerable problems of reliability of the comparisons. To properly compare the results of different studies, it is necessary to conduct a systematic review of the chronological and cultural context of the skeletal series used and identify the most appropriate method to calculate stature values, since stature reconstruction formulae are specific for certain times and places. Stature variations in the population of Sardinia (a Mediterranean island now part of the Italian Republic but considered separately given its unique genetic structure) from the Neolithic to the Modern Period were studied to evaluate the intensity of millennial changes. The results were then compared with the values of coeval skeletal series reported in the literature for other Southern European countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal). We used Sardinian skeletal series with radiocarbon dates or from culturally well-defined archeological contexts. The osteometric measurements were taken on femora of adults who had completed growth and who did not present evident pathological conditions. The data we collected and analyzed indicate that the conditions are lacking to reliably identify a common trend in millennial changes among the considered populations of southern Europe.
* Patrizia Martella [email protected]
1
Department of Environmental and Life Science, Section of Neuroscience and Anthropological Science, Cittadella Universitaria, University of Cagliari, 09042 Monserrato, Italy
2
Department of Statistical Sciences BPaolo Fortunati^, University of Bologna, Via Belle Arti, 41 Bologna, Italy
Keywords Stature . Millennial changes . Southern Europe . Neolithic . Middle ages
Introduction Stature is the somatometric character most frequently used in studies of past populations because it is sensitive to external influences. Although stature is ≥80 % under genetic control (Sanna et al. 2008; Lettre 2009; McEvoy and Visscher 2009), the final phenotype is greatly influenced by environmental and socioeconomic factors (Danubio and Sanna 2008). Therefore, the estimation of stature and its variations in time and space provide an important contribution to our knowledge of the living and health conditions of past and current populations (Larsen 2002; Formicola and Holt 2007). Indeed, stature plays an important role as an indicator of health status (Pietrusewsky and Tsang 2003; Maat 2005), social status (Bielicki and Szklarska 1999; Nyström Peck and Lundberg 1995), nutritional status and hygienic-sanitary conditions (Steckel 1995; Larsen 1997), micro-evolutionary trends in body size and proportions (Formicola and Giannecchini 1999; Steckel 2004; Gerhards 2005; Giannecchin
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