Structural variation in the humerus and femur in the American Great Plains and adjacent regions : differences in subsistence strategy and physical terrain

Analysis of long bone cross-sectional architecture has been increasingly used in the last three decades to help reconstruct behavior, especially activity patterns, from archaeologically derived skeletal material. This research has shown a strong correlation between cross-sectional geometric properties and mobility and terrain. However, few studies have focused on the American Great Plains or looked at hypotheses using a large dataset with considerable spatial distribution and time depth. The purpose of this research project is to examine structural variation and sexual dimorphism in the humerus and femur within and among groups from the American Great Plains and adjacent regions. The goals are threefold. The first goal is to investigate the degree to which long bone external dimensions can be used to predict diaphyseal cross-sectional properties (e.g., total periosteal area and moments of area). The second goal is to examine the effects of activity level, mobility, and terrain type on the crosssectional morphology of proximal limb bones. The final goal is to inspect the pattern of structural variation in the American Great Plains.