Activity Induced Stress Markers: Observations on three skeletal assemblages from India

Abstract

This paper deals with activity induced stress markers observed on three skeletal collections from Balupur, West Bengal (medieval period); Jotsoma, Nagaland (late medieval period); and Kodumunal, Tamil Nadu (megalithic/early historic period). Activity induced stress markers are known to suggest differences in the health and lifestyle of a population along with distinct gender based activities. Degenerative Joint Diseases (DJDs) seen on the human bone provide the most tangible expressions of stress generated through daily activities. The purpose of this research is to examine the frequency and distribution of activity induced stress markers found in these collections through degenerative joint diseases. Age and gender are two factors taken into consideration while observing the stress markers. The total sample size constituted of 21 adult individuals,13 males and 8 females; they have been divided into three categories depending upon their age; 18 to 25 years - young age; 25 to 40 years - middle age; 40+ years - old age. Activity induced stress markers were observed by scoring DJDs found on six limb joints – shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, ankle along with the vertebral column and costo-clavicular joint. Results suggest that overall pattern of DJDs in the total assemblage were found to be concentrated in the joints of the upper extremities region. Lastly, the results also implied that age plays a crucial role in contributing to activity induced stress markers.