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- Title
LITHUANIAN CHILDREN'S GROWTH PATTERNS IN THE PAST--AN UPDATED MEDIEVAL SAMPLE.
- Authors
Šereikiene, Inga; Jankauskas, Rimantas
- Abstract
The skeletal sample taken for investigation consisted of 694 subadult individuals up to 15 years excavated in the Lithuania territory at 55 different archaelogical sites and dated 14th-17th cc. AD. The age at death was estimated on the basis of decidual and permanent dental formation, the stature was calculated according to Telkkä et al. (1962) regression equations using the length measurements of humerus, radius, ulna, femur, tibia and fibula. In order to analyze growth patterns, we have compared our data with other 3 populations: medieval Estonian, modern Lithuanian and modern African seminomadic pastoralist corresponding data. The data revealed small stature differences between newborns and 0-2 year infants in all the four populations, as the stature in this age depends more on heritability and fetal conditions in uteru, than on external factors. We can also notice a slight growth increase at the age 5-7 years in all 4 compared populations. Children's growth in medieval Lithuania and Estonia was characterized by decreased growth rates at the age 2 to 5 years and the absence of pubertal growth spurt till 15 years. Modern Lithuanians are about 10-15 cm taller in all other age groups. African children's stature at 12-15 years is more similar to archaeological populations than modern, although growth patterns are more similar to modern Lithuanian than medieval children. The growth rates of African pastoralists comparing to medieval Lithuanians are slightly higher.
- Subjects
LITHUANIA; CHILD development; ARCHAEOLOGICAL site location; DENTAL hygiene; REGRESSION analysis; ANTHROPOMETRY; PHYSICAL anthropology
- Publication
Papers on Anthropology, 2004, Vol 13, p226
- ISSN
1406-0140
- Publication type
Article