Puberty in medieval Veranes

Embracing all adolescent skeletons for a more complete picture

Datos Bibliográficos

ID6433488
AutoresDanielle M Doe (0000-0002-2702-0533, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, autor de correspondencia), Josefina Rascón Pérez (0000-0001-9125-8928, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), Nieves Candelas González (0000-0001-9978-5407, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), Oscar Cambra‐moo (0000-0001-7730-3294, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), Andrés González Martins (0000-0001-9216-1220, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid)
Año2025
Volumen69
Páginas105517-105517
Fecha de publicación2025-11-27
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaJournal of Archaeological Science Reports (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 2352-409X • E-ISSN: 2352-4103
EditorialElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105517
OpenAlexW7106855375
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas52

This study aimed to examine the pubertal development of medieval adolescents from northern Spain and to explore possibilities for increasing sample sizes and representativeness in other research of this type. Medieval skeletons with age-at-death estimations between 8 years and “young adult” (n = 222) from the archaeological site of Veranes (Asturias, Spain; 5th-14th centuries) were analyzed to determine puberty and menarche status. A single puberty stage was assigned to 167 skeletons, while 23 exhibited marker criteria that were consistent with multiple possible stages. The growth spurt began between ages 9 and 10 in females and between 11 and 12 years in males. Although females matured ahead of males, delays in later puberty led to a particularly extended period of female development. Menarche occurred between 14 and 16 years and both sexes completed growth around age 20. Puberty in Veranes followed patterns observed in other past populations. Including individuals assigned to skeletal age groups and those with multiple possible puberty stages allowed for the identification of developmental variation that might otherwise have been missed. These findings demonstrate that more inclusive sampling strategies can recover informative developmental data from individuals often excluded in traditional studies.

Breast development · Developmental stage · Growth spurt · Large sample · Menarche · Period (music) · Representativeness heuristic · Forensic and Genetic Research · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology