Abstract
Upper limb bone bilateral asymmetry can supply important information that can be used to assess past manipulative differences within or between temporal groups, as well as gender differences, ontogenetic changes, and the effects of socioeconomic status. This chapter investigates the impact of European Holocene changes in subsistence economy on upper limb bone bilateral asymmetry.
It discusses right and left upper limb variation in bone lengths, articulations, breadths, and cross-sectional geometric (CSG) parameters across both temporal and geographic divisions. The chapter also considers patterns of sexual dimorphism in asymmetry among European Holocene groups.
Asymmetry in CSG properties shows a gender-specific response to subsistence changes at the end of the Pleistocene in Europe. The overall comparisons of maximum asymmetry in different upper limb bone dimensions indicate that asymmetry in CSG properties is larger and more variable between periods than asymmetries in lengths and articular breadths.