Variaciones del terreno y cambios entesiales en poblaciones prehispánicas de Córdoba (Argentina)

Recently, it has been discussed whether the entheseal changes are only due to repetitive physical movements or activities that generate overload. According to Acosta et al. (2017) its manifestation would be influenced by the morphological characteristics of the terrain, with a lower frequency of entheseal changes among the individuals of mountainous terrain, due to a better adaptation to the biomechanical loads.The objective of the present work is to study the frequency of entheseal changes in an archaeological sample (61 individuals) from the Hills and Plains regions in the province of C o rdoba (Argentina) by applying two recording methods; and to compare these results with those previously obtained when analyzing degenerative changes. The proposal of Acosta et al. (2017) is also discussed. Prevalences of entheseal changes in four entheses of the lower limb were calculated and statistical tests were performed (Odds ratios, X2). The results suggest that individuals were more affected in the Plains area, although this could be explained both by an adaptation to the biomechanical load or by a more classic view related to the repetition of demanding physical activities.