Enthesopathies and Activity Patterns in the Early Medieval Greater Moravian Population (9.- 10. century AD): Evidence of Division of Labour
Abstract
The main aim of this study was to analyse the prevalence of enthesopathies among individuals living in different life conditions. A total of 197 individuals from the Early Medieval Mikulčice site were analysed for enthesopathies - 117 adult individuals from Mikulčice castle and 80 individuals from its hinterland. 9 fibrocartilaginous entheses of the upper and lower limbs were evaluated.
Significant differences were observed in the occurrence of enthesopathies between castle and hinterland. Males from the agricultural hinterland show the highest prevalence of enthesopathies of all the population groups, while the lowest prevalence of the marker was recorded in males from the castle.
Females in the castle were more affected by entheseal changes than females from the hinterland. The present study confirmed presumptions based on the archaeological finds, especially for males.
We may suppose that in the 9th century, women living in Mikulčice castle did not represent a privileged social class.