Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Deccan College Post Graduate and Research Institute, Pune, India.
Am J Biol Anthropol. 2023 Sep;182(1):93-108. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.24793. Epub 2023 Jun 7.
Diaphyseal robusticity and cross-sectional shapes of the bone tissues are influenced by mechanical loading history. It changes according to work demand on the body. It is the objective of this study to identify the shifts in the modes of subsistence, activities and mobility patterns through the comparison of the shape and strength of bone diaphyses among the Mesolithic, Chalcolithic and Harappan populations of India.
For the analysis, 7 sites including 2 from Mesolithic (8000-4000 bc), 2 from Chalcolithic (2000-700 bc) and 3 from Harappan (3500-1800 bc) contexts are considered. The ratio obtained from the maximum length of the bones to their girth (at 50% or 35% from the distal end) and that from anterior-posterior and medio-lateral diameters were calculated (following Martin and Saller codes, 1957) to understand certain functional adaptations and stress markers on preserved long bones. Independent-sample T-tests and ANOVA were applied to detect mean differences of statistical significance within and between cultures.
The robusticity indices obtained from the humeri increase from the hunting-gathering phase (M/F; 19.39/18.45) to the Chalcolithic phase (M/F; 21.99/19.39) showing a slight drop in the Harappan phase (M/F; 18.58/18.37). The right humeri of Mesolithic females show a directional asymmetry of length (4.08%-5.13%) while that in males reach up to 26.09% indicating right-dominant lateralization. In the Harappan phase, females show a greater value for the right ranging from 0.31% to 3.07%. The femoral robusticity of females increases from 11.42 in hunting-gathering societies to 13.28 in Harappan times while mid-shaft of the Mesolithic population clearly shows greater loading along the anterior-posterior (A-P) plane as the index in most cases exceeds 100. There are significant differences among males and females within each group in terms of the indices but significant differences could be discerned between the Mesolithic, Chalcolithic and Harappan populations in case of tibiae, radii and ulnae only.
The occupation patterns certainly changed as humans became a food-producer from a hunter-gatherer. Occupations involving the extensive flexion and extension of upper limbs in the Chalcolithic period increase particularly in the Harappan phase. Sedentism gave rise to roundness of the femur and reduced the magnitude of lateralization. While equal level of mobility can be traced in case of both the sexes before the advent of agriculture, this distinction increases between the males and females in the agro-pastoral phases.
骨骼组织的骨干粗壮度和横截面形状受机械负荷历史的影响。它会根据身体的工作需求而变化。本研究的目的是通过比较印度中石器时代、青铜时代和哈拉帕时代人群的骨骨干的形状和强度，来确定生存方式、活动和移动模式的转变。
为了进行分析，考虑了 7 个地点，包括 2 个来自中石器时代（公元前 8000-4000 年）、2 个来自青铜时代（公元前 2000-700 年）和 3 个来自哈拉帕时代（公元前 3500-1800 年）的地点。从骨的最大长度与其周长（距末端 50%或 35%处）获得的比值，以及从前到后和从左到右直径的比值（遵循 Martin 和 Saller 代码，1957 年），以了解保存在长骨上的某些功能适应性和应激标志物。应用独立样本 T 检验和方差分析来检测文化内和文化间的均值差异的统计学意义。
从狩猎采集阶段（男女；19.39/18.45）到青铜时代（男女；21.99/19.39），肱骨粗壮度指数增加，在哈拉帕时代（男女；18.58/18.37）略有下降。中石器时代女性的右侧肱骨长度存在定向不对称（4.08%-5.13%），而男性则高达 26.09%，表明右侧优势的偏侧化。在哈拉帕时代，女性右侧的数值更大，范围从 0.31%到 3.07%。女性的股骨粗壮度从狩猎采集社会的 11.42 增加到哈拉帕时代的 13.28，而中石器时代人群的骨干中部明显显示出更大的沿前后（A-P）平面的负荷，因为在大多数情况下，指数超过 100。在每个组内，男性和女性之间的指数存在显著差异，但在中石器时代、青铜时代和哈拉帕时代的人群中，胫骨、桡骨和尺骨仅存在显著差异。
随着人类从狩猎采集者变成食物生产者，职业模式肯定发生了变化。青铜时代涉及上肢广泛屈伸的职业活动尤其增加，在哈拉帕时代更是如此。定居生活导致股骨变圆，降低了偏侧化的程度。在农业出现之前，两性的活动水平可以相同，但在农牧阶段，两性之间的这种差异会增加。
