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Description
The presence of a sexual division of labor has been the focus of bioarchaeological research in a broad range of prehistoric contexts. Nonetheless, few data are available about the presence and type of gendered activities among Celtic populations. This gap hampers the analysis of the social nuances characterizing these populations and a broader understanding of the socioeconomic patterns featuring Iron Age communities of Western Europe. Here, we address these issues by testing the presence of gendered activities in a Celtic population (Cenomani Gauls) from Seminario Vescovile (Verona, NE Italy, 3rd-1st c. BC).
Entheseal changes at 9 postcranial attachment sites, as well as humeral and femoral shape and robusticity indices calculated from external long bone measurements are compared between sexes in a sample of 56 adult individuals (N females=22; N males =34). The effect of sex, age, and side on the considered variables are tested by means of generalized linear models, generalized estimating equations, and Mann-Whitney tests.
Analyses show a lack of difference between sexes in long bone shape, a higher incidence of upper and, especially, lower limb entheseal changes in males, and higher long bone robusticity in females.
These results suggest the presence at SV of sex-specific activities mostly related to farming and differently influencing the considered variables. At the same time, this study underlines the need to consider non-functional factors (e.g. nutritional and developmental) when trying to infer patterns of physical activity from osteological variables.