Abstract
This chapter summarizes temporal variation in postcranial properties in the Central European region from the Terminal Pleistocene through the Holocene. It briefly reviews some background for Central European bioarchaeological and archaeological research.
The chapter deals with regional variation of postcranial features such as stature, body mass, body mass index, relative bi-iliac breadth, and crural and brachial indices. It also compares femoral, tibial, and humeral cortical areas and section moduli and bilateral directional asymmetry in humeral cross-sectional properties.
The Central Europeans show an overall decrease of femoral and tibial cortical area and average bending strength between the Terminal Pleistocene and early Holocene up to the Bronze Age (femoral CSG) and the Avar (tibial CSG), and a slight increase afterwards. The chapter demonstrates that changes in stature and body mass observed during Holocene variations are well within the range of secular changes observed during last 100 years among Central European living populations.