Bull. imt. Hist. Mus. Land. (Geol.) 57(1): 25-28 



X><^335(So.Q 



Issued 28 June 2001 



Cough's Cave 1 (Somerset, England): a study 

 of the hand bones 



ERIKTRINKAUS 



Department of Anthropology, Catnpus Box 1 1 14, Washington University, St. Luiiis, MO 63130, USA, and 

 U.M.R. 5809 dii C.N.R.S., Laboratoire d'Anthropologie, Universite de Bordeaux I, 33405 Talence, France 



SYNOPSrs. The Cough's Cave 1 hand remains preserve five metacarpals and two proximal phalanges. Average metacarpal to 

 arm length is similar to that of Holocene and Recent humans. Proximal phalanx length relative to metacarpal length is moderately 

 short. Also of note is the general gracility of the hand, and the angular deviations of the metacarpo-phalangeal and proximal 

 interphalangeal articulations away from a midline through the fourth ray. 



INVENTORY 



The hands of Gough's Cave 1 are represented by five metacarpals 

 and two proximal phalanges (Fig.l). From the right hand are 

 metacarpals 2 to 5, which are complete with minimal dorsal, radial 

 and distal abrasion to the metacarpal 3. The left hand retains the 

 complete metacarpal 4 plus the complete proximal phalanges 2 and 

 5; digit identification of the proximal phalanges is based their base 

 morphologies (radial first dorsal interosseus tubercle on proximal 

 phalanx 2 and ulnar M. abductor digiti minimi facet on proximal 

 phalanx 5) and radial versus ulnar deviations of their heads. The 

 osteometric measurements for these elements are in Tables 1 and 2. 

 In addition, midshaft cross-sectional geometric parameters (cross- 

 sectional areas and second moments of area) are provided, even 

 though comparative data are not currently available. The values were 

 calculated from external diameters and cortical thicknesses deter- 

 mined from radiographs and then corrected for parallax enlargement, 

 using standard ellipse formulae (Runestad et ai, 1993). 



metacarpals on the right side and the phalanges on the left side. 



The ratio of proximal phalanx 2 articular length to metacarpal 2 

 articular length gives an index of 56.7 for Gough's Cave 1 , a value 

 which is low but not exceptionally so compared to a recent British 

 sample [59.8 ± 1.7, N = 38 (Musgrave. 1970)]. The same index for 

 the fifth digit gives a value of 58.0 for Gough's Cave 1, which is 

 similarly relatively low compared to a recent British sample (61.2 ± 

 2.6, N = 38). Alternatively, using maximum lengths, the Gough's 

 Cave 1 phalanges and metacarpals can be compared to values for the 

 Mesolithic Arene Candide 2 and 5 specimens (Paoli et al., 1 980). The 

 resultant Gough's Cave 1 second and fifth ray indices are 58.2 and 

 62.0, both of which fall between the values for the Arene Candide 

 specimens of 60.4 and 57.7 respectively for the second digit and 63.3 

 and 59.4 respectively for the fifth digit. 



Consequently, the hand remains from Gough's Cave 1 exhibit 

 metacarpal to arm length proportions similar to those of other 

 European Holocene samples but, along with at least two other 

 European Mesolithic specimens, possess moderately short proximal 

 manual phalanges compared to a recent European sample. 



OVERALL HAND PROPORTIONS 



Assessment of the overall proportions of the Gough's Cave 1 hand 

 remains is limited by the dearth of comparative metrics for associ- 

 ated hand and arms remains, as well as the limited elements preserved 

 for Gough's Cave 1 . 



It is nonetheless possible to compare the articular length of the 

 metacarpal 3 to the summed humeral and radial articular lengths 

 (averaging the right and left humeral articular lengths). The resultant 

 ratio provides an index of 1 1 .6. This value is close to the means of 

 recent European and Amerindian samples [ 1 1 .9 ± 0.5, N = II; 11.7 

 ±0.5, N=: 19(Trinkaus, 1983)]. Similarly, aratio using the metacar- 

 pal 3 maximum length provides an index of 12.4 for Gough's Cave 

 1, which matches the highest of such indices for the Mesolithic 

 remains from Arene Candide [AC 2: 1 1.6; AC 5: 12.4 (Paoli et al.. 

 1980)], Culoz 2 [12.0 (Genet- Varcin etal., 1963)], and Le Peyrat 5 

 [11.9 (Patte, 1968)]. As with other Primates (Schultz, 1930) and 

 members of the genus Homo (Trinkaus, 1983), the relative hand 

 length of Gough's Cave 1 indicated by its metacarpal 3 length is 

 similar across these European Holocene samples. 



Proportions within the hand can be assessed by comparing 

 proximal phalangeal lengths to metacarpal lengths for digits 2 and 

 5, even though this assumes near bilateral symmetry in metacarpal 

 and phalangeal lengths given that Gough's Cave 1 preserves those 



METACARPAL MORPHOLOGY 



The Gough's Cave 1 metacarpals are relatively large but appear 

 variably gracile in their external surface morphology. 



Most of the ridges for the dorsal interosseus muscles on the 

 diaphyses are evident but do little more than provide an angulation 

 between the dorsal plane of the diaphysis and the radial and ulnar 

 surfaces. However, the radial dorsal ridge on the right metacarpal 2 

 for the first dorsal interosseus muscle is slightly more pronounced, 

 forming a raised ridge from midshaft proximally to the radial side of 

 the dorsal proximal epiphysis. The metacaipai 2 dorso-radial ridge is 

 accompanied by a distinct concavity to the radial side of the metacar- 

 pal 2 diaphysis, which is bordered palmarly by a sharp crest extending 

 from the radial head to the radial base but curving distinctly ulnarly 

 near midshaft. A similar but less pronounced crest is evident on the 

 distal half of the palmar metacarpal 3 diaphysis, and there is only a 

 suggestion of similar relief on the palmar metacarpal 4 diaphysis. 



There is no trace of the insertion of the M. opponens digiti minimi 

 on the right metacarpal 5. and the ulnar tubercle on the base of the 

 inetacarpal 5 for the M. extensor carpi ulnaris tendon projects 

 obliquely distally from the carpal articular surface and only moder- 

 ately beyond the ulnar margin of that carpal articular surface. The 

 last is reflected in the small difference (2.5mm) between the meta- 

 carpal 5 proximal maximum and articular breadths. 



©The Natural History Museum. 2001 



