Harris lines in subadult and adult skeletons from the mediaeval cemetery in Cedynia 33 Variability and Evolution, 2001, Vol. 9: 3343 JANUSZ PIONTEK, BLANDYNA JERSZYÑSKA, OSKAR NOWAK Adam Mickiewicz University, Istitute of Anthropology, Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Poznaæ, Poland HARRIS LINES IN SUBADULT AND ADULT SKELETONS FROM THE MEDIAEVAL CEMETERY IN CEDYNIA, POLAND PIONTEK J., JERSZYÑSKA B., NOWAK O. 2001. Harris lines in subadult and adult skeletons from the mediaeval cemetery in Cedynia, Poland. Variability and Evolution, Vol. 9: 3343, Tabs. 2, Figs. 3. Adam Mickiewicz University, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Anthropology, Poznaæ. Abstract. Harris lines are considered to be a measure of morphological reaction to pathological or nutritional stress. An analysis has been carried out of roentgenograms of the tibiae of 91 subadult and 233 adult individuals from the mediaeval burial ground in Cedynia (Poland). Occurrence and intensity of HLs in successive periods of ontogenesis has been observed. The analysis of the frequency of Harris lines in age groups revealed absence of the lines from the initial period of ontogenesis (03 years of age) in adult (both male and female) individuals. Harris lines formed in the age range of 6 to 12 years are the most frequent ones in both studied groups (subadult and adult). Key words: transverse (Harris) lines, long bones, subadult, adult Introduction Transverse lines present in the radiological picture of bones have been known for over 70 years. Harris lines (Harris 1926, 1931, 1933) are transverse sclerotic layers in the metaphysial parts of long bones, reflecting the episodes of delayed or arrested development of the longitudinal growth of the bone. Before they were dubbed Harris lines (HL) (Wells 1967) they had been called: growth arrest lines, bone scars, transverse lines or transverse lines of mark (Park, Richter 1953; Acheson 1959;