Julia Jennings1, Joelle Inman2, Jaime Ullinger3, Dennis P. Van Gerven4, and Susan Guise Sheridan5
1Dept.
of Anthropology, Tulane University; 2Dept. of Anthropology, University of California-Berkeley; 3Dept. of Anthropology, Ohio State University; 4Dept. of Anthropology, University of Colorado-Boulder; 5Dept. of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame
Various scholars have suggested a biomechanical influence on the presence or absence of
non-metric traits of the femoral neck, including Allen’s fossa, plaque, Poirier’s facet, and the
posterior cervical imprint. The present study examines 217 proximal femora from the Byzantine
St. Stephen's monastic collection, dating from the 5th thru 7th centuries CE. Over 90% of the
St. Stephen’s collection is male, and all the femora studied are adult. The presence/absence of
the four femoral neck traits are compared by side, angle of the neck, and femoral head
diameter.
In the St. Stephen's collection, plaque is found to be bilaterally asymmetrical (2=5.13, df =1;
p≤0.05). This suggests differential use by side, which agrees with the historical and liturgical
accounts of repeated kneeling and genuflection among monks of this large monastery. The
frequencies of Poirier’s facet, Allen’s fossa, and the posterior facet were not bilaterally
asymmetrical however (2=0.052, 0.011, 1.275 respectively; df =1; p≤0.05). The traits were
also compared by femoral neck angle and femoral head diameter. Only the presence of plaque
yielded a significant difference in frequency by head diameter (2=4.26, df=1; p≤0.05). These
findings are incorporated into a larger biocultural model of kneeling and genuflection at
Byzantine St. Stephen’s, and contribute to an overall biomechanical model of lower limb activity
for this monastic collection.
Table 2. Frequencies of Femoral Non-metric Traits
n
+
-
%
Allen’s
123
47
76
38.2
Plaque
127
48
79
37.8
Poirier’s
108
27
81
25.0
Posterior
122
4
118
3.3
All
Anterior
124
69
55
55.5
All
Features
123
TRAITS
Figure 1. Allen’s Fossa
47
76
38.2
Table 2 lists the frequencies of each trait, as well as combined features for the proximal femur
and all anterior features. The presence and absence of these four traits were then compared by
side, angle of the femoral neck, and femoral head diameter using chi-square tests (p≤0.05; df=1).
Frequencies of plaque were found to be bilaterally asymmetrical, while frequencies of Poirier’s
facet, Allen’s fossa, and the posterior facet demonstrated no significant difference by side (Table
3). There were also no significant differences by neck angle. Only plaque yielded a significant
difference when compared by head diameter. The highlighted values in Table 2 indicate
significance at p≤0.05.
Table 3. 2 values for each trait
Side
Neck Angle
Head diameter
ALLEN’S
PLAQUE
POIRIER’S
POSTERIOR
0.01
5.13
0.05
1.27
0.20
0.04
1.61
0.41
0.11
4.26
0.14
2.40
[EBND 1.414]
Note the exposed trabeculae.
An analysis of the non-metric features of the proximal femur was conducted as part of a
survey of traits in the lower limbs of the Byzantine St. Stephen’s inhabitants. These data will be
synthesized with the information collected on musculoskeletal stress markers (MSM) and nonmetric traits found in the axial skeleton and upper limbs. The St. Stephen’s biocultural
reconstruction benefits from a rich textual record for the site and the region, enhancing the
ability to differentially diagnose activities at this large Jerusalem monastery.
Specific to this component of the reconstruction, frequencies of Allen’s fossa, plaque,
Poirier’s facets, and the posterior cervical imprints were compared by side, angle of the neck,
and femoral head diameter, because it has been suggested that each of these factors may
contribute to their formation.
Byzantine occupation of the St. Stephen’s monastery dates from 438 to 614 CE, according
to textual and archaeological evidence. The skeletal collection from the tombs of this
monastery is composed of mostly males (96%), and all of the femora studied are adult. The
total sample consists of 217 proximal femora. The femora were scored based on the presence
or absence of Allen’s fossa, plaque, Poirier’s facet, and the posterior cervical imprint. The
definitions used in this study are presented in Table 1, and examples of each can be seen in
Figures 1-4. Figure 5 illustrates an example of a combination of features. The angle of the neck
and the femoral head diameter were recorded whenever possible.
Allen’s fossa is first formed by atrophy of the bone while under stress, but as stress decreases
or stops, the resultant hypertrophy is called plaque. There were higher frequencies of plaque on
the right side, and on femora with head diameters above the average for the sample. These
findings suggest a differential use pattern by side related to deep flexion of the femur. Figure 5 is
an example of a place on this continuum when Allen’s fossa is beginning to be covered with
plaque.
With this evidence of differential activity, it is possible to hypothesize that as individuals aged,
activity level decreased and plaque formed. This is consistent with the historical and liturgical
description of repeated kneeling associated with genuflection numbering several hundred per day
(Bautch, 1999; Driscoll and Sheridan, 2000; Sheridan, 1999). Plaque is also thought to be related
to the size of the femoral head (Capasso, et al 1999). The results for the frequency of plaque by
head diameter support the idea that more plaque forms on femora with larger head diameters.
Figure 2. Plaque
Figure 3. Poirier’s Facet
[EBND 3.129]
[EBND 2.156]
Bautch, R. 1999. On bended knee: Correlations liturgical and anthropological from a fifth-century monastery.
Koinonia XI.2:155-167.
Buikstra JE, Ubelaker DH. 1994. Standards for data collection from human skeletal remains. Fayetteville, AK:
Arkansas Archaeological Survey.
Capasso L, Kennedy KAR, Wilczak CA. 1999. Atlas of occupational markers on human
remains. Teramo: Edigrafital S.p.A
Driscoll, M, Sheridan SG. 2000. Every knee shall bend: Liturgical and ascetical prayer in V-VII century Palestine.
Worship 74:453-468.
Table 1. Definitions of traits used in this study.
Finnegan M. 1978. Non-metric variation of the infracranial skeleton. J Anat 125:23-37.
TRAIT
Allen’s
Fossa
Poirier’s
Facet
Plaque
Posterior
Cervical
Imprint
DEFINITION
Depression or eroded area where bone has
been lost, trabeculae must be exposed to be
scored.
Extension of articular surface of femoral head
onto anterior-superior aspect of the neck,
covered by hyaline cartilage.
Overgrowth or bony scar extending from area
of Poirier’s facet to femoral neck, where it can
surround or cover Allen’s fossa.
Resembles Poirier’s facet. Located on posterior
aspect of femoral neck.
Kostick EL. 1963. Facets and imprints on the upper and lower extremities of femora from a Western Nigerian
population. J Anat 97:393-402.
SOURCE
Sheridan SG. 1999. ‘New life the dead receive’: The relationship between human remains and the cultural record for
Byzantine St. Stephen’s. Revue Biblique 106:574-611.
Finnegan
(1978)
Buikstra &
Ubelaker
(1994)
National Science Foundation
The University of Notre Dame
L’École Biblique et Archéologique Française de Jérusalem
Newcomb Foundation, Newcomb College of Tulane University
Finnegan
(1978)
Kostick
(1963)
Figure 4. Posterior Cervical Imprint
Figure 5. Plaque & Porier’s Facet
[EBND 2.175]
[EBND 2.169]
Byzantine St. Stephen’s Project
Laboratory for Biocultural Studies
Department of Anthropology
University of Notre Dame