Quotidian lives on isolated bodies: Entheseal changes and cross‐sectional geometry among the aboriginal population of La Gomera (ca. 200–1500 AD, Canary Islands)

• Published in: International journal of osteoarchaeology 2021-05, Vol.31 (3), p.366-381
• Main Authors: Carballo‐Pérez, Jared, Sánchez‐Cañadillas, Elías, Arnay‐de‐la‐Rosa, Matilde, Hernández‐Marrero, Juan Carlos, González‐Reimers, Emilio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: aboriginal; Archaeology; bone markers of physical activity; Canary Islands; cross‐sectional shape; entheseal changes; Forensic osteology; Mobility; Native peoples
• ISSN: 1047-482X; 1099-1212
• DOI: 10.1002/oa.2956

The present study aims to investigate the relationship between physical activity changes and the daily life patterns in the island of La Gomera (Canary Islands, Spain) during the aboriginal period (ca. 3rd–15th centuries AD). The commingled skeletal material used in this study comprised a minimum of 88 individuals from burial caves used by these agropastoral communities. The methodological corpus combines the study of entheseal changes in upper and lower limbs with a cross‐sectional geometry analysis. The results revealed a prevalence of muscle chains linked to bilateral movements and a high mobility, probably more intense in the eastern areas of the island. At the same time, we observed diachronic changes in mobility possibly due to processes of adaptation to an isolated environment. Finally, entheseal changes and cross‐sectional geometry also indicated some differences between sexes as women seem to have had lower mobility than men.