ANT334H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Humerus, Obturator Foramen, Department Of Archaeology At The University Of York
Document Summary
Bioarch or forensic anthropology: most important information = sex. Age, stature, metric methods of ancestry, all sex-dependent. Sex = biological category: xx or xy, determined at chromosomal level, mediated at hormonal level, expressed at reproductive level. Characteristics and behavioural roles identified by vulture as appropriate for particular sex. At the initiation of puberty, you will have a growth spurt. Differences between male/female: pattern, rate, duration. Advantages: not population specific, works on fragmentary and burned bone, 90-95% accurate if entire skeleton available, 80-90% accurate if only skill available, > 85% accurate if distal humerus available, less than 10% intraobserver error. But with more experience, you will get better at it: produce indeterminate results, most people use 3 or 4 preferred traits not tested trait list, requires experience especially for ambiguous cases, limited to skull, pelvis, humerus. Lecture 8: sex determination: 96% accuracy, 8% intraobserver error. Some sex-related traits also ancestry-related: ex: orbit shape, nasal shape.
