Strong-armed neolithic women

[Duncan Head]

This story - https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/nov/29/prehistoric-womens-arms-stronger-than-those-of-todays-elite-rowers - is in a few places today. The original paper is at http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/11/eaao3893.full. But what struck me in the Guardian version was:

The research builds on previous work by the team on male leg bones, which revealed a decline in strength since the late iron age. "Early farming men had these really strong leg bones – when you compared them to living men they were close to what you see in living runners, suggesting they were really active," said Macintosh. "Then [there is] this really progressive decline though time in bone strength, down to what you see in living sedentary undergraduate students at Cambridge."

Seems to derive in part from this in the original:

A comparison of prehistoric data for Central European males with those of living male athletes and control subjects further supports a relationship between tibial cross-sectional geometry and the advent of sedentism: Mean tibial rigidity and shape ratios among Neolithic men were similar to those of male cross-country runners and had declined to the level of sedentary control subjects by approximately 385 cal BC (Late Iron Age), where mean values remained into the Medieval period.

We occasionally spout cliches about the ancients being stronger and tougher than us, so it's nice to see a bit of specific data on the subject.

[Patrick Waterson]

These 'Central European Males' would be what the Romans called Germani, whom Tacitus notes as doing pretty much nothing except eat, drink, gamble and fight.  It was axiomatic among Romans that Germans lacked staying-power, and the study would seem to confirm this.

[Nick Harbud]

This article reminded me of a remark made by a colleague to the effect that women in the land of his ancestors had to be of a sturdy build in case the plough horse died....   

[aligern]

I'd be more inclined to believe this if moderns who live lives very like those of ancient farmers were demonstrably stronger, thicker set, more robust. Indian farmers...who work very hard appear to be wiry, but quite lightly built. An awful lot of farming work is done by women who appear to be again quite lightly built.  I would also draw attention to the frequency of dietary deficiency and chronic disease found in medieval skeletons.
Roy

[Nick Harbud]

Roy,

I think you need to get out more.  Might I suggest visiting a selection of Portsmouth nightclubs to familiarise yourself with what our neolithic ancestors might have looked like?   

[Erpingham]

Roy,

I think you need to get out more.  Might I suggest visiting a selection of Portsmouth nightclubs to familiarise yourself with what our neolithic ancestors might have looked like?   

"Sailors fighting in the dancehall...Oh man, look at those cavemen go" ?

[Jim Webster]

Roy,

I think you need to get out more.  Might I suggest visiting a selection of Portsmouth nightclubs to familiarise yourself with what our neolithic ancestors might have looked like?   

"Sailors fighting in the dancehall...Oh man, look at those cavemen go" ?

Glad to see you've done an exhaustive search of the literature 

[Nick Harbud]

There is simply no substitute for good, first-hand investigation.

[Mark G]

Well don't say you weren't warned when it all kicks off at half 12 when the clubs empty, Nick.