Abstract: The generally accepted association between mechanical loadings and skeletal changes at entheses has been widely used for activity reconstruction of past populations. Femoral fibrocartilaginous entheseal changes (ECs) of Jundushan Bronze Age pastoralists were studied using the Coimbra method and compared with a sample from Junzicun agriculturalists of the Qing Dynasty. The prevalence of ECs indicated that age resulted in changes in some femoral entheses in these two samples. However physical activity as well as sex and body size as represented by femoral head diameter did not result in differences in femoral ECs. The weight-bearing function of the lower limb and demographic differences between Jundushan and Junzicun may have affected the results. The use of femoral ECs in activity reconstructions is more complex than expected, as there may be other factors beyond age, size and labour intensity affecting ECs in the lower limb. It is recommended that more research on this topic is conducted in the future.

Key words: Jundushan; Entheseal changes; Femur; Activity reconstruction