title: A muscular imprint on the anterolateral surface of the proximal femurs of the Krapina Neandertal collection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to report and interpret a feature on the anterolateral surface of the proximal femurs of the Krapina hominid collection that we briefly described in 2006 (Periodicum Biologorum, 108, 319-329).
  
  
  METHODS
  We recorded the presence or absence of the feature in all the proximal femurs of the Krapina collection (six specimens recordable) and in 622 modern human adult femurs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The feature consists in a series of crests delimitating three raised or depressed areas. This feature has been found in three out of four adult Neandertal femurs observable. The two observable subadult Neandertal femurs do not show this character. None of the modern femurs displayed the feature.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We interpret this feature as a muscular imprint, probably representing the m. vastus intermedius origin and discuss a possible interpretation. We did not find any other references for such imprint in the existing literature regarding the Neandertal femurs.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Bioarcheologia e Osteologia Forense, Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Via Selmi 3, Bologna, 40126, Italy.|UMR 7268 ADES Anthropologie Bioculturelle, Droit, Ethique Et Santé CNRS/Université d'Aix-Marseille/EFS-Faculté De Médecine-Secteur Nord, CS80011, Marseille Cedex 15, Boulevard Pierre Dramard, 13344, France.|Centro Fermi, Piazza Del Viminale 1, Roma, 00184, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Giovanna
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Belcastro
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Bioarcheologia e Osteologia Forense, Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Via Selmi 3, Bologna, 40126, Italy.|UMR 7268 ADES Anthropologie Bioculturelle, Droit, Ethique Et Santé CNRS/Université d'Aix-Marseille/EFS-Faculté De Médecine-Secteur Nord, CS80011, Marseille Cedex 15, Boulevard Pierre Dramard, 13344, France.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mariotti
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000885:Anthropology, Physical; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005580:Fossils; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D059125:Neanderthals / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Enthesis; Femur; Krapina; Muscle vastus intermedius; Neandertals