This project investigas humeral torsion and activity-related change in the human upper
limb. Increased humeral torsion angles have been identified in the professional throwing
athlete and may be associated with strenuous activity. The nature of humeral torsion as
an osteogenic response to the strain environment is investigated to identify its role in the
behavioural morphology of the upper limb. These physical manifestations of strenuous
physical activity provide an insight into the make-up of medieval armies prior to the
establishment of standing armies.
Populations analysed include two blade-injured samples, Towton and a subsample
of blade-injured men from the Priory of St. Andrew, Fishergate, York. The men
from the Mary Rose, a Tudor warship are also investigated. Other samples analysed
include the rural sites of Wharram Percy and Hickleton, the urban cemeteries from the
Priory of St. Andrew, Fishergate,York and the leprosarium of Sts. James and Mary
Magdalene, Chichester, the modern cadaver-based Terry collection and non-human primates,
Gorilla sp., Pan sp., Pongo sp., and Macaca sp.. Measurement of the humeral torsion angle and external measurements and indices of architecture, articulations and
robusticity are employed. Cross-sectional geometric properties are investigated using
CT imaging of the paired humeri from a sub-sample of blade-injured individuals and a
comparative sample of those who were not. Bilateral asymmetry is investigated to
identify the role of plasticity within the humerus and to reveal aspects of limb
dominance. The results are compared with non-human primate species to obtain insight
into inter-species differences.
Results indicate the humeral torsion is not ontogenetically constrained, but is
highly variable between and within populations, individuals and even between sides.
Biomechanical analyses indicate that in the Towton population, humeral torsion may
serve as part of a two-stage adaptation, in which the architecture is modified to enable
greater biomechanical efficiency in distributing strain, reducing the need of increased
cortical thickness. Changes in humeral torsion related to strenuous activity have been
identified, although in the blade-injured samples it is decreased torsion angles, w hile in
the comparative sample it is increased torsion angles that significantly correlate with
limb hypertrophy. Humeral torsion appears to be influenced by other measurementd of
humeral architecture, specifically, the amount of anterior bowing and anterior curvature
to the distal humeral shaft.
This work demonstrates the need for individual rather than population-based
analyses, as the heterogeneity within population samples obscures individual variation
in activity patterns. This analysis provides baseline data for typical populations of the
Middle Ages. From this, it is then possible to investigate the individual within this
baseline, to identify those who stand out from their samples through habitual, strenuous
activity patterns. Movement patterns identified related to warfare include those
consistent with the use of the longbow in the Towton sample and the use of a sword in
the Fishergate blade-injured sample. These men, and those of the Mary Rose, appear to
have either been selected for combat based on size, or benefited from a more nutritious
diet during growth. / Arts and Humanities Research Board (AHRB), Francis Raymond Hudson Fund, Andy
Jagger Fund.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BRADFORD/oai:bradscholars.brad.ac.uk:10454/4343 |
| Date | January 2004 |
| Creators | Rhodes, Jill Anne |
| Contributors | Knüsel, Christopher J. |
| Publisher | University of Bradford, Department of Archaeological Sciences |
| Source Sets | Bradford Scholars |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, doctoral, PhD |
| Rights | <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/3.0/88x31.png" /></a><br />The University of Bradford theses are licenced under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/">Creative Commons Licence</a>. |
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