Horse-riding as a habitual activity among the early medieval Avar population of the cemetery of Csokorgasse (Vienna): Sex and chronological differences

Little is known about sex and gender differences in the daily life activities of early medieval Avar populations. Of particular interest is habitual horse-riding, which is assumed to be typical for these populations. Importantly, fundamental changes in the “Avar lifestyle” occurred over time and this may have led to less horse-riding. This study identifies possible sex and chronological differences in the prevalence of metric and nonmetric traits indicating habitual horse-riding within the adult population of the Avar cemetery Wien11-Csokorgasse in Austria. A total of 149 skeletons from this cemetery (ca. 625–800 AD) were analyzed. Poirier’s facets, plaque, and cribriform changes of the femur-neck junction were documented, and the index of ovalization (IOA) of the acetabulum was calculated. Males surpassed females significantly in the prevalence of Poirier’s facets of the right (p = 0.011) and the left femur (p = 0.048) and showed significantly higher IOAs of the right (p = 0.019) and the left (p = 0.037) acetabulum. Among males, no chronological differences in the appearance of nonmetric traits and the IOA were detected. In contrast, females showed a significantly higher IOA during the earliest phases of this burial ground (Early Avar period 2/Middle Avar period 1; 625–675 AD), indicating a chronological decline of habitual horse-riding. Horse-riding was a typical male activity. Our results, however, suggest that a particular segment of women practiced horse-riding habitually. From the early to the middle phase of the studied Avar cemetery, its prevalence declined in females, pointing to changes in female daily life activities.