Describing Cro-Magnon: The femora, tibiae and fibulae

Abstract

As part of a reassessment of the Mid Upper Paleolithic human remains from Cro-Magnon (Dordogne, France), a morphological description and paleobiological consideration of the Cro-Magnon lower limb long bone (femoral, tibial and fibular) remains is presented. Following the reassociation of the lower limb remains (Thibeault and Villotte, 2018, J. Archaeol. Sci. Rep. 21, 76–86), the preserved bones are presented in terms of the Alpha (Cro-Magnon 1), Beta and Gamma older adult individuals.Morphologically the Cro-Magnon femora, tibiae and fibulae fall comfortably within the ranges of variation of other earlier (Early and Mid) Upper Paleolithic human remains in most aspects. Their diaphyseal discrete morphologies follow the early modern human pattern of clear femoral pilasters and large gluteal buttresses, discrete tibial pilasters, and prominent tibial and fibular longitudinal sulci. Their femoral diaphyses exhibit levels of hypertrophy similar to those of other Late Pleistocene remains, although the Alpha and Beta ones are among the most robust, and Gamma is more gracile. The primary contrasts are in their body proportions, in that Alpha and Beta appear to have had linear proportions overall, yet Alpha and Gamma exhibit the low crural proportions usually associated with stocky bodies. As such, the Cro-Magnon lower limb remains both reinforce the E/MUP patterns but also extend the ranges of variation for the sample. These morphological aspects are joined by minor, age-related lesions in Beta and Gamma, but they are associated with a prominent femoral lesion and multiple other abnormalities (principally enthesopathies) in Alpha. The latter are likely part of a systemic disorder in Alpha (Cro-Magnon 1) of uncertain etiology.