Puberty in the Bronze Age: First application of a puberty estimation method to a prehistoric population

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Doe, Danielle M., et al. "Puberty in the Bronze Age: First application of a puberty estimation method to a prehistoric population". International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 29.6 (2019): 1091-1099, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.2822. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived VersionsPuberty and adolescence represent a significant period of physical growth and maturation and a critical life stage in which children transition into adults within their societies. Numerous studies have observed a secular trend and have determined that puberty is now occurring earlier than in the past. This investigation represents the first application of a methodology for assessing the pubertal status of osteological remains to a prehistoric skeletal sample. Six Bronze Age adolescent skeletons from the Cerro de La Encantada archaeological site (Ciudad Real, Spain) were analysed. Prepubescence was observed at age 9 and the transition phase of the pubertal growth spurt at 15 years of age. These results were similar to those obtained from medieval, Industrial Revolution, and modern populations, both within and outside of the Iberian Peninsula. The similarity in the development of the Bronze Age adolescents to that of other past and contemporary populations suggests that the pubertal process has remained essentially unchanged across millennia until recent times. However, other interpretations, including the influence of a subpar developmental environment and potential methodological artefacts, are possible. Nevertheless, studies of this type provide important information about a crucial transitory period in human developmentThe Laboratorio de Poblaciones del Pasado (LAPP) has been supported by Projects HAR2016‐78036‐P, HAR2016‐74846‐P, HAR2017‐82755‐P, and HAR2017‐83004‐P (Spanish Government) and a grant (Ref. 38360) from the Leakey Foundatio