1. Julia Jennings1, Joelle Inman2, Jaime Ullinger3, Dennis P
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, 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 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 2. Frequencies of Femoral Non-metric Traits
TRAITS n + - %
Allen’s
123 47 76
38.2
Plaque
127 48 79
37.8
Poirier’s
108 27 81
25.0
Table 3. 2 values for each trait
Posterior
122 4
118
3.3
ALLEN’S
PLAQUE
POIRIER’S
POSTERIOR
All
Anterior
124 69 55
55.5
Side
0.01
5.13
0.05
1.27
Neck Angle
0.20
0.04
1.61
0.41
All
Features
123 47 76
38.2
Head diameter
0.11
4.26
0.14
2.40
Figure 1. Allen’s Fossa [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 non-metric 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.
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.
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 Figure 5 illustrates an example of a combination of features. The angle of the neck and the femoral head diameter were recorded whenever possible.
Bautch, R On bended knee:  Correlations liturgical and anthropological from a fifth-century monastery. Koinonia XI.2:
Buikstra JE, Ubelaker DH 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 Every knee shall bend: Liturgical and ascetical prayer in V-VII century Palestine. Worship 74:
Finnegan M.  1978.  Non-metric variation of the infracranial skeleton.  J Anat  125:23-37.
Kostick EL.  1963.  Facets and imprints on the upper and lower extremities of femora from a Western Nigerian population.  J Anat  97:
Sheridan SG ‘New life the dead receive’: The relationship between human remains and the cultural record for Byzantine St. Stephen’s. Revue Biblique 106:
Figure 2. Plaque
[EBND 3.129]
Figure 3. Poirier’s Facet
[EBND 2.156]
Table 1. Definitions of traits used in this study.
TRAIT
DEFINITION
SOURCE
Allen’s
Fossa
Depression or eroded area where bone has been lost, trabeculae must be exposed to be scored.
Finnegan (1978)
Poirier’s
Facet
Extension of articular surface of femoral head onto anterior-superior aspect of the neck, covered by hyaline cartilage.
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
Plaque
Overgrowth or bony scar extending from area
of Poirier’s facet to femoral neck, where it can surround or cover Allen’s fossa.
Finnegan (1978)
Posterior Cervical Imprint
Resembles Poirier’s facet. Located on posterior aspect of femoral neck.
Kostick (1963)
Byzantine St. Stephen’s Project
Laboratory for Biocultural Studies
Department of Anthropology
University of Notre Dame
Figure 4. Posterior Cervical Imprint
[EBND 2.175]
Figure 5. Plaque & Porier’s Facet
[EBND 2.169]