MORPHOLOGICAL VARIATION OF THE PROXIMAL FEMUR IN SELECTED SKELETAL REMAINS A Thesis by Jessica Lynn Brown B.S. Michigan State University, 2002 Submitted to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the faculty of the Graduate School of Wichita State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts May 2006 MORPHOLOGICAL VARIATION OF THE PROXIMAL FEMUR IN SELECTED SKELETAL REMAINS I have examined the final copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts with a major in Anthropology. __________________________________________ Peer H. Moore-Jansen, Ph.D., Committee Chair We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: __________________________________________ Robert Lawless, Ph.D., Committee Member __________________________________________ John Carter, Ph.D., Committee Member ii DEDICATION To My Family and Friends iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Funding for this research came from three generous sources. Dr. Todd Fenton provided me with the opportunity to experience Albania’s past and present in two separate field seasons. The Moore-Jansen Scholarship and the Nancy Berner Fund through the Anthropology Department at Wichita State University provided financial support to study the Hamann-Todd collection in Cleveland. The expense of travel and accommodations during data collection during all of these experiences was greatly appreciated by these considerate awards. I would like to thank all the members of my thesis committee, Dr. Peer Moore-Jansen, Dr. Robert Lawless, and Dr. John Carter for their comments and suggestions. Throughout this process Dr. Peer Moore-Jansen provided invaluable guidance on how to conduct and report meaningful research, which will stay with me always. Thanks to Dr. Todd Fenton who has provided me with experience in the field, an introduction to the wonderful Albanian culture, and with advice and support throughout the past years. Also, the Albanian archaeologists and Anthropology Museum in Korca for not only the permission to study the research materials, but for the warmth, generosity, and making Albania feel like home. My family and friends have been ever supportive of my seemingly weird scholastic endeavors. Thank you to Mark O’Connor for your ever-listening ear, thoughtfulness, and encouragement. Lastly, I would like to thank my fellow students in the Biological Anthropology Lab at Wichita State University. For all the times in between hectic days and late nights, I’ve appreciated the friendships we’ve made. iv ABSTRACT The purpose of this thesis is to examine the structural variation of the proximal femur in human skeletal samples. The goal was to investigate and further describe the morphology of the proximal femur through quantitative observation. Subsets of measurements were used to calculate platymeric indices, which demonstrate the presence or absence of platymeria in a population. Metric analyses of the femur were also used to study size and shape differences in populations for indications of sexual dimorphism or asymmetry. Finally, selected platymeric index measurements were observed for intraobserver error, to test the validity of the measures and how well the researcher performed them. Data examining the morphology of the proximal femur were collected from a prehistoric Albanian site, a late 18th century Albanian site, and from a documented modern, industrial skeletal collection. In this study, platymeria was identified in the proximal femur in the two pre-industrial Albanian samples for both sexes and side. The results varied when compared to the industrial collection, which was eurymeric in both sexes and side. The proximal femoral differences in side and sex of the pre- industrial and industrial remains shed light on biomechanical investigations. Overall, results conclude that the use of platymeric indices allowed the researcher to successfully distinguish variations in the proximal femur among three populations. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................1 Purpose and Thesis Design ..................................................................................................1 Research in Morphological Variation .................................................................................2 2. BACKGROUND OF THE FEMUR.......................................................................................5 The Femur Briefly ..................................................................................................................5 Anatomy of the Femur..........................................................................................................6 Growth of the Femur...............................................................................................6 Features of the Proximal Femur.............................................................................7 Mechanical Stress on the Femur ........................................................................................12 Comparative Anatomy of the Femur ................................................................................13 Differences in Femoral Features of Apes and Humans....................................16 Plasticity in the Femur.........................................................................................................21 The Evolution of the Femur .............................................................................................22 3. BACKGROUND OF RESEARCH ON THE PROXIMAL FEMUR............................27 Morphological Research on the Proximal Femur............................................................27 Sexual Dimorphism in the Femur......................................................................................31 Asymmetry of the Femur....................................................................................................31 Biomechanics ........................................................................................................................33 Intraobserver Error..............................................................................................................33 4. MATERIALS AND METHODS............................................................................................35 Samples ..................................................................................................................................35 Measurement Protocol.........................................................................................................37 Statistical Procedures ...........................................................................................................44 5. RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................46 Summary Data ......................................................................................................................46 Platymeric Index Means ......................................................................................................55 Intraobserver Error..............................................................................................................60 6. DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................................61 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................61 Population Differences........................................................................................................63 Hamann-Todd Sample...........................................................................................63 Kamenica Sample....................................................................................................65 Vithkuq Sample.......................................................................................................67 Sexual Dimorphism..............................................................................................................68 Asymmetry.............................................................................................................................70 Platymeric Index Measurements ........................................................................................71 Intraobserver Error..............................................................................................................72 Summary................................................................................................................................72 vi BIBLIOGRAPHY.............................................................................................................................73 APPENDICES...................................................................................................................................78 Appendix A: Recording Form............................................................................................79 vii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Protocol Measurements..............................................................................................................38 2. Kamenica Sex Means..................................................................................................................48 3. Kamenica Male and Side Means ...............................................................................................49