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Brief communication : When Adam delved : an activity-related lesion in three human skeletal populations

Knusel, C.; Roberts, C.; Boylston, A.

Authors

C. Knusel

A. Boylston



Abstract

A rare, activity-related lesion, the clay-shoveller's fracture, was identified during osteological analysis in three human populations dating from the Roman to the later Medieval period in England, circa fourth to 14th centuries A.D. The prevalence of this fracture in these populations suggests an osteological indicator for several possible manual activities, but also one that may be the result of a long-standing human subsistence adaptation requiring digging in the soil. Since males as opposed to females appear to be preferentially affected, the occurrence of such injuries has the potential to provide an insight into the sexual division of labor in earlier human populations.

Citation

Knusel, C., Roberts, C., & Boylston, A. (1996). Brief communication : When Adam delved : an activity-related lesion in three human skeletal populations. American journal of physical anthropology, 100(427-434), 427-434. https://doi.org/10.1002/%28sici%291096-8644%28199607%29100%3A3%3C427%3A%3Aaid-ajpa9%3E3.0.co%3B2-q

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Jul 1, 1996
Deposit Date Aug 23, 2010
Journal American Journal of Physical Anthropology
Print ISSN 0002-9483
Electronic ISSN 1096-8644
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 100
Issue 427-434
Pages 427-434
DOI https://doi.org/10.1002/%28sici%291096-8644%28199607%29100%3A3%3C427%3A%3Aaid-ajpa9%3E3.0.co%3B2-q
Keywords Clay-shoveller's fracture, Sexual division of labor, Shovelling, Metalworking, Spinal fracture.

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