Apollo (the "Adonis" of Centocelle), Roman after a Greek original (Ashmolean Museum)

The iliac furrow, also known as an athlete's girdle, Apollo's Belt or an Adonis belt, is a term for a part of the human anatomy. It refers to either one of two shallow grooves of the surface anatomy of the human abdomen running from the iliac crest (hip bone) to the pubis. In some colloquial circles, it is referred to as the devil's shoulders.

It is not a currently defined term in Terminologia anatomica, though it has been used as a formal anatomical term in the past^[1]. The term "iliac furrow" does not appear in any of the abstracts indexed by PubMed.^[2] In modern usage, it is more common to discuss the surface anatomy in terms of nearby structures such as the inguinal ligament or iliac crest.

The term "iliac furrow" still often encountered when reading about art history^[3][4], and the term "Apollo's belt" is often used by bodybuilders and their admirers. The expression "adonis belt" is also encountered, though less common, from the sense of adonis as any handsome young man (cf. the myth of Adonis).

An indentation on a male's waist caused by wearing a too-tight belt is often referred to as an Apollo's belt, although most men develop this indentation from constant waistband and belt pressure.^[1]

[edit] See also

• Apollo
• Adonis

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} Gray's page #1313
2. ^ No items found - PubMed Results
3. ^ http://vanth.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/vaseindex?lookup=Boston+01.8020
4. ^ Polykleitos, the Doryphoros, and Tradition. - book reviews | Art Bulletin, The | Find Articles at BNET.com

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