20235504(en)/5 - Study of Sexual Differences in Degenerative Joint Disease and Entheseal Changes in Four Osteoarchaeological Collections from the North Region of South America (2350-450 BP)
STUDY OF SEXUAL DIFFERENCES IN DEGENERATIVE JOINT DISEASE AND ENTHESEAL CHANGES IN FOUR OSTEOARCHAEOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS FROM THE NORTH REGION OF SOUTH AMERICA (2350-450 BP)
ESTUDIO DE LAS DIFERENCIAS SEXUALES EN LA ENFERMEDAD ARTICULAR DEGENERATIVA Y LOS CAMBIOS ENTESIALES DE CUATRO COLECCIONES OSTEOARQUEOLÓGICAS DEL NORTE DE SURAMÉRICA (2350-450 AP)
Claudia Mercedes Rojas-Sepúlveda and Andrés Felipe Torres Sierra
In this paper, we investigate degenerative joint disease (DJD) and entheseal changes (EC) in four osteoarchaeological series from the Colombian Andes (2350-450 BP) and the Peruvian coast (1350-950 BP) to evaluate activity levels and the possible sexual division of labor. A total of 334 individuals, all over 15 years old, were systematically observed, and the frequencies of DJD and EC were analyzed and compared using Chi Square and Fisher’s exact test. When assessing the frequencies considering sex, the profiles obtained were diverse, suggesting that some physical activities were different between males and females. Results obtained also showed environmental influence. The osteological, archaeological, and ethnohistorical evidence suggest that the sexual division of labor in these groups included the participation of females in physically demanding activities traditionally associated with males.
