Biological Profile Flashcards
visual assessment of sex
examine expression of nonmetric traits, compare with standards
metric assessment of sex
take measurements and use formulae or sectioning points
male features of the os coxae
- narrow subpubic angle
- narrower greater sciatic notch
- narrow pelvic inlet/outlet
- shorter pubis
- triangular pubic body
female features of the os coxae
- wider subpubic angle
- wider greater sciatic notch
- broad pelvic inlet/outlet
- longer pubis
- rectangular pubic body
- ventral arc
subpubic angle
left - male - narrow angle
right - female - wide angle
pelvic inlet/outlet
male - left - narrow inlet
female - right - broad inlet
pubic body shape
male - left - triangular in shape
female - right - rectangular in shape
female sacrum divisions
even 1/3
male sacrum divisions
wings are 1/4 with the plateau being 1/2
FORDISC 3.0
- quantitative description of skull size/shape
- compare with males and females of various ancestral populations
- standardized protocol with statistical evaluation
what non-metric methods are used to sex assess the cranium?
- glabella
- supraorbital
- nuchal crest
- mastoids
- mental eminence
how is sex assessed in the postcrania?
- size and robusticity vs gracility
- Stewart in the essentials of forensic anthropology
- femoral head maximum diameter and humeral head vertical diameter
hyrtl’s law
- manubrium is less than corpus length in men
- manubrium is greater than corpus length in women
- no longer used and in inaccurate
how do you assess sex?
- asses for each region
- report whether female, probable female, undetermined, probable male, and male
- buikstra and ubelaker recommended a scale from 1-5
how do you estimate age at death?
based on principles of skeletal growth and development, maturation, and degeneration
developmental age estimation
- dental eruption
- epiphyseal union
degenerative age estimation
- rib joint surface
- pelvic joint surface
how accurate is subadult age estimation?
- accurate and precise
- dental development is the most accurate age indicator and is controlled by genetic factors and is developmentally conservative
Even Half-witted Archaeologists Know Which Shovel
elbow
hip
ankle
knee
wrist
shoulder
elbow fusion
11-13
hip fusion
13-15
ankle fusion
14-16
knee fusion
15-17
wrist fusion
16-18
shoulder fusion
18-21
distal humerus elbow
12-17
proximal radius
14-17
proximal ulna
13-16
proximal hip
14-19
distal tibia
15-18
distal femur
16-20
proximal tibia
15-19
distal radius
16-20
distal ulna
17-20
proximal humerus
16-20
cranial suture closure
- from infant to adult sutures start to close
- in older individuals sutures may start to fuse
what are the 4 score from Meindl & Lovejoy for suture closure
- 0 = open
- 1 = partial
- 2 = significant
- 3 = obliterated
what are degenerative changes used for age estimation in adults?
- osteoarthritis
- osteoporosis
- tooth wear
- tooth loss (edentulism)
osteoarthritis
marginal lipping, osteophytes
osteoarthritis
tends to be seen in adults over 40
adult age estimation
- less accurate with broad age ranges
- degeneration
- metamorphic change
- joint surface
- pelvis
cranial suture scores for aging adults
0 = completely open
1 = less than 50% closed
2 = greater than 50% closed
3 = completely closed
sternal end of the 4th rib
- sternal ends of ribs change through time with ossification of cartilage
- right 4th rib with population based changes, narrow age ranges
- easily retrieved at autopsy
aging the pubic symphysis
- ridges and furrows - more ridges indicates a younger individual
- outline and extremities - full and long outline of the symphysis indicates an older adult
- dorsal lipping - lipping on the outside edges indicates an older adult
- ventral rampart
