Atividade física dos Paleoamericanos de Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais: análise das propriedades geométricas da secção transversal de ossos longos

Abstract

The Lagoa Santa region has attracted the attention of many researchers around the world since the 19th century, especially regarding its extensive osteological collection. Since the research carried out by Peter Lund, the interest in aspects such as the health and lifestyle of the Lagoa Santa groups has been growing, resulting in analyses that have contributed to understanding the lives of some of the oldest Paleoamericans in South America. The aim of the present study is to analyze the cross-sectional properties of the femur and humerus of a skeletal sample of Paleoamericans from Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais, and, from this analysis, infer the levels of physical activity of these hunter-gatherers. In total, the Lagoa Santa sample consists of 52 femurs and 44 humeri, all belonging to adult individuals. Computed tomography was used to obtain images of the internal structure of the bones, without causing any damage to the bones. The analyses were performed using the ImageJ program and generated data regarding the variables TA, CA, Ix, Iy, Imax, Imin, Zx, Zy, Zp and J. In addition, groups of hunter-gatherers and farmers from 11 world regions were selected to compose a comparative sample. The results demonstrated that Lagoa Santa presents a high activity of the lower limbs, similar to other hunter-gatherers, with the results for the upper limb decreasing high asymmetry and sexual dimorphism. Therefore, the physical activity patterns observed in Lagoa Santa are aligned with those of hunter-gatherers and show bone adaptations that reflect a physically active life, while the use of the upper limbs suggests a difference in the activities performed by male and female groups.