Puberty in pre‐Roman times: A bioarchaeological study of Etruscan‐Samnite adolescents from Pontecagnano (southern Italy)

Bareggi, Alessia; Pellegrino, Carmine; Giuffra, Valentina; Riccomi, Giulia

doi:10.1002/oa.3137

Cited by 4 publications

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“…In both studies, males entered the acceleration stage later than females, following “anticipated sex‐based variance in pubertal timing” (Arthur et al, 2016, p. 9; Bareggi et al, 2022). Additionally, menarche in females occurred between 14 and 17 years of age at Pontecagnano (7th–4th centuries CE, Italy), and between 15 and 17 in Roman Britain (Arthur et al, 2016; Bareggi et al, 2022). These results are similar to the current study, but differences are also noted.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…The Shapland and Lewis (2013, 2014) methods have been applied to several archeological contexts, but perhaps most relevant to the current study is the application to samples from Roman Britain (Arthur et al, 2016) and pre‐Roman Italy (Bareggi et al, 2022). In both studies, males entered the acceleration stage later than females, following “anticipated sex‐based variance in pubertal timing” (Arthur et al, 2016, p. 9; Bareggi et al, 2022). Additionally, menarche in females occurred between 14 and 17 years of age at Pontecagnano (7th–4th centuries CE, Italy), and between 15 and 17 in Roman Britain (Arthur et al, 2016; Bareggi et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…to several archeological contexts, but perhaps most relevant to the current study is the application to samples from Roman Britain (Arthur et al, 2016) and pre-Roman Italy (Bareggi et al, 2022). In both studies, males entered the acceleration stage later than females, following "anticipated sex-based variance in pubertal timing" (Arthur et al, 2016, p. 9;Bareggi et al, 2022). Additionally, menarche in females occurred between 14 and 17 years of age at Pontecagnano (7th-4th centuries CE, Italy), and between 15 and 17 in Roman Britain (Arthur et al, 2016;Bareggi et al, 2022).…”

Section: Pubertal Timingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pubertal timing as an indicator of early life stress in Roman Italy and Roman Gaul

Avery

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et al. 2022

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

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Objectives: Puberty is a period of rapid growth and development, and the age of onset and duration of puberty may serve as an indicator of developmental stress during childhood. In this study, we compare pubertal timing and tempo in individuals from two Roman Imperial cemetery sites, integrating biological and social factors to better understand pubertal timing differences and their possible connection to Early Life Stress (ELS) and peri-pubertal stress.Materials and Methods: Osteological methods to estimate pubertal timing were applied to 264 individuals from Lisieux-Michelet (4th-5th centuries CE; France) and Isola Sacra (1st-4th centuries CE; Italy). Peptide analysis of tooth enamel was used to assess sex in a sub-sample of pre-pubertal remains.Results: Individuals experienced puberty between 9 and 20 years of age, with females experiencing the acceleration stage earlier than males (p < 0.05, g > 1.2).Between the two sites, no significant differences were noted for age-at-death during acceleration, peak height velocity, and deceleration (i.e., the active stages of puberty).Menarche occurred around 15 years of age.Discussion: The inter-site comparisons demonstrate similar patterns of pubertal timing and tempo. For males, the pubertal timing aligns with ancient literary descriptions of key puberty milestones. Females entered puberty earlier than literary sources suggest and experienced puberty for an extended period, pointing to possible gendered exposure to ELS and peri-pubertal stress, influenced by their social status in the Roman Empire. These results demonstrate how pubertal timing and tempo can be used to infer developmental stress in past populations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Pubertal Timingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pubertal timing as an indicator of early life stress in Roman Italy and Roman Gaul

Avery

Prowse

Findlay

et al. 2022

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

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“…Aspects of life and health conditions among Etruscans are reconstructed from osteoarchaeological studies mostly based on adults (for an overview [48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60]). However, recent efforts have started to shed light on the social roles of non-adults, funerary practices, and the burdens of health and disease [37,[61][62][63][64][65]. This is problematic as non-adults represent the most vulnerable members of both present and past societies as their decision making power in relation to the social and physical environment into which they are inserted is limited [66].…”

Section: Etruscan Society During the Orientalizing Period (730-580 Bce)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Diets, stress, and disease in the Etruscan society: Isotope analysis and infantile skeletal palaeopathology from Pontecagnano (Campania, southern Italy, 730–580 BCE)

Riccomi,

Simonit,

Maudet

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Susceptibility to morbidity and mortality is increased in early life, yet proactive measures, such as breastfeeding and weaning practices, can be taken through specific investments from parents and wider society. The extent to which such biosocialcultural investment was achieved within 1st millennium BCE Etruscan society, of whom little written sources are available, is unkown. This research investigates life histories in non-adults and adults from Pontecagnano (southern Italy, 730–580 BCE) in order to track cross-sectional and longitudinal breastfeeding and weaning patterns and to characterize the diet more broadly. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of incrementally-sampled deciduous and permanent dentine (n = 15), bulk bone collagen (n = 38), and tooth enamel bioapatite (n = 21) reveal the diet was largely based on C3 staple crops with marginal contributions of animal protein. Millet was found to play a role for maternal diet and trajectories of breastfeeding and feeding for some infants and children at the site. The combination of multiple isotope systems and tissues demonstrates exclusive breastfeeding was pursued until 0.6 years, followed by progressive introduction of proteanocius supplementary foods during weaning that lasted between approximately 0.7 and 2.6 years. The combination of biochemical data with macroscopic skeletal lesions of infantile metabolic diseases and physiological stress markers showed high δ15Ndentine in the months prior to death consistent with the isotopic pattern of opposing covariance.

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Proposed complementary osteological indicators: Advancing the estimation of puberty stages in Bioarcheology

Bareggi,

Giuffra,

Riccomi

2024

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

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ObjectivesThe study of puberty is a well‐established area of bioarcheological research, which greatly enhances our understanding of adolescence and growth in the past. Since the publications of Shapland and Lewis' works, which have become “standards” for estimating puberty in skeletal material, no additional osteological indicators of puberty have been proposed. Nevertheless, clinical practice constantly develops skeletal maturation markers that could be useful in bioarcheology. This study aims to assess the applicability and reliability of novel puberty indicators as a complementary tool to estimate puberty in skeletal remains.Materials and MethodsFour new maturation markers including spheno‐occipital synchondrosis, humeral head ossification, calcaneal apophysis ossification, and mandibular premolar mineralization were selected and applied to a sample of 85 adolescents from pre‐Roman southern Italy (Pontecagnano, 7th–4th BCE).ResultsDespite some limits in adapting the original clinical methods to osteoarcheological material, the use of these novel skeletal indicators had moderate to excellent scoring repeatability and an overall high agreement with the puberty and menarche status previously estimated with standard methods. These results encourage us to apply these markers in bioarcheology. In some cases, minor adaptations of the original scoring systems are suggested to enhance reliability.DiscussionIncluding the proposed indicators in routine puberty data collection allows us to refine puberty estimation and improve the ability to identify key growth milestones in poorly preserved skeletons. Further application to osteological collections with diverse chronology and geographical differences is needed to assess how and to what extent the newly proposed maturation markers perform.

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Puberty in pre‐Roman times: A bioarchaeological study of Etruscan‐Samnite adolescents from Pontecagnano (southern Italy)

Cited by 4 publications

References 99 publications

Pubertal timing as an indicator of early life stress in Roman Italy and Roman Gaul

Pubertal timing as an indicator of early life stress in Roman Italy and Roman Gaul

Diets, stress, and disease in the Etruscan society: Isotope analysis and infantile skeletal palaeopathology from Pontecagnano (Campania, southern Italy, 730–580 BCE)

Proposed complementary osteological indicators: Advancing the estimation of puberty stages in Bioarcheology

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