Subsistence patterns as regulators of vital events. The case study: Seasonality of marriages and conceptions in historical times in Central-Southern Apennines (Abruzzo region)

Abstract

The study of biological microdifferentiation of human populations is usefully integrated by the analysis of the biodemographic parameters that provide information on the ecological context in which a population developed specific subsistence models. Seasonality of marriages and births are good parameters of the different “traditional' lifestyles, since they both are influenced by cultural traditions, demographic characteristics, socio-economic conditions, environmental factors, working activities and loads, the latter possibly resulting in a limiting factor of the fertility's physiological functions. An indirect way to estimate such limiting factor in historical societies is by relating seasonality of both vital events to natality rates. The present research investigated seasonality of 19,867 records of Marriages and 59,360 records of Baptisms as well as natality rates in several communities of the Provinces of Teramo and L'Aquila (Abruzzo, Italy) in the 19th century. Results show stable patterns of seasonality of both marriages and baptisms. Marriages display one model of seasonality typical of agricultural societies, with several sub-models, and a second developed by pastoral groups. The correlation between seasonality of marriages and that of conceptions is high in pastoral communities, and negative in agricultural groups. Gross natality rates average35×1000 in agricultural societies and27×1000 in pastoral groups thus suggesting that pastoralism acted as a regulator of reproduction.