Gendered division of labor in a Celtic community? A comparison of sex differences in entheseal changes and long bone shape and robusticity in the pre‐Roman population of Verona (Italy, third–first century BC )

Laffranchi, Zita; Charisi, Drosia; Jiménez‐Brobeil, Sylvia A.; Milella, Marco (2020). Gendered division of labor in a Celtic community? A comparison of sex differences in entheseal changes and long bone shape and robusticity in the pre‐Roman population of Verona (Italy, third–first century BC ). American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 173(3), pp. 568-588. Wiley 10.1002/ajpa.24111

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Objectives: The presence of a gendered subdivision of labor has been bioarchaeologically investigated in various prehistoric and historical contexts. Little is
known, however, about the type of differences in daily activities characterizing men
and women among the Celtic communities of Italy. The focus of the present study is
the analysis of differences in patterns of entheseal changes (ECs) and long bone
shape and robusticity between sexes among the Cenomani Gauls of Seminario
Vescovile (SV—Verona, Italy, third–first century BC).
Materials and Methods: The sample includes 56 adult individuals (22 females and
34 males). Presence of ECs on nine bilateral postcranial attachment sites, and values
of humeral and femoral shape and robusticity indices based on external measurements were compared between sexes by means of generalized linear models and
Mann–Whitney tests.
Results: Results show a lack of difference between sexes in long bone shape and
robusticity, and a higher incidence of upper and, especially, lower limb ECs in males.
Discussion: These results suggest the presence of sex-specific activities at SV mostly
related to farming and differently influencing the considered variables. Also, this
study suggests the relevance of a series of nonbiomechanical factors (developmental,
hormonal, genetic, and methodological) when attempting biocultural reconstructions
from osteoarchaeological samples.

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