VERA 2.0 Validation Dataset: 3D Measurement of Entheseal Changes in Human Hand Bones

This dataset was used to test the reliability of the new "Validated Entheses-based Reconstruction of Activity 2.0" (VERA 2.0) approach, as part of a study introducing this approach and protocol, which has been accepted for publication in PLOS One. An associated step-by-step protocol has also been published on protocols.io (dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.5jyl82z8dl2w/v3). The dataset consists of 3D area measurements (in square millimeters) of bone surface changes on enthesis-bearing structures of human hand bones from the 19th century skeletal collection Basel-Spitalfriedhof, curated at the Natural History Museum of Basel, Switzerland. The sample includes biological males and females and covers the attachment regions of the following muscles: opponens pollicis (first metacarpal), extensor pollicis brevis (first proximal phalanx), and opponens digiti minimi (fifth metacarpal). For additional information on this collection’s hand bones and data, please refer to the existing previous publications of this hand bone material (e.g., Karakostis & Hotz, 2022: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajpa.24636; Karakostis et al., 2017: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ajpa.23253).