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.Key words : Hyperdorsiflexion of the foot ; bone remodelling. The articular morphology of the human skeleton can be subject to modification by stresses imposed upon it. Habitual squatting has long been recognised to alter the skeletal morphology of the lower limb (Thomson, 1889(Thomson, , 1890. Squatting is a resting postural complex that involves hyperflexion at the hip and knee and hyperdorsiflexion at the ankle and subtalar joints. During locomotion, the foot is rarely dorsiflexed sufficiently to bring the anterior border of the inferior extremity of the tibia into contact with the dorsum of the neck of the talus. Thus modifications of the neck of the talus and the distal tibia indicating their habitual contact have been taken as evidence of the extreme dorsiflexion of the ankle that occurs in

During dissection of the submental region of a male cadaver, we encountered an abnormal digastric muscle on both sides. Two muscle bundles, both of which fused with mylohyoid muscle close to the midline, were observed on the right side. The anterior one originated from the digastric fossa and its length and width were 27 and 9 mm, respectively. The posterior accessory belly originated from the right intermediate tendon and it was 32 mm in length and 11 mm wide. On the left side, there was a single accessory bundle that originated from the left intermediate tendon and inserted into the mylohyoid raphe at the fusion point of the right accessory bundles. The length and width of this belly were 29 and 9 mm, respectively. The remaining suprahyoid muscles of both sides were normal. Anatomical variations of digastric muscle have to be considered in the imaging procedures of the soft tissue masses in the submental region.

The presence of a bony bridge in the (bridging trait) hypoglossal canal, with five different modes, was investigated in 25 adult male Byzantine (13th century) skulls. First, we reevaluated the viability of proposed classification schemes, then for the first time, provided information on the structural features of this part of the occipital bone in a population of Asia Minor. Analysis of the data revealed minor differences in the Byzantine population compared to those previously investigated. Diverse geographical sources may be beneficial in understanding the role of developmental and genetic factors in bridging trait.

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