Experimental proof that multivariate patterns among muscle attachments (entheses) can reflect repetitive muscle use.

ABSTRACT: Reconstructions of habitual activity in past populations and extinct human groups is a primary goal of paleoanthropological research. Muscle attachment scars (entheses) are widely considered as indicators of habitual activity and many attempts have been made to use them for this purpose. However, their interpretation remains equivocal due to methodological limitations and a paucity of empirical data supporting an interaction between systematic muscle forces and entheseal morphology. We have recently addressed the first issue with precise three-dimensional measuring protocols and rigorous multivariate analysis focusing on the patterns among different entheses rather than comparing each entheseal structure separately. In a previous study, the resulting entheseal correlations reflected synerg

SUBMITTER: Karakostis FA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6851080 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature