Several Infra-cranial Non-metric Variations in a Single Neolithic individual: A Common Genetic Underlying Predisposition?

E. Verna (1) , S. Villotte (2)

1 ADES - Anthropologie bio-culturelle, Droit, Ethique et Santé
2 PACEA - De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel : Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie

Non‐metric variations have been the subject of anatomical and anthropological studies for more than a century. In this study, we present an individual from Sion (Canton of Valais, Southern Switzerland) dated from the Middle Neolithic who shows evidence for four non‐metric variations. This young adult male presents an os acromiale, spondylolysis, a bipartite patella, and bilateral calcaneus secundarius. These non‐metric variations have a low frequency in most populations (less than 10%), and for each of them the origin is usually considered to be genetic, environmental, or a combination of both. This case is of interest for understanding the potential genetic origin of these non‐metric variations as well as for demonstrating their usefulness in bioarcheological analysis.

Mots clés: non-metric variation; genetic etiology; mechanical stress; neolithic; Non-metric variation; Neolithic Non-metric variation; Neolithic

Domaines: Anthropologie biologique

E. Verna, S. Villotte. Several Infra-cranial Non-metric Variations in a Single Neolithic individual: A Common Genetic Underlying Predisposition?. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2016, 26 (6), pp.1113 - 1118. ⟨10.1002/oa.2522⟩. ⟨hal-01500545⟩