Introduction
An activity pattern is defined as a sequence of events that make up the accomplished work of a group over time. A single activity pattern may involve several activities in which human beings are involved. To understand daily life activities, studying the different activity patterns humans were involved in in the ancient and recent past is necessary. These activities include burial structure and the manifestation of heavy physical labor. To examine the activity patterns of the past cultures, the information comes from analysis of bone structure and caves where people were buried and the various burial items such as trinkets.
Burial Structure
Burial structure or treatment refers to those principles and practices used by the people when they bury their dead. At the same time, burial goods are those objects buried with the deceased to accompany them into the afterlife. The burial goods include tools, weapons, food vessels, textiles, and pottery with shrouds (Cooper et al. 290). The reasons for the treatment of the dead person and the types of their burial can be determined by their burial structure. All the bodies were treated in different ways based on the sex and social status of the deceased. However, the dead were treated with respect and given proper burial rites. For example, weapons, which signified heroic behavior, were used to bury men who died in battles.
In addition, the burials were relatively standard except for the females buried in a seated position. On the other hand, adult males were buried in a crouched position with their knees bent and arms placed by the side of their legs, while the smaller boys and girls were buried in flexed positions. For instance, the burial goods found in Saqqara demonstrated that people at that time had a clear-cut idea of what they wanted to take along with them. Not only did they include food, vessels, and tools, but also other personal items such as knives (Staring 110). It is clear that the people of Saqqara treated their dead respectfully, but there are no clear indications of the factors that may have influenced this treatment (Staring 300). Thus, the burial structure was able to help understand the treatment of the dead before and after death.
The determining factor for these types of burial is social status and the burial structure differs among the groups. For example, in Egypt, the royalty and the rich were buried in one way, while the poor were buried in another. The dead royals, especially women and children, were mummified, while men were not. The major reason for this treatment was that it was believed that if a woman or child died without being mummified, then they would return as an evil spirit (Evans 202). On the other hand, the poor were placed in graves and there was no need for special preparation of the body. Royal and the rich couples were placed in the grave in two ways, one on the left side and another on the right side of the body. Therefore, it was a common practice among most people and was prevalent among those with high social status.
Indication of Heavy Physical Labor
Another activity pattern is an indication of heavy labor. When looking at the upper arm bones of people involved in heavy physical labor, the homers are larger than the radius. Skeletons were modified, resulting in changes in the size and shape of bones due to some occupations. The bone cross-section is shaped like a football, making up a strength and resistance model. It shows that males were engaged in heavy labor, which enabled them to build their upper body strength (Niinimäki et al. 146). The female humeri are thinner, indicating that most females were involved in lighter physical activities. Therefore, females were fairly weaker than males.
Furthermore, heavy labor in young people resulted in cortical bone excavations. However, the bones of those who were not involved in excessive physical strain and activity are normal with a smooth outer surface. In most cases, they have a horizontal ridge running along the outer surface of their bone. The stress, pressure, and shear force were transferred from the upper body to the forearm when working with heavy tools. It leads to another activity pattern in which cortical bone is evident on both sides of the wrist. In contrast, activities that involve no stress on the hand do not cause any cortical bone change in this area (Niinimäki et al. 146). Therefore, this activity pattern indicates that early human ancestors used their forearms for handling tools and heavy lifting.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the bioarchaeology study shows that the burial structure in ancient times was very different from what people see today. It also shows how people were buried after death, including putting all their burial goods on their right hand and giving proper treatment during the burial. The forensics study shows that children and women were not respected, which indicates that they were considered inferior therefore, their burial structure differed from that of men. In addition, Bioarchaeology shows the change in the bone structure of ancient people who were involved in extremely heavy physical labor. Men were engaged in heavy labor, which enabled them to build their upper body strength resulting in a change in the size and shape of their bone structure.
Works Cited
Cooper, Anwen, et al. Grave Goods: Objects and Death in Later Prehistoric Britain. Oxbow Books, 2022.
Evans, Lorraine. Burying the Dead: An Archaeological History of Burial Grounds, Graveyards and Cemeteries. Pen and Sword History, 2020.
Niinimäki, Sirpa, et al. “Cross-sectional properties of reindeer long bones and metapodials allow identification of activity patterns.” Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 13.9, 2021, p. 146. Web.
Staring, Nico. The Saqqara Necropolis through the New Kingdom: Biography of an ancient Egyptian cultural landscape. Brill, 2023.