Social reorganization and biological change: an examination of stature variation among Iron Age Samnites from Abruzzo, Italy.

Between the Orientalizing-Archaic (c. 800-500 BC) and Hellenistic periods (400-27 BC) of the Iron Age, Samnites shifted from being warlike mountain dwellers to becoming a federate state able to challenge Rome’s supremacy over the Italian peninsula. This transition involved a profound reorganization of power relations in the society, which likely affected human biology in many ways. This study explored the biological impacts of this profound social reorganization by examining variation in limb bone lengths (humerus, femur, tibia) and adult stature in relation to time period, sex and social status (as inferred from archaeological evidence). Materials included 568 (192 female; 376 male) Samnites from three different time periods, respectively before, during, and after the social transition. We identified the best regression method for stature estimation in this sample by means of delta of Gini, estimated sexual dimorphism by time period, and used non-parametric analyses to test for differences in long bone lengths and stature among period and status subsamples. Contrary to expectations, results showed no decrease in bone lengths or stature associated with demographic growth and urbanization in Hellenistic period. Significant differences (p=0.02) associated with social status were detected among Orientalizing-Archaic males, where higher status individuals exhibited longer femora and greater stature. Contrary to expectations, in Hellenistic times inequalities appear to be mitigated. Variation in sexual dimorphism throughout social transition and no association between status and female growth outcomes in any period suggest differential access to resources by gender and/or sex-related differences in the susceptibility to environmental perturbations during development.