Three-dimensional geometry of human tibial anterior curvature in chronologically distinct population samples of Central Europeans (2900 BC – 21 st century AD)

Abstract

Several lines of bioarchaeological research have confirmed the gradual decline in lower limb loading among past human populations, beginning with the transition to agriculture. The goal of this study was to assess whether human tibial curvature reflects this decline, with a special emphasis on the time-span during which the pace of technological change has been the most rapid. Our study is the first (1) to apply longitudinal curvature analysis in the antero-posterior (A–P) and medio-lateral (M–L) planes to the human tibia, and (2) that incorporates a broad temporal population sample including the periods of intensification of agriculture, urbanization and industrialization (from 2900 BC to the 21 st century AD; N = 435) within Czech territories. Using three-dimensional geometric morphometrics, we investigated whether anterior tibial curvature mirrors assumed diminishing lower limb loading between prehistoric and industrialized societies and explored its shape in all three dimensions. Results showed the continuous trend of A–P straightening of the shaft. This straightening was associated with a relative sigmoidal curve accentuation in the M-L plane. Given the timescale involved and the known phenomenon of declining mobility, such adaptive changes in bone geometry can be interpreted in terms of the diminishing biomechanical demands on the tibia under different living conditions.