Medieval menarche: Changes in pubertal timing before and after the Black Death

DeWitte, Sharon N.; Lewis, Mary

doi:10.1002/ajhb.23439

Cited by 20 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 100 publications

(137 reference statements)

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“…Similarly, age-at-menarche was placed between 15 and 17 years in medieval Hispano-Muslims . Changes in the timing of menarche before and after the Black Death have also been observed in a recent bioarcheological study that highlights the importance of tradeoffs between individual growth and reproduction (DeWitte & Lewis, 2021). Pubertal patterns observed in archaeological populations could be advantageous; delays in growth and development, especially in later adolescence, give individuals the chance for catch-up growth (Simondon et al, 1998).…”

Section: Puberty: From Child To Adultmentioning

confidence: 74%

First application of a puberty estimation method to skeletons of young pregnant females: A case for the reevaluation of maternal–fetal burials

Doe

Moreno

González

et al. 2021

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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The objective of this study was to evaluate the pubertal status of skeletons belonging to young females who died while pregnant to better understand puberty, the attainment of reproductive capacity, pregnancy, and maternal and fetal mortality in the past. A method to analyze pubertal development in osteological remains was applied to three skeletons of pregnant individuals from different medieval Spanish cemeteries. Pelvic measurements, stature estimates, and pathology studies were also employed. One pregnant individual, determined to have possibly been “at risk” for a complicated delivery, was found to be pubescent having died during the maturation phase of the pubertal growth spurt. Two Hispano‐Muslim individuals were both postpubescent, although one had passed this milestone not long before death. This study is the first of its kind to apply puberty determination methodology to the skeletons of pregnant individuals and as such, was able to identify the skeleton of a pregnant, but still pubescent, girl in an archaeological collection. Delays observed in reaching the later pubertal stages prolonged puberty and could have enabled girls to become pregnant before having achieved complete maturity. The authors suggest that this skeleton is not one of a kind and believe it necessary to consider the reevaluation of maternal–fetal burials making use of pubertal status determination methods. In this way, puberty, the early reproductive stages, and motherhood in the past can be better understood.

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Section: Puberty: From Child To Adultmentioning

confidence: 74%

First application of a puberty estimation method to skeletons of young pregnant females: A case for the reevaluation of maternal–fetal burials

Doe

Moreno

González

et al. 2021

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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“…The gracile female US 8432 exhibited some indicators of severe physiological stress experienced during childhood, similarly to what is documented in other osteoarcheological cases of maternal death (e.g., Flores & Sánchez, 2007; Willis & Oxenham, 2013). According to DeWitte and Lewis (2020), in females experiencing early menarche, the premature attainment of sexual maturity could lead to reproduction at a younger age, possibly resulting in a shorter stature. Interestingly, a short stature (148.6 ± 3.41 cm) was indeed observed in the case of the individual US 8432 from Pieve di Pava.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal–fetal death in medieval Pieve di Pava (central Italy, 10th–12th century AD)

Riccomi

Felici

Giuffra

2021

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Despite the assumed elevated rates of young female mortality in ancient times, likely associated with pregnancy and childbirth risks, evidence of maternal-fetal deaths is surprisingly scarce in the osteoarchaeological record. Archaeological excavations conducted in the medieval rural cemetery of Pieve di Pava (Tuscany, central Italy) brought to light the burials of four young females deceased with fetuses. This research aims to reconstruct the osteobiographies of these mothers and the unborn children in order to investigate potential complications that may have played a role in their death. In this context, a paleopathological analysis of the female individuals was performed along with the examination of fetal position and the assessment of gestational age (GA) to explore potential links to obstetrical deaths. The spatial association of the mother and the fetus suggests a death during the later stages of pregnancy or childbirth for the two individuals T. 71 and US 8432; moreover, the position of her preterm 8-month fetus, found between her legs of the latter, might be consistent with a case of postmortem fetal extrusion, a phenomenon that is rarely observed in osteoarchaeology. According to the same analytical criteria, two other females (T. 99 and US 8941), with an eight/nine-month and a six-month fetus respectively, reasonably died during pregnancy.The study of these cases from medieval Italy contributes to current interpretations of maternal-fetal death in the past, providing insights into the health status of young females and the risks they may have faced during pregnancy and childbirth.

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“…Analyses from before, during, and after the Black Death in Denmark showed that urbanization had differential impacts on survivorship across the lifespan (Kelmelis & DeWitte, 2021 ). Further, despite potential sex differences following the pandemic (e.g., DeWitte, 2018 ; DeWitte & Lewis, 2021 ), research on whether sex was associated with previous stress, frailty, and thus mortality risks during the Black Death and subsequent recurring plagues has produced mixed results (Curtis & Roosen, 2017 ; DeWitte, 2009 , 2010 ; Godde, Pasillas, & Sanchez, 2020 ).…”

Section: Anthropological Approaches To Infectious Diseasementioning

confidence: 99%

Pandemics, past and present: The role of biological anthropology in interdisciplinary pandemic studies

Dimka¹,

Doren

Battles

2022

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

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Biological anthropologists are ideally suited for the study of pandemics given their strengths in human biology, health, culture, and behavior, yet pandemics have historically not been a major focus of research. The COVID‐19 pandemic has reinforced the need to understand pandemic causes and unequal consequences at multiple levels. Insights from past pandemics can strengthen the knowledge base and inform the study of current and future pandemics through an anthropological lens. In this paper, we discuss the distinctive social and epidemiological features of pandemics, as well as the ways in which biological anthropologists have previously studied infectious diseases, epidemics, and pandemics. We then review interdisciplinary research on three pandemics–1918 influenza, 2009 influenza, and COVID‐19–focusing on persistent social inequalities in morbidity and mortality related to sex and gender; race, ethnicity, and Indigeneity; and pre‐existing health and disability. Following this review of the current state of pandemic research on these topics, we conclude with a discussion of ways biological anthropologists can contribute to this field moving forward. Biological anthropologists can add rich historical and cross‐cultural depth to the study of pandemics, provide insights into the biosocial complexities of pandemics using the theory of syndemics, investigate the social and health impacts of stress and stigma, and address important methodological and ethical issues. As COVID‐19 is unlikely to be the last global pandemic, stronger involvement of biological anthropology in pandemic studies and public health policy and research is vital.

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Medieval menarche: Changes in pubertal timing before and after the Black Death

Cited by 20 publications

References 100 publications

First application of a puberty estimation method to skeletons of young pregnant females: A case for the reevaluation of maternal–fetal burials

First application of a puberty estimation method to skeletons of young pregnant females: A case for the reevaluation of maternal–fetal burials

Maternal–fetal death in medieval Pieve di Pava (central Italy, 10th–12th century AD)

Pandemics, past and present: The role of biological anthropology in interdisciplinary pandemic studies

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