Women's hands have noticeably weakened in just 7 thousand years.
Exercise affects bones. In response, they change shape and thickness over time. Armed with these theses and understanding how bone structure is related to muscle strength, Alison Macintosh of the University of Cambridge and colleagues (Ron Pinhasi and Jay T. Stock) of the Department of Archeology and Anthropology Archeology and Anthropology) compared prehistoric and modern women. The prehistoric ones lived for about 7 thousand years. The researchers had 89 tibia and 78 humerus bones at their disposal, of which they made accurate models.
The objects of research were the tibia and humerus bones of modern and prehistoric women.
The role of modern women was played by professional athletes - runners and rowers, girls with oars, as they are called. Their bone shape was determined using tomographs, and muscle strength was tested in tests.
From the results, which are published in the journal Science Advances, it follows that women's legs have hardly changed over the millennia - they have not become either stronger or weaker. Accordingly, the bones of the former women also hardly differed from the current ones. As well as the shape of the legs.
The legs have hardly changed over time.
Hand is another matter. They were 16 percent stronger in Neolithic women than in modern-day intensive rowing women. And almost a third stronger than the fairer sex, leading an unsportsmanlike lifestyle.
Over the years, women's hands weakened. By the Bronze Age, the superiority over current female athletes was only 9 percent.
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Women's hands became weaker.
How did prehistoric women gain muscle strength? Were you warriors? Have you practiced with swords and spears? Some, but very few, were indeed good at weapons - on par with men. Most of them were "pumped up" by working around the house. The most common "simulator" was a hand grater - a plate with a depression and a rounded stone. They turned grain into flour. Women exercised for about 5 hours a day. They also planted plants, processed skins, sewed, carried water, which diversified the "training". A kind of sport fit of antiquity.
Ancient women did not row, they rubbed.
It looks like an ancient mill - the main “ simulator ” prehistoric women.
That's how they “ practiced ” - at least five hours a day.
Centuries passed. The workload was reduced - women were partially freed for activities that did not require brute force. On the contrary. The "training process" became less intense, and muscle strength fell accordingly.
What's the conclusion? Put a prehistoric woman on a kayak - she will overtake everyone. And in order to overtake her, modern athletes need to train more. Not to rub flour, of course, but to row vigorously - at least 5 hours a day. The potential to become stronger - like a few thousand years ago - is there.
VLADIMIR LAGOVSKY