Pubic symphyseal face eburnation: an Egyptian sport story?

Abstract

Strenuous physical activity leaves scars on bone that attest to the demands of occupation, sport, aggression and recreation. During the assessment of 74 C-Group Nubians from Hierakonpolis (Egypt) dated to the Egyptian Middle Kingdom-Second Intermediate Period (2080-1700 BC), robust muscle insertions along the ilia and ischia were observed among some adults. In addition, a disproportionate degeneration of the pubic symphyseal faces when compared to other age-related features was also noted. In the case of one male (Burial 32), the pubic symphyseal faces were completely flattened and polished so that they resembled the eburnation that is pathognomic of osteoarthritis. Differential diagnoses are discussed and osteitis pubis, an increasingly diagnosed injury among modern athletes who participate in intense activity that involves running, kicking, twisting or leaping, is proposed as the most likely etiology. The exaggerated muscle insertions and pubic symphyseal wear, epitomised by the individual interred in Burial 32, are unique features that may be linked to the unexplained presence of this Nubian group deep in Egyptian territory during a period of political instability. Artefactual, artistic and documentary evidence records how the Egyptian pharaohs and elites conscripted Nubian athletes to the royal courts for staged contests and entertainment, part of a propaganda program engineered to reinforce among the general populace the dogma of Egyptian supremacy over the enemy. This Nubian community, serviced by Cemetery HK27C, may have functioned as a source for individuals skilled in athletics or other activities that required exceptional physical dexterity. The extraordinary modification of these pubic symphyseal faces underscores the importance of recognising paleopathological conditions that may further confound current macroscopic methods used to ascertain the chronological age of an individual.

Skeletal Indicators of Pregnancy and Parturition: A Historical Review

“…(57) pointed out that a variety of pathological conditions can affect pubic morphology, including congenital anomalies, infections, inflammatory disease, metabolic and degenerative disease, tumors, and trauma. This perspective was later emphasized by Resnick (58), Judd (59), and Pfeiffer (60). Literature at that time was summarized by Krogman and İşcan (61) and Steele and Bramblett (62).…”

Principal component analysis in the evaluation of osteoarthritis

“…Though it is uncommon to observe OA at the sacro‐iliac and pubic symphyseal joints, both joint areas are subject to a variety of internal and external forces that lead to marginal lipping, cystic lesions (presenting as either micro‐ and macro‐porosity of the bone surface), degeneration/erosion and ankylosis (Campanacho, Santos, & Cardoso, ; Lovejoy, Meindl, Pryzbeck, & Mensforth, ; Resnick, Niwayama, & Goergen, ). In particular, pelvic stress injury (e.g., osteitis pubis) and sacroiliac abnormalities can lead to coarsely porous new bone remodeling, and eburnation on any of the six articular faces of the pelvis (Judd, ; Major & Helms, ; Pfeiffer, ).…”

Explaining the Past in 2010

“…Bioarchaeology and stable‐isotope analysis have been yielding eye‐opening findings about the movement of people into ancient state centers. One is documented by Margaret Judd (2010), who identifies a Nubian subgroup in Heirakonpolis with attachment scars and wear typical of vigorous jumping and running. These individuals may have been athletes involved in performances or contests at the Egyptian center in the Second Intermediate Period.…”