| This study takes 681 human limb bones from sites of late Yangshao culture period,including Wanggou site,Sunzhuang site,Shanggangyang site,Qingtai site and Shuanghuaishu site in Zhengzhou area,as the research objects,and it uses physical anthropological measurement and analysis methods to discuss the characteristics of limb development,height,body mass and body shape of the population in Yangshao period in Zhengzhou area.Hope this research could provide some anthropological information such as health status,physical development level and social differentiation in the Neolithic Age of Central Plains.This paper is divided into seven chapters.Chapter 1 IntroductionThis part introduces the significance of limb bone research and some domestic and foreign scholars' studies on human limb bone,it also summarizes the concept and development of physical anthropology.In addition,the geographical location and climate environment of Zhengzhou are introduced,and the archaeological findings in Zhengzhou area are briefly reviewed in this chapter.Finally,the research purpose and innovation of this paper are expounded.Chapter 2 Materials and methodsIn this chapter the geographical location and archaeological background of several sites from where the research materials were unearthed are introduced.The criteria for the selection of research materials and the preservative situation of bone specimens were described as well.And it also expounds the overall research ideas and specific methods.Chapter 3 Limb bone researchThe upper femur development of the combined group is relatively flat and weak in the middle;the upper tibial shaft is slightly wider in the middle and the overall length is shorter;except for the Shuanghuaishu group,the humerus and femur of males in the other four groups are stronger than females,however,humerus andfemur of females are stronger than males in the Shuanghuaishu group,reflecting that women had been burdened with heavy labor for a long time before their death.The site has already had a clear gender division of labor and excessive use of female labor.After comparison with other ancient groups,it was found that there are significant differences on the degree of limb bone development in different regions and life patterns.Chapter 4 Height researchAfter the calculation using the same formula as it in the contrast group,the average height of men in the combined group is 170.42 cm,with a variation range of167.68~172.47 cm,sd=5.3;the average height of women is 158.29 cm,with a variation range of 150.74~164.94 cm,sd=6.28;Among the five groups of materials,the Qingtai group has the highest height level(male 171.01 cm,variation range:168.49~172.47 cm,sd=5.31;female 161.81 cm,variation range:156.56 ~164.94 cm,sd=7.59),male Wanggou group has the lowest height level(mean height 166.22 cm,range of variation: 164.47~167.68 cm,sd=4.98),the lowest height in female is Shuanghuaishu group(mean height 153.37 cm,range of variation: 150.74~ 155.79 cm,sd=7.13),the height index of males in the same group is much higher than that of females.By comparison,it is found that this gap has exceeded the natural gender difference.Therefore,it can be inferred that the nutritional components of women in the Shuanghuaishu group in the juvenile stage were much lower than those of males.Chapter 5 Body mass researchThe average body weight of males in the combined group is 68.87 kg,range of variation: 63.07~73kg,sd=5.89;the average body weight of females is 58.70 kg,range of variation: 52.06~63.01 kg,sd=4.74;among five groups of materials,Qingtai group has the highest level of body mass(male 70.29 kg,range of variation: 68.20~73kg,sd=6.88;female 60.62 kg,range of variation: 57.11~63.01 kg,sd=5.58),the lowest body weight in males is Wanggou group(average body mass 64.97 kg,range of variation: 63.07~67.80 kg,sd=5.09),the Shuanghuaishu group has the lowest level in females(average body weight 55.6kg,range of variation: 56.27~62.19 kg,sd =5.55),and the gap between the gender is the largest.Chapter 6 Body shape researchMost males in Yangshao period,Zhengzhou area,are of middle type,and some females are of short fat type.The residents of Qingtai site are tallest and have the hightest development level.The Wanggou group has the smallest body size in comparison with the male group,and Shuanghuaishu group has the lowest body size development level in the female group,and the difference with the male of the same group is the largest.Chapter 7 ConclusionThrough a comprehensive study of limb bones in the late Yangshao culture period in Zhengzhou area,we have the following conclusions: Qingtai group has the highest physical development level,and both males and females were generally strong and tall;Wanggou group had lower physical development level in males and it had a significant difference from the males of other groups;females were short and had a significant difference from the males of the same group,but the upper and lower limb bones were relatively strong,generally stronger than males,reflecting that females nutrition from Shuanghuaishu in the juvenile stage was not as good as males,and they undertook heavy physical labor.The discovery reflects that the oppression on females may had been in existence in the Shuanghuaishu site,and it also suggests the higher degree of social complexity,prominent patriarchal characteristics and class differentiation in the Shuanghuaishu site. |
PDF Full Text Request