On Mon, 1 Oct 2001 06:43:15 -0700, Kimberly Rogers <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > I've also read that women did not menstruate as long as we do now. Can't >remember where I read it, though. The truth is that no one really knows the >biological state of our forebears. There are anthropological studies/accounts of hunter-gatherers over the last 40-50 years that include data/information on the development of females. It seems that among various modern day hgs, girls begin menstruation at a much later age (14-17) than westerners. They also will have 3-6 children spaced 3-5 years apart on average and have very easy childbirths (compared to westerners) with little or no recovery necessary. The men will generally have 1-3 "wives" based on the economics of the bioregion. Although the male:female ratio among births is 1:1, the number of males surviving to and through adulthood is lower than the females. Brad PS A correction to my previous post, the Hobbesian belief is that primitve life is "nasty, brutish, and short" not "nasty, shortish, and brute". I think I had a brain cramp.