https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-55045-1
The Middle Pleistocene human metatarsal
from Sedia del Diavolo

Abstract
The peopling of Europe during the Middle
Pleistocene is a debated topic among
paleoanthropologists. Some authors suggest
the coexistence of multiple human lineages
in this period, while others propose a
single evolving lineage from Homo
heidelbergensis to Homo neanderthalensis.
The recent reassessment of the
stratigraphy at the Sedia del Diavolo (SdD)
site (Latium, Italy), now dated to the
beginning of marine isotope stage (MIS) 8,
calls for a revision of the human fossils
from the site. In this paper, we present
the morphometric, biomechanical and
palaeopathological study of the second
right metatarsal SdD2, to both re-evaluate
its taxonomical affinities and possibly
determine the levels of physical activity
experienced by the individual during
lifetime. Results demonstrate the
persistence of archaic features in SdD2
suggesting new insights into the technology
and hunting strategies adopted by Homo
between MIS 9 and MIS 8.

"...the most intriguing clue into the
lifestyle of Middle Pleistocene hominins
is offered by the presence of a stress
reaction on SdD2. In modern humans, the
main cause of bony stress injuries is
repetitive physical forces without
adequate rest and these represent 3.7% of
all sport-related injuries."

"This fact supports high physical activity
levels, in particular walking and running,
in the first representatives of the genus
Homo in Europe. This is consistent with the
endurance running hypothesis. Following this
hypothesis, endurance running had a central
role in the evolution of our genus. The
capability of the members of the genus Homo
of walking/running long distances may have
helped in exploiting carcasses in the
savannah in an early phase, and later
allowed persistence hunting. Persistence
hunting is a hunting technique still used
by modern hunter-gatherers, who run down
prey chasing them during the hottest hours
of the day, exploiting the human’s more
efficient heat dissipation system (sweating
vs. panting). Persistence hunting may be
an explanation for the high prevalence of
metatarsal stress injuries among the Early
and Middle Pleistocene hominins and may
indicate high levels of activity patterns of
the species to which SdD2 belonged."

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