First Metatarsal Bones as Substitutes for Tibias in Harris Lines Studies on Past Populations

Abstract

The first metatarsal bones (FMBs) are often better preserved than tibias in archeological samples. The aim of this study was to test the possibility of performing Harris lines studies on FMBs as stress markers instead of tibias. The Harris lines in 264 FMBs from a historic French burial site dating back to two burial periods were studied and compared with the Harris lines in FMBs from 4 historical and 2 Neolithic sites. The Harris lines in 57 tibias and FMBs were com- pared. The intra-observer, inter-observer, side, and age-at-death variations were not found to be significant. The total prevalence of Harris lines was lower in the 16 th -17 th century sample than in the 11 th -13 th century sample, but no significant diachronic variations were observed between male and female samples. The Harris lines in the tibias and FMBs were not signifi- cantly correlated. Comparisons on the prevalence of the Harris lines showed the existence of significant differences be- tween several samples, in keeping with the archeological data. In conclusion, the Harris lines in the first metatarsal bones studied showed significant intra- and inter-population variations. Further investigations are now required, however, to precisely access the value of using first metatarsals instead of tibias for Harris lines studies in bioarcheology or perhaps acknowledge that Harris lines have minimal scientific use as stress markers, except in unusual situations.