Pubertal timing as an indicator of early life stress in Roman Italy and Roman Gaul

International audienceObjectives: Puberty is a period of rapid growth and development, and the age ofonset and duration of puberty may serve as an indicator of developmental stressduring childhood. In this study, we compare pubertal timing and tempo in individualsfrom two Roman Imperial cemetery sites, integrating biological and social factors tobetter understand pubertal timing differences and their possible connection to EarlyLife Stress (ELS) and peri-pubertal stress.Materials and Methods: Osteological methods to estimate pubertal timing wereapplied to 264 individuals from Lisieux-Michelet (4th–5th centuries CE; France) andIsola Sacra (1st–4th centuries CE; Italy). Peptide analysis of tooth enamel was usedto assess sex in a sub-sample of pre-pubertal remains.Results: Individuals experienced puberty between 9 and 20 years of age, withfemales experiencing the acceleration stage earlier than males (p 1.2).Between the two sites, no significant differences were noted for age-at-death duringacceleration, peak height velocity, and deceleration (i.e., the active stages of puberty).Menarche occurred around 15 years of age.Discussion: The inter-site comparisons demonstrate similar patterns of pubertaltiming and tempo. For males, the pubertal timing aligns with ancient literary descrip-tions of key puberty milestones. Females entered puberty earlier than literary sourcessuggest and experienced puberty for an extended period, pointing to possiblegendered exposure to ELS and peri-pubertal stress, influenced by their social statusin the Roman Empire. These results demonstrate how pubertal timing and tempo canbe used to infer developmental stress in past populations