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Squatting facets on the neck of the talus and extensions of the trochlear surface of the talus in late Byzantine males
Author(s) -
OYGUCU I. H.,
KURT M. A.,
IKIZ I.,
EREM T.,
DAVIES D. C.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of anatomy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.932
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1469-7580
pISSN - 0021-8782
DOI - 10.1046/j.1469-7580.1998.19220287.x
Subject(s) - squatting position , byzantine architecture , anatomy , geology , medicine , computer science , biology , geography , archaeology
Remodelling of bone occurs in response to physical stress. Habitual squatting is associated with modifications of the neck of the talus (squatting facets) and its trochlear/malleolar surfaces (trochlear extensions), and individual populations exhibit different incidences of these modifications that reflect their lifestyle. The occurrence of talar modifications was therefore investigated in a population of late Byzantine (13th century AD) adult male skeletons. Lateral squatting facets occurred most frequently (37.7%), but medial (0.6%), combined (0.6%) and continuous (gutter‐like) facets (0.6%) were also observed. Lateral (8.0%), medial (10.9%) and continuous (lateral/central/medial) extensions (4.6%) of the trochlear surface were all present in the late Byzantine population. There was no evidence of side dimorphism. The occurrence of lateral squatting facets in the late Byzantine population was greater than that reported for modern Europeans, but similar to that reported for some populations of modern Indians. The frequency of occurrence of trochlear extensions in the late Byzantine population was substantially less than in modern Indian populations, but similar to modern Europeans. Therefore, it is unlikely that precisely the same factors determine the expression of squatting facets and trochlear extensions.