Abstract
Bioarcheological evidence suggests stature increased in males but decreased in females after the Black Death (1348-1350 CE). Because tradeoffs between growth and reproduction can result in earlier ages at menarche and lower limb length, we assess menarcheal age between 1120 and 1540 CE to better understand the health of medieval adolescent females before and after the plague. Our sample comprises 74 adolescent females from St. Mary Spital, London (1120-1540 CE) within the age range during which menarche occurs (10-25 years). They were assessed as being pre- or post-menarcheal and divided into three groups: Early Pre-Black Death (n = 13), Late Pre-Black Death (n = 38), and Post-Black Death (n = 23). Changes in the ages of pre- and post-menarcheal females were assessed using Mann-Whitney tests. The average age of post-menarcheal females increased from the Early- to Late Pre-Black Death periods and declined after the Black Death. Short stature can reflect unfavorable growth environments, while younger menarcheal age indicates improved living conditions. The paradoxical pattern of female, but not male, stature reduction after the Black Death might reflect the association of early menarche with lower limb length and signal that adolescent females experienced improved health conditions after the epidemic. Our focus on pre- and post-menarche within a limited age span provides a novel approach for inferring average ages of menarche over time. Pathways to skeletal development and reproductive investment are part of an integrated system, providing a bridge between life history research in bioarchaeology and human biology.
Highlights
Recent paleodemographic research indicates that survivorship declined before the 14th-century Black Death (1348-1349 CE) but improved in its aftermath in London (DeWitte, 2014a, 2014b, 2015, 2018)
Because tradeoffs between growth and reproduction can result in earlier ages at menarche and lower limb length, we assess menarcheal age between 1120 and 1540 CE to better understand the health of medieval adolescent females before and after the plague
We found no significant changes over time with respect to average ages at death of pre-menarcheal females
Summary
Recent paleodemographic research indicates that survivorship (which reflects underlying population health) declined before the 14th-century Black Death (1348-1349 CE) but improved in its aftermath in London (DeWitte, 2014a, 2014b, 2015, 2018). Recent paleodemographic research indicates that survivorship (which reflects underlying population health) declined before the 14th-century Black Death Analyses of adult tibia length (a proxy for adult stature) indicate significant declines in stature before the Black Death but significant increases afterward for males. The decrease in female stature in the context of improved survivorship after the Black Death appears contradictory, as the first suggests, at worst, increased physiological stress (and perhaps poor health) whereas the latter indicates improved general health. If females were better buffered during development in medieval London, this might have produced more heterogenous cohorts of adult females (with respect to stature) compared to males—that is, a greater number of short females survived to adulthood after the Black Death than was true beforehand or relative to males. An alternative interpretation is that reduced female stature after the Black Death reflects improvements in nutritional status or disease burden
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