New insights into the manual activities of individuals from the Phaleron cemetery (Archaic Athens, Greece)

Karakostis, Fotios Alexandros; Buikstra, Jane E.; Prevedorou, Eleanna; Hannigan, Elizabeth; Hotaling, Jessica; Hotz, Günter; Liedl, Hannah; Moraitis, Konstantinos; Siek, Thomas; Waltenberger, Lukas; Widrick, Kerri J.; Harvati, Katerina

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2021.105415

Cited by 4 publications

(11 citation statements)

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“…These differences were also observed in the multivariate analyses of that study. Similarly, some anthropological studies also often found group differences in the raw size of specific single entheses (e.g., Karakostis, Buikstra, et al, 2021). These results seem to suggest that it is possible for raw entheseal size to reflect habitual physical activity when the signal of biomechanical loading happens to be powerful enough to overcome the effects of other major factors, such as body size, biological age, and genes.…”

Section: Analyzing Single Entheses (Adjusted and Unadjusted): Introdu...mentioning

confidence: 94%

“…5. Statistical bivariate comparisons between groups both in raw (unadjusted) and size-adjusted measurements (e.g., Castro et al, 2022;Karakostis, Buikstra, et al, 2021).…”

Section: Concluding Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When a PC axis shows visual differences between groups (Figure 3), the factor loadings of the PC can be used to reconstruct the entheseal interactions associated with these trends (Tabachnick & Fidell, 2019). Moreover, these PC scores can be further compared between groups using statistical probability testing, either based on parametric or nonparametric comparison tests (e.g., Castro et al, 2022; Karakostis, Buikstra, et al, 2021). Moreover, correlation tests can be used to test for the strength of association between the PC scores of interest and various systemic factors, such as biological age and estimated stature or body mass (e.g., Karakostis et al, 2017; Karakostis & Hotz, 2022; Karakostis & Lorenzo, 2016; Karakostis, Wallace, et al, 2019).…”

Section: Multivariate Statistics For Exploring Muscle/ligament Synergiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, directly comparing the 3D size of each single enthesis across individuals is likely more prone to the effects of the multiple systemic factors driving interindividual variability. Consequently, except for cases where the signal of biomechanical loading is exceptionally high and may overcome the effects of other factors (see the section above; e.g., Castro et al, 2022; Karakostis, Buikstra, et al, 2021), activity differences tend to become much more distinctive when a multivariate analysis is performed (e.g., Figure 3).…”

Section: Multivariate Statistics For Exploring Muscle/ligament Synergiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As detailed in the Introduction (Section 1), this step includes testing for precision error using either repeated‐measures ANOVA, paired t ‐test (or nonparametric equivalents), Lin's concordance coefficient, or “error principal component analysis” (i.e., any of these techniques). Measurement of raw (unadjusted) entheses in mm 2 . Size adjustment (preferably relying on the geometric mean technique; e.g., Karakostis et al, 2017; Karakostis & Hotz, 2022). Initial screening for intergroup mean differences in multivariate entheseal patterning by using the VERA Bar‐Chart (Figure 2) and calculating the GEPI% statistics (GEPI T , GEPI 1 , and GEPI 2 ). Statistical bivariate comparisons between groups both in raw (unadjusted) and size‐adjusted measurements (e.g., Castro et al, 2022; Karakostis, Buikstra, et al, 2021). Use of PCAs (both on raw and size‐adjusted data) to explore multivariate correlations among entheses reflecting patterns of muscle coordination that are hypothesized to vary between groups (Karakostis et al, 2017; Karakostis & Hotz, 2022; Karakostis & Lorenzo, 2016).…”

Section: Concluding Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Statistical protocol for analyzing 3D muscle attachment sites based on the “Validated Entheses‐based Reconstruction of Activity” (VERA) approach

Karakostis

2022

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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In anthropological sciences, the areas of the bones where muscles or ligaments attach (“entheses” or “muscle attachments”) are routinely used for reconstructing habitual physical activity based on skeletal remains. However, several previous studies have argued against this practice, considering the low measuring repeatability of most traditional evaluation techniques and the former lack of supportive experimental evidence for an actual effect of physical activity on entheseal morphology. In 2016, I proposed a repeatable virtual approach for reconstructing habitual physical activity using entheseal morphology, which has been validated based on several experimental studies on laboratory animal species and human skeletons with uniquely detailed and longitudinal occupational documentation. This method, which was later named the “Validated Entheses‐based Reconstruction of Activity” (VERA) method, relies on a precise protocol for virtually delineating and quantifying entheseal areas on three‐dimensional bone models. The obtained area measurements are then subjected to size adjustment and multivariate statistical analyses, which have been experimentally shown to reveal group correlations among entheses that reflect habitual coordination among muscle groups. This paper presents the first critical review of all the various statistical approaches previously employed for analyzing entheses using VERA (so far), providing the first coherent step‐by‐step protocol for the complete univariate and multivariate analysis of entheseal three‐dimensional data. These include the introduction of a new, simple, and fast plotting technique for the initial screening of group entheseal patterns prior to multivariate analysis (i.e., the “VERA Bar‐Chart”), followed by the calculation of the “group entheseal patterning index” (hereafter GEPI%).

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Section: Analyzing Single Entheses (Adjusted and Unadjusted): Introdu...mentioning

confidence: 94%

“…5. Statistical bivariate comparisons between groups both in raw (unadjusted) and size-adjusted measurements (e.g., Castro et al, 2022;Karakostis, Buikstra, et al, 2021).…”

Section: Concluding Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Multivariate Statistics For Exploring Muscle/ligament Synergiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Multivariate Statistics For Exploring Muscle/ligament Synergiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Concluding Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Statistical protocol for analyzing 3D muscle attachment sites based on the “Validated Entheses‐based Reconstruction of Activity” (VERA) approach

Karakostis

2022

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Reflections of manual labor in the hand entheses of early industrial women workers with extensively documented life histories

Karakostis

Hotz

2022

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

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ObjectivesSex‐based occupational variability constitutes a fundamental component of human behavior and a major focus of research focusing on biocultural evolution. However, the reliability of reconstructing physical activity in past women is often compromised by the lack of female skeletal collections with adequately documented lifetime occupations, domestic living conditions, medical records, and socioeconomic status. Here, we attempt to reconstruct habitual manual activity in a skeletal sample of early industrial women with uniquely archived life histories.Materials and MethodsWe rely on the application of our “Validated Entheses‐based Reconstruction of Activity” method on the hand skeletons of 38 extensively documented individuals from the Basel‐Spitalfriedhof collection. Our comparisons also include 40 documented males from the same collection.ResultsAs expected, we found evidence of increased entheseal variability among women sharing the same unspecialized occupation (maids and factory workers). Moreover, certain entheseal patterns were almost exclusive to the men involved in occupations not associated with the female sex (mainly construction workers). Importantly, all six women known to have practiced more specific occupational activities (e.g., seamstresses) showed distinctive entheseal patterns, seemingly associated with more demanding physical practices. This within‐sex variation was not correlated with differences in biological age, estimated body size, socioeconomic status, relatedness, or the presence of reported children.DiscussionOur findings directly reflect the rich historical sources on the working lives of low‐status women in early industrial Basel. These results highlight the high potential value of our documented sample as a reference basis for reconstructing the division of labor in bioarchaeological contexts.

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The Poetics of Violence at Phaleron

Buikstra,

Cormier,

Hannigan

et al. 2024

Bioarchaeology and Social Theory

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New insights into the manual activities of individuals from the Phaleron cemetery (Archaic Athens, Greece)

Cited by 4 publications

References 35 publications

Statistical protocol for analyzing 3D muscle attachment sites based on the “Validated Entheses‐based Reconstruction of Activity” (VERA) approach

Statistical protocol for analyzing 3D muscle attachment sites based on the “Validated Entheses‐based Reconstruction of Activity” (VERA) approach

Reflections of manual labor in the hand entheses of early industrial women workers with extensively documented life histories

The Poetics of Violence at Phaleron

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