| The archaeological record provides only fragmentary evidence of prehistoric lifeways. The data drawn from skeletal material, such as musculoskeletal stress markers and patterns of osteoarthritis, can provide information from which behavioral interpretations may be drawn which were previously unavailable. The primary goal of this research is to provide this type of basic information for two skeletal samples. These samples come from two archaeological sites in Kentucky, one representing a group of Late Archaic hunter-gatherer-shellfish collectors and the other late prehistoric Fort Ancient agriculturalists.; The secondary goal of this research is to use the information to explore three basic questions about the two prehistoric groups. The first question concerns the presence and degree of sexual division of labor present in either group. The second involves the possibility of distinct patterns of habitual behavior related to subsistence activities. The third question relates to whether or not vertical social distinctions can be discerned by variability in type or intensity of habitual activities.; Data from both musculoskeletal stress markers and patterns of osteoarthritis strongly support the expectation of sexual division of labor in both prehistoric groups. Males in both groups seem to have been more habitually mobile than were females, as well as engaging in activities which emphasized different upper body actions. Significant differences between both males and females from the two sites were also found, supporting the expectation that different subsistence regimes would have distinct sets of associated behaviors. Females from the two sites had especially divergent sets of emphasized muscles and joint positions, which suggests that the shift from foraging to agriculture had a greater impact on their habitual activity patterns. When combined with information from mortuary context, some evidence for variability in behavior was apparent among the individuals from both sites. However, rather than ascribed status or social ranking, this behavioral heterogeneity better fits the expectations of temporal change in behavior patterns, presence of ritual specialists, and possibly the existence of some individuals who took on the roles of traders or community leaders in addition to more mundane routine activities. |
