Gabriele Lauria

The Secular Trend in Sicily. Proposal for Long Bones Measures and Statures open access databases

Introduction

The secular trend in sicily. Proposal for long bones measures and statures open access databases. Discover Sicily's secular trend in human stature. This paper offers open-access databases of long bone measures and population statures, crucial for biologists & historians.

Abstract

Human Stature is a widely used index of both individuals and populations. Stature is a sensitive measure of a series of factors including gender, age, social status, and environment. Human biologists and historians can use information on stature to betterunderstand the human condition through the ages. There are three goals of this paper: 1. review previous studies of height; 2. remeasure adult bones and expand sample sizes; 3. provide three free databases (long bone length; average height of populations; average agerelated stature. However, the aim of this paper is not to present an exhaustive analysis of the Secular trend in Sicily. The samples range from the Paleolithic to the Contemporary Age. The data consist of measures from 82 adult specimens and includes the average stature of 28 Sicilian populations and the average stature from 11 different periods (plus modern Italians). A few examples of statistical analyses are presented to illustrate the potential, reliability, and reproducibility of the databases.

Review

This paper presents a valuable and timely contribution to human biology and historical anthropology by proposing and outlining the development of three open-access databases focused on long bone measurements and stature data from Sicily. Recognizing human stature as a critical index reflecting a multitude of biological and environmental factors across time, the authors lay the groundwork for a robust resource. The primary strength lies in its explicit goal: not to provide an exhaustive analysis of the secular trend in Sicily, but to offer the foundational data necessary for such studies. This focus on data provision, particularly through open-access channels, significantly enhances the potential for widespread and collaborative research into human biological variation and adaptation. The methodology described involves a review of previous height studies, remeasurement of adult bones, and expansion of existing sample sizes. The scope is impressively broad, encompassing samples from the Paleolithic to the Contemporary Age, with data from 82 adult specimens for long bone measures, and average stature for 28 Sicilian populations and 11 distinct historical periods (plus modern Italians). The commitment to creating three distinct, freely accessible databases—on long bone length, average height of populations, and average age-related stature—is commendable. While the abstract notes only "a few examples of statistical analyses" are presented to illustrate potential, reliability, and reproducibility, this is entirely appropriate given the paper's stated aim of presenting the databases rather than a definitive analysis. In conclusion, this paper's greatest impact will undoubtedly stem from the proposed open-access databases themselves. By centralizing and standardizing such a diverse and extensive dataset from a geographically and historically rich region like Sicily, the authors are providing an invaluable tool for researchers. These databases promise to foster new investigations into the secular trend, population health, and human adaptability over millennia, allowing for greater transparency, reproducibility, and comparative studies. The initiative to make this data freely available is a significant step forward for the field, enabling a new generation of human biologists and historians to delve deeper into the intricate story of human life in Sicily and beyond.

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