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Monitoring the degree of asymmetry in different parts of the human body can contribute to population studies, as it may be connected indirectly with the social structure, living conditions, and also with biomechanical stress affecting the person. Analysis of asymmetry may also assess preferential use of the right or left of the body during specific activities. This study is based on the measurements of bones of the upper and lower limbs of skeletons derived from the remarkable medieval cemeteries of Mikulč ice-Kostelisko (78 male, 132 female) and Prušá nky (66 male, 69 female) (9th-12th centuries AD), and a series of skeletons representing a recent population from Bohemia (143 male, 157 female). The objective was to assess directional asymmetry (DA), fluctuating asymmetry (FA) and antisymmetry (AS) of the dimensions of the evaluated bones, and to use these data to compare the characteristics of the medieval and recent populations. DA was recorded in most dimensions. In the upper limb, the humerus exhibited the greatest expression of asymmetry, and, with the exception of the clavicle, DA was always more pronounced on the right side. Conversely, DA was less prevalent in the lower limb bones. It was more pronounced on the transverse, sagittal and circumferential dimensions of the diaphyses and epiphyses than on the length, and in most cases it was on the left side. The FA values were very low, and almost negligible in relation to the size. Nevertheless, FA was markedly more frequent on the lower than on the upper limb. In contrast to the medieval population, the recent population had higher FA and DA values. Thus, we propose that people from this medieval population were subjected to lower developmental stress than the recent sample.

The socioeconomic structure of an early medieval society from the Mikulčice settlement (Czech Republic) was studied on the basis of an evaluation of the fluctuating and directional asymmetry (DA) of skulls. Two distinct inhabited regions, castle and sub-castle, were compared. Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) was used as a bioindicator of environmental stress, which is thought to have been different in the Mikulčice castle and sub-castle regions. DA is consistent with biomechanical loading, and it was expected to reflect different subsistence patterns. The material consisted of 129 crania from what was presumed to be a higher socioeconomic class (Mikulčice castle) and 71 crania from middle and lower socioeconomic classes (Mikulčice sub-castle). As a comparative sample, 138 crania from modern, lower socioeconomic classes (Pachner Collection) were used. The three-dimensional coordinates of 68 landmarks were digitized and analyzed using geometric morphometrics. In terms of DA, the highest values were recorded in the sub-castle sample and confirmed their lower socioeconomic position, with a grittier and lower protein diet compared with the castle sample. In terms of FA, distinctive differences between the sexes were found. In males, no differences were observed between castle and sub-castle, and the lowest FA values were recorded. In females, significantly higher values of FA were found, surprisingly in the castle sample, comparable with the more stressed Pachner Collection. We suspect that the FA reflects a more varied population of castle females as a consequence of patrilocality, although environmental stress remains a possibility.

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