Provider: Moravian Museum, Brno, Czech Republic TY - JOUR JO - Anthropologie (Brno) TI - The effect of age on external bone morphology properties in adults AU - Myszka A AU - Piontek J Y1 - 2013 VL - 51 IS - 3 PB - Moravian Museum, Brno, Czech Republic SN - 0323-1119 SP - 409 EP - 420 KW - Entheseal changes KW - Bone robusticity KW - Age KW - Adults N2 - N2 - The analysis of the effect of age on entheseal changes (EC) and bone robusticity is still of anthropologists' interest. Some researchers assert a strong influence of age on bone morphology in adults, underlining the necessity of age control when EC and robusticity are used in activity reconstruction. Others claim the effect of age is not so obvious, noting the "bony self-limiting" process and multifactorial aetiology of bone morphology. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of age on entheseal changes (EC) and long bone robusticity in adults. The bone material used in the study came from a medieval cemetery in Cedynia (Poland). The analyses were performed on humeri on the right side. The sample consists of 59 males (33 young adults, 23 middle adults, and three old adults) and 48 females (26 young adults and 22 middle adults). Pectoralis major and deltoid attachments were observed, and humeral robusticity index was calculated. The effect of age on EC and robusticity was examined. Additionally, the relationship between entheses and humeral robusticity index was analysed. In this study age did not have an influence on ECs or the humeral robusticity index. The relationship between ECs and humeral robusticity was significant (more robust bones have more developed entheses). The obtained results suggest that body size rather than age should be taken into account when ECs and/or bone robusticity are used for activity patterns reconstruction. ER -