Enthesopathies and activity patterns in the Early Medieval Great Moravian population: Evidence of division of labour

Abstract

Bone remodelling in the areas of entheses is frequently supposed to be associated with physical stress and the activity patterns of ancient populations. The main aim of this study was to analyse the prevalence of enthesopathies among individuals living in different life conditions. A total of 197 individuals from the Early Medieval (9th century) Mikulč ice site were analysed for enthesopathies -117 adult individuals from Mikulč ice castle and 80 individuals from its hinterland. While the inhabitants of the castle were probably ranked among the higher echelons of society, the hinterland was predominantly inhabited by a farming population. It is hypothesized that individuals from the castle were exposed to lower physical stress than individuals from the hinterland. 9 fibrocartilaginous entheses of the upper and lower limbs were evaluated. Enthesopathies occurred in at least one enthesis in 76% of individuals younger than 50 years of age. Significant differences were observed in the occurrence of enthesopathies between castle and hinterland. Males from the agricultural hinterland show the highest prevalence of enthesopathies of all the population groups, while the lowest prevalence of the marker was recorded in males from the castle. Females in the castle were more affected by entheseal changes than females from the hinterland. Sexual dimorphism was more evident in the hinterland. The present study confirmed presumptions based on the archaeological finds, especially for males. This hypothesis cannot be accepted for females. We may suppose that in the 9th century, women living in Mikulč ice castle did not represent a privileged social class.

Age changes of musculoskeletal stress markers and their inter-period comparisons

“…When a bone avulsion injury occurs, new bone formation may be incorporated into the muscle tissue, and result in an exostosis. These osseous changes are relatively prevalent in adults after the growth of the skeletal system has been fully completed, and are often considered to reflect physical activities based on daily subsistence or habits during the lifetime of the individual (Hawkey and Merbs, 1995;Chapman, 1997;Churchill and Morris, 1998;Peterson, 1998;Steen and Lane, 1998;al-Oumaoui et al, 2004;Eshed et al, 2004;Molnar, 2006Molnar, , 2010Weiss, 2007;Lieverse et al, 2009Lieverse et al, , 2013Havelková et al, 2011;Schrader, 2012;Stefanović and Porčić, 2013).…”

Socioeconomic Influence on Caries Susceptibility in Juvenile Individuals with Limited Dental Care: Example from an Early Middle Age Population (Great Moravia, 9th-10th Centuries A.D., Czech Republic)

“…1. Situation of the archaeological site under study in relation to current Czech Republic and the location of the Great Moravia in medieval Europe (box adapted from Havelkova et al, 2011).…”

Understanding Entheses: Bridging the Gap Between Clinical and Anthropological Perspectives

“…Previous research suggests size and complexity of tendon insertions are indicative of strain magnitude resulting from habitual physical activity (Lane, 1887;Kennedy, 1989;Hawkey and Merbs, 1995;Churchill and Morris, 1998;Hawkey, 1998;Steen and Lane, 1998;Stirland, 1998;Wilczak and Kennedy, 1998;Capasso et al, 1999;Weiss, 2003Weiss, , 2004Weiss, , 2007alOumaoui et al, 2004;Molnar, 2006;Cardoso and Henderson, 2010;Thara et al, 2010;Havelkova et al, 2011). Using both qualitative and quantitative data to assess the expression of insertion morphology along long bone diaphyses, inferences are frequently made regarding both generalized and specific activities past humans participated in throughout their daily lives.…”