The Early Bronze Age of Central Europe (ca. 2300–1600 BC) was characterized by profound technological innovations, whose dissemination and use fundamentally transformed everyday life. These developments were accompanied by the emergence of complex social hierarchies, which are also reflected in the archaeological record, for example in burial rites. Such practices repeatedly show gender-specific differences, for instance with regard to body position, grave depth, or the provision of grave goods. These observations raise the question to what extent material and structural differences are linked to overarching social structures and what underlying causes account for gender-specific differentiation in burial contexts: are they based on biological differences, social status, or specific roles and activities within prehistoric societies?

However, interpreting such differences on the basis of burial practices is associated with considerable uncertainty, as it is prone to subjective interpretations and modern projections. To minimize these biases, recent studies increasingly rely on bioarchaeological methods. These include the analysis of muscle attachment sites (entheses), which allow activity patterns to be reconstructed based on biologically mediated adaptive processes of bone. Traditionally, such analyses were conducted using so-called entheseal scoring methods, in which visible changes are systematically categorized. However, these approaches have proven problematic, as they are strongly influenced by factors such as age, sex, or health status and also involve a high degree of subjectivity.

For this reason, more recent approaches focus on less subjective and more quantitative methods. These include the analysis of 3D surface scans, as applied in the semi-automated Virtual Enthesial Recording Application (V.E.R.A. 2.0). This method allows for a detailed analysis of small-scale variation within an enthesis and was therefore selected for the recording of entheseal data in this project. In addition, the examination of internal bone structure, such as cortical thickness and density, can provide valuable insights into activity and bone health. The combination of 3D surface modelling and micro-CT analysis makes it possible to better distinguish pathological changes from work-related adaptations.

Lower Austria represents a particularly suitable study area, as it features a high density of Early Bronze Age sites and thus a substantial body of archaeological material. The focus of this study lies on the osteological remains from the two Early Bronze Age necropolises of Drasenhofen and Franzhausen II. Due to their size and archaeological significance, they offer a unique opportunity to investigate social organization and division of labour during the Early Bronze Age.

The data generated by this research project will not only expand our knowledge of life in the Early Bronze Age, gender-specific divisions of labour, and social relationships in Lower Austria, but will also combine and further develop modern non-invasive methods, thereby improving future reconstructions of activity patterns.