Jaime Ullinger [Dept. of Anthropology, Ohio State University] Susan Guise Sheridan [Dept. of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame] Bert de Vries [History Department, Calvin College] The results suggest that repetitive hyperdorsiflexion of the foot, as represented by markers on the talus and tibia, occurred similarly in these two Byzantine monastic and secular communities. The pattern present in both groups is similar to that found in other studies, where there are significantly more lateral facets than medial facets (Singh, 1959; Rao, 1966; Satinoff, 1972). Previous studies have also noted that there are significantly more “squatting facets” in females than in males (Pandey and Singh, 1990; Boulle, 2001a). It should be noted that the monastic community was composed almost entirely of males, while the Umm el-Jimal collection contained men and women. Boulle (2001b) separated talar facets into “conventional” and “pressure”. Both types were present in the monastic group, although the significance of this is not known. Boulle (2001b) suggested that the “pressure” facets denote “late developing” squatting facets, and may indicate that this Byzantine group was squatting at both younger and older ages, comparable to her ancient French samples. The tibial retroversion results for the St. Stephen’s collection indicate this pattern as well (data available on the Kovacik et al. poster about the knee joint). The manner in which the monks were kneeling may indicate hyperdorsiflexion of the foot; however, the assymetrical nature of the osteoarthritis should have been reflected in these facets if the foot was hyperdorsiflexed while kneeling. The act of kneeling, however, also shifts the individual’s weight onto the knees, while the act of squatting maintains weight-bearing on the ankle joint. This may also influence the absence of these facets with kneeling behavior. Further study involving the metatarsals (following Ubelaker 1979) should shed light on the involvement of the foot in kneeling. The presence of “squatting” facets in the monastic community at similar frequencies to its contemporaries (although we only have small samples) indicates that the monks may have been using habitual postures similar to non-religious individuals, in addition to the unusual repetitive behavior that they also engaged in. 6 / / 68 R / 10 7 / 9 0 / 9 0 / 8 Umm el- Jimmal / / 59 5 / 57 2 / 56 St. Stephen’s 10 / / / 15 7 / 13 8 / 15 1 / 14 2 / 14 Umm el- Jimmal 38 / / / / / 55 3 / 514 / 46 St. Stephen’s LRLRLRL MEDIAL FACET LATERAL FACET MEDIAL EXTENSION LATERAL EXTENSION TALUS TIBIA Table 1. Talar and Tibial Non-Metric Traits National Science Foundation The University of Notre Dame L’École Biblique et Archéologique Française de Jérusalem Western Michigan University Department of Antiquities of Jordan Umm el-Jimal Project Byzantine St. Stephen’s Project Laboratory for Biocultural Studies Department of Anthropology University of Notre Dame Table 1 lists the frequencies talar and tibial traits. The presence of facets and extensions was compared between sides for both groups using chi-square analysis. There was no significant difference for either collection. The presence of markers was also compared for the two groups, and no significant difference was found between the ankles of the monks and the same joint in the rural Umm el-Jimal group. The only comparison that approached significance was for the talar extensions. Medial extensions of the right surface were present at 61% among the monks, and 87% in the tali from Umm el-Jimal (p = 0.067). Lateral extensions of the right talar surface were present in 69% of the St. Stephen’s group, but only in 43% of the Jordanians (p = 0.066). This is most likely due to the fact that there is a significant difference (p = 0.019) between medial and lateral extensions of the right talus in the Umm el-Jimal group, but not in the St. Stephen’s tali (p = 0.266). Barnett CH Squatting facets on the European talus. J Anat 88: Bautch R On Bended Knee: Correlations liturgical and anthropological from a Fifth-century monastery. Koinonia, XI.2: Boulle E. 2001a. Evolution of two human skeletal markers of the squatting position: a diachronic study from antiquity to the modern age. Am J Phys Anthropol 115: Boulle E. 2001b. Osteological features associated with ankle hyperdorsiflexion. Int J Osteoarchaeol 11: Buikstra JE, Ubelaker DH, editors Standards for data collection from human skeletal remains. Fayetteville, AK: Arkansas Archaeological Survey. Driscoll M, Sheridan, SG Every Knee Shall Bend: Liturgical & ascetical prayer in V-VII century Palestine. Worship 74(5): Finnegan M Non-metric variation of the infracranial skeleton. J Anat 125: Pandey SK, Singh S Study of squatting facet/extension of talus in both sexes. Med Sci Law 30: Rao PDP Squatting facets on the talus and tibia in Australian Aborigines. Archaeol Phys Anthropol Oceania 1: Satinoff M Squatting facets on the talus and tibia in Ancient Egyptians. J Hum Evol 1: Singh I Squatting facets on the talus and tibia in Indians. J Anat 93: Ubelaker DH Skeletal evidence for kneeling in prehistoric Ecuador. Am J Phys Anthropol 51: From the St. Stephen’s collection, over 130 tali were scorable for at least one trait, as were over 120 tibiae. Due to the disarticulated nature of the remains, tali and tibiae could not be observed from the same person. For the Umm el-Jimal remains, over 30 tali and 20 tibiae were used. This sample comes from a rural community in modern-day Jordan, dating to the same time period as St. Stephen’s. The tali were scored for the presence or absence of: 1) lateral extension of the trochlear surface, 2) medial extension of the trochlear surface, 3) lateral squatting facet, and 4) medial squatting facet. The tibiae were scored for the presence or absence of: 1) lateral facet or 2) medial facet. If there was a continuous facet, it was observed as both a lateral and medial facet in the tibiae. This scoring system follows Barnett (1954), Finnegan (1978) and Buikstra and Ubelaker (1994). The monks of Byzantine St. Stephen’s, a monastery in Jerusalem, have been thoroughly studied for the past decade. The skeletal remains date from 5 th -7 th centuries AD and constitute one portion of a biocultural synthesis, which has reconstructed several aspects of the monks’ lives, including repetitive kneeling for prayer/genuflection (Bautch, 1999; Driscoll & Sheridan, 2000). We examined the presence of “squatting facets” on the tali and tibiae to assess habitual movement at the ankle joint. A comparison was also made between the monks of St. Stephen’s and a non-monastic Byzantine community from Umm el-Jimal in Jordan. An ongoing study of Byzantine remains from an ossuary on the grounds of St. Stephen’s monastery in Jerusalem has uncovered evidence of sustained repetitive kneeling for prayer. Osteological analysis has found an arthritic response in the majority of individuals, associated with deep flexion of the leg. Arthritic changes at the knee and ankle, as well as non-metric analysis of features of the hip and heel have corroborated the historical evidence for sustained repetitive genuflection. The objective of this study was to examine the extent of hyperdorsiflexion of the ankle by scoring the presence of medial and lateral “squatting” facets on the tibia and talus. A total of 130 tali and 122 tibiae were examined from the St. Stephen’s collection. Lateral facets occurred on 55% of right tali (31/56), and medial facets on 6% of right tali (3/51). Chi-square tests revealed no significant difference between right and left tali for either the lateral or medial facet. Lateral facets occurred on 30 of 58 right tibiae (52%), and medial facets on 4 of 57 right tibiae (7%). There was no significant difference between right and left tibiae for lateral or medial facets. These data are comparable in frequency to other Byzantine sites from the same region, and contribute to an understanding of kneeling and monasticism within the biocultural model. They constitute one part of an overall biomechanical model of activity at St. Stephen’s monastery. Figure 1. Non-metric indicators of ‘squatting’ on the talus: a) no squatting facets [EBND ]; b) medial squatting facet [EBND 7.417]; c) lateral squatting facet [EBND ]; d) lateral squatting facet, pressure type [EBND ]; e) medial extension [EBND ]; and, f) lateral extension [EBND ]. Figure 2. Non-metric indicators of ‘squatting’ on the distal tibia: a) no squatting facet [EBND 5.437] ; b) medial squatting facet [EBND J.348] ; and c) lateral squatting facet [EBND9.74]. a a b b c c a a b b c c d d e e f f