Macintosh Alison A, Davies Thomas G, Pinhasi Ron, Stock Jay T
PAVE Research Group, Department of Archaeology & Anthropology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3DZ, UK.
Churchill College, Storey's Way, Cambridge, CB3 0DS, UK.
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2015 Jun;157(2):260-75. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.22710. Epub 2015 Feb 11.
Long bones respond to mechanical loading through functional adaptation in a suite of morphological characteristics that together ensure structural competence to in vivo loading. As such, adult bone structure is often used to make inferences about past behavior from archaeological remains. However, such biomechanical approaches often investigate change in just one aspect of morphology, typically cross-sectional morphology or trabecular structure. The relationship between longitudinal bone curvature and mobility patterns is less well understood, particularly in the tibia, and it is unknown how tibial curvature and diaphyseal cross-sectional geometry interact to meet the structural requirements of loading. This study examines tibial curvature and its relationship with diaphyseal cross-sectional geometry (CSG) and body size in preindustrial Central Europeans spanning ∼6150 years following the introduction of agriculture in the region. Anteroposterior centroid displacement from the proximo-distal longitudinal axis was quantified at nine diaphyseal section locations (collectively representative of diaphyseal curvature) in 216 tibial three-dimensional laser scans. Results documented significant and corresponding temporal declines in midshaft centroid displacement and CSG properties. Significant correlations were found between mid-diaphyseal centroid displacement and all mobility-related CSG properties, while the relationship weakened toward the diaphyseal ends. No significant relationship was found between centroid displacement and body size variables with the exception of the most distal section location. Results support a relationship between tibial curvature and cross-sectional geometry among prehistoric Central European agricultural populations, and suggest that changes in mechanical loading may have influenced a suite of morphological features related to bone adaptation in the lower limb.
长骨通过一系列形态特征的功能适应来应对机械负荷，这些特征共同确保其在体内负荷下的结构能力。因此，成人骨骼结构常被用于从考古遗迹推断过去的行为。然而，这种生物力学方法通常只研究形态的一个方面的变化，通常是横截面形态或小梁结构。长骨纵向曲率与活动模式之间的关系尚不清楚，尤其是在胫骨中，而且胫骨曲率与骨干横截面几何形状如何相互作用以满足负荷的结构要求也不清楚。本研究考察了该地区引入农业后约6150年间前工业时代中欧人的胫骨曲率及其与骨干横截面几何形状（CSG）和身体大小的关系。在216例胫骨三维激光扫描中，在九个骨干截面位置（共同代表骨干曲率）量化了从近端-远端纵轴的前后质心位移。结果表明，骨干中部质心位移和CSG特性随时间显著下降且具有相关性。骨干中部质心位移与所有与活动相关的CSG特性之间存在显著相关性，而向骨干两端这种关系减弱。除了最远端的截面位置外，质心位移与身体大小变量之间未发现显著关系。结果支持了史前中欧农业人群胫骨曲率与横截面几何形状之间的关系，并表明机械负荷的变化可能影响了与下肢骨骼适应相关的一系列形态特征。
