Validated Entheses-based Reconstruction of Activity
The Validated Entheses-based Reconstruction of Activity (V.E.R.A.) method is a virtual anthropological approach for assessing an individual’ habitual physical activities in the past, based on changes observed in the three-dimensional (3D) morphology of its dry skeletal remains.[1][2][3] Following the development of V.E.R.A. in 2016 by biological anthropologist Fotios Alexandros Karakostis,[1] its reliability has been supported by experimental studies on laboratory animals and by research conducted on human skeletons with fully documented occupational life histories (see [2][4][5][6][7][8]). The name of the method (‘V.E.R.A.’) was first introduced in a dedicated literature review published in 2021.[3] Since its development, the value of this technique and its experimental support have been extensively discussed in the peer-reviewed anthropological literature focusing on the reconstruction of physical activity in the past (for example, [2][5][6][9][10][11][7][12][13]).
Principles
V.E.R.A. focuses on the virtual analysis of entheses, which refer to areas on the bone surface where muscles or ligaments attach.[2][7][14] Its application entails the use of a protocol for delineating and quantifying entheseal 3D surfaces, followed by the application of multivariate statistics.
Measuring protocol
The V.E.R.A. protocols include a step-by-step procedure for delineating the exact areas where muscles or ligaments attach on the dry bone surface. The main criteria for identifying these areas are surface elevation (i.e., either bone depression or projection at the point of entheses), complexity (i.e., irregularity), and coloration (i.e., a tendency for darker coloration in entheses).[1] The most important criterion is elevation, whereas considering coloration is optional.[3] The delineation procedure is facilitated by the sequential use of specific 3D imaging filters. After an entheseal 3D area is digitally delineated, it can be virtually separated from the surrounding bone surface and measured in square mm. These surface area measurements can be adjusted for the effects of individual size before further statistical analysis.[3]
Multivariate statistics
The resulting 3D bone area measurements for each individual’s muscle or ligament attachment sites can be compared across individuals and groups via various statistical analyses. Most previous applications of V.E.R.A. have relied on the use of multivariate statistics, including principal component analysis, discriminant function analysis, and linear modeling.[3][15][16] Multivariate analyses allow for the simultaneous analysis of several attachment sites per individual, providing information on patterns of habitual interaction among muscles during life.[3][8] These patterns are shown to reflect groups of muscles associated with specific body movements.[3]
Applications in Biological Anthropology
To date, V.E.R.A. has been applied to human skeletal remains from various geo-chronological contexts, spanning from Paleolithic hunter-gatherers to post-industrial populations.[3] Some examples include:
- Paleolithic Homo sapiens and Neanderthals
- Pre-Columbian foragers
- Prisoners from Archaic Athens, Greece (Phalerum cemetery)
- Medieval farmers from Burgos, Spain
- Documented individuals from Early Industrial Basel, Switzerland
Analysis of shape
An expansion of V.E.R.A. allows for the additional analysis of entheseal 3D shape.[3][17] This approach involves the additional application of 3D geometric morphometrics on the muscle attachment areas that have been previously delineated using the V.E.R.A. measuring protocols. Previous research has identified a strong correlation between the projecting shape of some entheses and the force-producing capacity of the attaching muscle.[3] The advantages of this landmark-based approach have been discussed in the literature (for example, [17]).
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Karakostis, Fotios Alexandros; Lorenzo, Carlos (2016). "Morphometric patterns among the 3D surface areas of human hand entheses". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 160 (4): 694–707. doi:10.1002/ajpa.22999. ISSN 1096-8644. PMID 27166777.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Schrader, Sarah (2019), Schrader, Sarah, ed., "Bioarchaeological Approaches to Activity Reconstruction", Activity, Diet and Social Practice: Addressing Everyday Life in Human Skeletal Remains, Bioarchaeology and Social Theory, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 55–126, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-02544-1_3, ISBN 978-3-030-02544-1, retrieved 2021-12-12 Unknown parameter
|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 Karakostis, Fotios Alexandros; Harvati, Katerina (2021). "New horizons in reconstructing past human behavior: Introducing the "Tübingen University Validated Entheses-based Reconstruction of Activity" method". Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews. 30 (3): 185–198. doi:10.1002/evan.21892. ISSN 1520-6505. PMID 33764627 Check
|pmid=value (help). Unknown parameter|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ Karakostis, Fotios Alexandros; Jeffery, Nathan; Harvati, Katerina (2019-11-12). "Experimental proof that multivariate patterns among muscle attachments (entheses) can reflect repetitive muscle use". Scientific Reports. 9 (1): 16577. Bibcode:2019NatSR...916577K. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-53021-8. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 6851080 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 31719626. - ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bowland, Lucyna A.; Scott, Jill E.; Kivell, Tracy L.; Patel, Biren A.; Tocheri, Matthew W.; Orr, Caley M. (September 2021). "Homo naledi pollical metacarpal shaft morphology is distinctive and intermediate between that of australopiths and other members of the genus Homo". Journal of Human Evolution. 158: 103048. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103048. PMID 34340120 Check
|pmid=value (help). - ↑ 6.0 6.1 Belcastro, Maria Giovanna; Mariotti, Valentina; Pietrobelli, Annalisa; Sorrentino, Rita; García-Tabernero, Antonio; Estalrrich, Almudena; Rosas, Antonio (April 2020). "The study of the lower limb entheses in the Neanderthal sample from El Sidrón (Asturias, Spain): How much musculoskeletal variability did Neanderthals accumulate?". Journal of Human Evolution. 141: 102746. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102746. PMID 32163763 Check
|pmid=value (help). Unknown parameter|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Turcotte, Cassandra M.; Rabey, Karyne N.; Green, David J.; McFarlin, Shannon C. (January 2022). "Muscle attachment sites and behavioral reconstruction: An experimental test of muscle‐bone structural response to habitual activity". American Journal of Biological Anthropology. 177 (1): 63–82. doi:10.1002/ajpa.24410. ISSN 2692-7691. Unknown parameter
|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 Karakostis, Fotios Alexandros; Hotz, Gerhard; Scherf, Heike; Wahl, Joachim; Harvati, Katerina (2017). "Occupational manual activity is reflected on the patterns among hand entheses". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 164 (1): 30–40. doi:10.1002/ajpa.23253. ISSN 1096-8644. PMID 28542729.
- ↑ Heteren, Anneke H.; Friess, Martin; Détroit, Florent; Balzeau, Antoine (March 2022). "Covariation of proximal finger and toe phalanges in Homo sapiens : A novel approach to assess covariation of serially corresponding structures". American Journal of Biological Anthropology. 177 (3): 471–488. doi:10.1002/ajpa.24439. ISSN 2692-7691. Unknown parameter
|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ Bardo, Ameline; Moncel, Marie-Hélène; Dunmore, Christopher J.; Kivell, Tracy L.; Pouydebat, Emmanuelle; Cornette, Raphaël (2020-11-26). "The implications of thumb movements for Neanderthal and modern human manipulation". Scientific Reports. 10 (1): 19323. Bibcode:2020NatSR..1019323B. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-75694-2. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 7692544 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 33244047 Check|pmid=value (help). - ↑ Ozone, Kaichi; Kokubun, Takanori; Takahata, Kei; Takahashi, Haruna; Yoneno, Moe; Oka, Yuichiro; Minegishi, Yuki; Arakawa, Kohei; Kano, Takuma; Murata, Kenji; Kanemura, Naohiko (2021-12-04). "Structural and pathological changes in the enthesis are influenced by the muscle contraction type during exercise". Journal of Orthopaedic Research. 40 (9): 2076–2088. doi:10.1002/jor.25233. ISSN 0736-0266. PMID 34862672 Check
|pmid=value (help). Unknown parameter|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ Sparacello, V. S.; Samsel, M.; Villotte, S.; Varalli, A.; Schimmenti, V; Sineo, L. (May 2020). "Inferences on Sicilian Mesolithic subsistence patterns from cross-sectional geometry and entheseal changes". Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. 12 (5): 101. doi:10.1007/s12520-020-01044-y. ISSN 1866-9557. Unknown parameter
|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ Bertsatos, Andreas; Chovalopoulou, Maria‐Eleni; Boskovits, Nikoletta‐Maria; Garoufi, Nefeli; Nikita, Efthymia (March 2021). "The impact of activity on pelvic age‐at‐death estimation". International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. 31 (2): 218–231. doi:10.1002/oa.2941. ISSN 1047-482X. Unknown parameter
|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ Foster, Aimee; Buckley, Hallie; Tayles, Nancy (September 2014). "Using Enthesis Robusticity to Infer Activity in the Past: A Review". Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory. 21 (3): 511–533. doi:10.1007/s10816-012-9156-1. ISSN 1072-5369. Unknown parameter
|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ Milella, Marco; Cardoso, Francisca Alves; Assis, Sandra; Lopreno, Geneviève Perréard; Speith, Nivien (February 2015). "Exploring the relationship between entheseal changes and physical activity: A multivariate study: A Multivariate Study of Entheseal Robusticity". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 156 (2): 215–223. doi:10.1002/ajpa.22640. hdl:10316/45657. PMID 25330328.
- ↑ Laffranchi, Zita; Charisi, Drosia; Jiménez‐Brobeil, Sylvia A.; Milella, Marco (November 2020). "Gendered division of labor in a Celtic community? A comparison of sex differences in entheseal changes and long bone shape and robusticity in the pre‐Roman population of Verona (Italy, third–first century BC )". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 173 (3): 568–588. doi:10.1002/ajpa.24111. ISSN 0002-9483. PMID 32812226 Check
|pmid=value (help). Unknown parameter|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ 17.0 17.1 Nikita, Efthymia; Xanthopoulou, Panagiota; Bertsatos, Andreas; Chovalopoulou, Maria‐Eleni; Hafez, Iosif (May 2019). "A three‐dimensional digital microscopic investigation of entheseal changes as skeletal activity markers". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 169 (4): 704–713. doi:10.1002/ajpa.23850. ISSN 0002-9483. PMID 31041832. Unknown parameter
|s2cid=ignored (help)
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