prehistoric women were stronger than
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

Modern rowers

Prehistoric women were stronger than

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today Prehistoric women were stronger than

Despite these women being in peak physical condition
Miami - Arab Today

Cambridge scientists have found their own legendary rowing team would have been outclassed by prehistoric women when it came to upper body strength.

To examine the physical demands placed on women in the past, the research team got hold of ancient bones belonging to women from the early Neolithic period through to the Middle Ages.

They were compared with the bones of Cambridge University Women’s Boat Club members – elite athletes who spend 18 hours every week training and row an average of 120km a week.

Despite these women being in peak physical condition, they were still surpassed by ancient women in terms of arm strength.

In their study, published in the journal Science Advances, lead author Dr Alison Macintosh and her collaborators found that Neolithic women’s arm bones were up to 16 per cent stronger than the rowers’.

This was nearly 30 per cent stronger than the typical Cambridge students who were also analysed.

“I didn’t think that these prehistoric women were just sitting around doing nothing, so I feel vindicated,” said Dr Macintosh.

Bronze Age women also did well when compared to modern rowers, with arm bones that were up to 13 per cent stronger.

The leg strength of ancient women was less impressive, although the Neolithic women still matched the rowers on this metric.

Bones of the living participants were analysed using a small CT scanner. Their characteristics could then be compared against those of ancient bone samples.

The bone analysis also gave the scientists an idea of what the ancient women had been doing to develop such powerful arms.

“Predominantly we are seeing signatures of grain grinding,” said Dr Macintosh. “The technology to do that didn’t really change through the Neolithic, Bronze Age and into the Iron Age.”

Grain grinding was monotonous work that involved sitting on a “saddle quern”, and grinding back and forth with the arms in a rather familiar motion.

“That repetitive, low-impact loading for hours and hours is kind of similar to what you do in rowing,” said Dr Macintosh.

This study is significant as very little research has been done to examine the behaviour of ancient women using these kinds of techniques.

“In anthropology, it’s really new to incorporate the study of living humans to try and inform the past,” said Dr Macintosh. “What does exist has only been done on men.”

Work like this opens a window onto the lives of previously neglected women from history.

“We have been completely underestimating the scale of women’s work, the variety of things that women were doing and the strain they were putting on their bodies,” said Dr Macintosh.

Source:AFP

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

prehistoric women were stronger than prehistoric women were stronger than

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

prehistoric women were stronger than prehistoric women were stronger than

 



GMT 10:06 2012 Saturday ,28 July

Querrey advances at ATP LA Open

GMT 21:15 2017 Thursday ,01 June

Trump condemns deadly Kabul explosion

GMT 02:15 2017 Thursday ,24 August

Is your country on the Qatar free entry list of 80?

GMT 19:48 2016 Monday ,03 October

Controversial boxing champ Tyson Fury retires

GMT 08:20 2015 Tuesday ,08 December

PC market woes show no sign of easing

GMT 17:27 2017 Tuesday ,25 April

20 Yemeni soldiers killed, injured in explosion

GMT 11:52 2017 Saturday ,30 December

OIC condemns Mar Mina Church attack

GMT 00:03 2017 Saturday ,25 March

Arab Meeting to Examine Anti-Corruption Methods

GMT 13:12 2017 Thursday ,20 April

Deputy premier meets Arab League chief

GMT 14:13 2014 Friday ,10 January

Opel Astra GTC

GMT 18:27 2016 Tuesday ,02 August

Turkish Foreign Minister arrives in Islamabad

GMT 11:27 2016 Tuesday ,13 December

Saudi woman arrested for challenging social norms

GMT 19:56 2017 Thursday ,09 March

Qatar Pavilion Opens at ITB Berlin

GMT 23:34 2013 Thursday ,07 February

New BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo

GMT 12:57 2017 Friday ,13 October

JPMorgan open to digital money if regulated

GMT 04:38 2017 Friday ,10 March

ADNOC opens fifth ADNOC Xpress

GMT 10:30 2017 Friday ,10 November

BDF military contingent honoured

GMT 17:37 2017 Tuesday ,24 January

China jails former Sinopec president for graft

GMT 19:34 2017 Sunday ,14 May

Austria centre-right calls for snap elections

GMT 14:54 2014 Saturday ,29 November

Wall cladding, wallpaper, fabric and wood!
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday