Poirier's facet in past human populations from Radom (14-17 and 18-19 centuries).

Femoral head-neck defects are commonly reported in the anatomical and anthropological literature. The best-known types are Poirier's facet and Allen's fossa; however, their aetiology and definition are still debated. The aim of this study was to analyse the frequency of Poirier's facet in the skeletal population from Radom (Poland, 14-19 century). Additionally, a comparison of Poirier's facet prevalence in two chronological periods (the populations from Radom during the 14-17 century and the 18-19 century) was done. The femora of 367 adult individuals (184 males, 140 females, 43 unknown sex) from the osteological collections from Radom (14-19 century) (Poland) were analysed according to the frequency of Poirier's facet. In the Late Medieval population from Radom (14-17 century), Poirier's facet was noted in 33% of individuals, while in Radom individuals from 18th-19th century, Poirier's facet was observed in 34%. In the analysed skeletal group, Poirier's facet was usually observed on both femoral bones. Males from 18th-19th century had more occasions of Poirier's facet observed compared to the 14-17 century males, while in females, Poirier's facet was slightly more frequently observed in 14th-17th century Radom individuals. There were not statistically significant differences in the Poirier's facet frequencies between males and females in Radom from the 14-17 century (38% in males, 29% in females). In the Medieval and Modern skeletal series from Radom (18-19), males had significantly higher frequencies (44%) of this skeletal trait compared to females (18%). It could be hypothesised that 18-19 century Radom males engaged in more demanding physical activity than females. Poor knowledge about Poirier's facet aetiology, insufficient archaeological and historical knowledge about the Radom individuals' lifestyle, and a small sample size from the 14-17 Radom sample do not allow for drawing such unambiguous conclusions, and further analyses are needed.