1. Variation of the Anterior Aspect of the Femoral Head- Neck Junction in a Modern Human Identified Skeletal Collection
- Author
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Radi, Nico, Mariotti, Valentina, Riga, Alessandro, Zampetti, Stefania, Villa, Chiara, Belcastro, Maria Giovanna, Alma Mater Studiorum Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna [Bologna] (UNIBO), Anthropologie bio-culturelle, Droit, Ethique et Santé (ADES), Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-EFS ALPES MEDITERRANEE-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut de psychiatrie et neurosciences (U894 / UMS 1266), Université Paris Descartes - Paris 5 (UPD5)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Department of Forensic Medicine [Copenhagen], Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (KU)-University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (KU), Laboratorio di Bioarcheologia ed osteologia Forense,antropologia, Centre de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences (U894), University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (UCPH)-University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (UCPH), Università di Bologna [Bologna] (UNIBO), Aix Marseille Université (AMU) - EFS ALPES MEDITERRANEE - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences (CPN - U894), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) - Université Paris Descartes - Paris 5 (UPD5), Department of Forensic Medicine, and University of Copenhagen (KU)
- Subjects
plaque ,[SHS.ANTHRO-BIO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Biological anthropology ,hip join ,activity markers ,Allen's fossa ,Poirier's facet ,[SHS.ANTHRO-BIO] Humanities and Social Sciences/Biological anthropology - Abstract
The effectiveness of the so-called skele- tal markers of activity as functional indicators is widely debated. Among them, certain morphological features of the anterior aspect of the femoral head-neck junction (Poirier's facet, cervical fossa of Allen, etc.) have been considered in relation to some behaviors and specific activities (e.g., squatting, horseback riding, etc.). How- ever, disagreement on terminology and descriptions, the absence of standardized scoring methods and poor knowledge of the variability and distribution of these features make it difficult to interpret their meaning. The aim of this study is to analyze the variability of the anterior aspect of the femoral neck through a new scor- ing method taking into account three main traits: Poi- rier's facet, plaque, and cribra (including the Allen's fossa). This method has been applied to a sample of 225 adult individuals of both sexes coming from an identified modern skeletal collection, achieving low intraobserver and interobserver error values. The results highlight some significant trends: plaque, almost always bilateral, appears to be a normal condition of the femur, being present in approximately 90% of the individuals. Cribra is more frequent in females and decreases with age. Poi- rier's facet shows a very low frequency. This method allows the representation of both the anatomical diver- sity of the region already described in literature and part of the variability never considered before. Our results suggest caution in considering these features as markers related to specific activities.
- Published
- 2013