In our modern world, health and culture are known to be connected—take for example the “diseases of civilization” that typically stem from lifestyle issues. Yet how their mutually influencing relationship has historically developed is unclear. Growth is an indicator of health, thus smaller body size than would be expected based on genetics can be indicative of unfavorable environmental or dietary conditions. Earlier research had found that humans of the Neolithic period did not grow to a stature that was possible based on their genetic makeup. Regional differences in height attained, and corresponding differences between the genders, have remained unilluminated, however.
Samantha Cox and her colleagues analyzed data from 1,535 Neolithic men and women derived from ancient DNA, stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon (diet indicators), methods of paleopathology (health indicators) and skeletal measurements. The goal in studying these remains, determined to be 6,000 to 8,000 years old, was to identify potential causes for evident differences in stature. The skeletons studied came from four regions within Europe: northern central Europe, southern central Europe, the Balkans and the Mediterranean. Gender was determined by chromosomes or skeletal morphology.
Eva Rosenstock of BoCAS, the (University of) Bonn Center for ArchaeoSciences provided and analyzed some of the data for the study. “The factors that determine body size of people today are subject to debate, just the same as with people who lived long ago. Are genes the primary factor, or diet? Or is it the socio-economic-political-emotional (SEPE) environment? The study aim is to help resolve these questions,” explains archaeologist Rosenstock, who is a member of the “Present Pasts” Transdisciplinary Research Area at the University of Bonn.
The study authors show both sexes were subject to major environmental stressors in northern central Europe. Women are generally slightly smaller in stature than men, but in northern central Europe, women were significantly shorter than would be expected based on genetics. The researchers believe that boys enjoyed cultural preferencing, enabling them to better compensate for environmental stressors to which both sexes were exposed, and thus grow taller than girls. “Better nutrition, receiving more attention in growth phases or other advantages could explain this,” Rosenstock observes, who says that further research into dietary behaviors is necessary. “Also, the impact of early pregnancies on the bodies of adolescent girls remains entirely unclear.”
In Mediterranean populations however, there was less difference between the sexes. The team interprets this as an indication of less culturally driven gender inequality in the region. The researchers believe their findings confirm that cultural and environmental factors contribute to gender-related differences in stature manifesting over time, while conceding that the study is based on limited archaeological data.