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Puberty in the Bronze Age: First application of a puberty estimation method to a prehistoric population
Author(s) -
Doe Danielle M.,
Molina Moreno María,
Rascón Pérez Josefina,
Candelas González Nieves,
CambraMoo Oscar,
Campo Martín Manuel,
González Martín Armando
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
international journal of osteoarchaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1099-1212
pISSN - 1047-482X
DOI - 10.1002/oa.2822
Subject(s) - bronze age , prehistory , osteology , secular variation , growth spurt , demography , population , geography , period (music) , peninsula , archaeology , biology , sociology , physics , acoustics , endocrinology
Puberty and adolescence represent a significant period of physical growth and maturation and a critical life stage in which children transition into adults within their societies. Numerous studies have observed a secular trend and have determined that puberty is now occurring earlier than in the past. This investigation represents the first application of a methodology for assessing the pubertal status of osteological remains to a prehistoric skeletal sample. Six Bronze Age adolescent skeletons from the Cerro de La Encantada archaeological site (Ciudad Real, Spain) were analysed. Prepubescence was observed at age 9 and the transition phase of the pubertal growth spurt at 15 years of age. These results were similar to those obtained from medieval, Industrial Revolution, and modern populations, both within and outside of the Iberian Peninsula. The similarity in the development of the Bronze Age adolescents to that of other past and contemporary populations suggests that the pubertal process has remained essentially unchanged across millennia until recent times. However, other interpretations, including the influence of a subpar developmental environment and potential methodological artefacts, are possible. Nevertheless, studies of this type provide important information about a crucial transitory period in human development.