Transcript Unit 11 Anthropologyx

Unit 11
Anthropology
Anthropology
studies human skeletal remains to determine the age, sex and race of the
deceased
identifies any illnesses or injuries that he or she may have suffered
establish time of death
examines location and circumstances in which the bones were found
When bones are found anthropologists are asked:
Are the bones human?
What are the biological characteristics (size, age, sex and race) of the individual?
How long has the person been dead?
What is the cause and manner of death?
Determining whether bones are human:
can be very difficult especially when a full skeleton is not found
Ex. front paw bones of a bear are similar to those of human hand; ribs from
sheep and deer resemble human ribs
bones have bumps, grooves, indentations and other characteristics
according to their function in the body and what species that body belongs to
these features, as well as overall size and thickness, are used to determine
species
Determining age:
can only guess age when just bones are available but this estimate is more
accurate for younger victims because they follow a predictable growth and
maturation pattern
late in life, after maturation process is complete, changes occur at a much slower
rate causing wider ranges in age estimations
Most useful bones:
1. Teeth:
appearance of permanent teeth is complete usually by about age 12
wisdom teeth, the last to appear, erupt by age 18
2. Skull
little use for age estimation in adults
infant skulls are in several pieces which fuse together along suture lines but this
fusion occurs in such a widely variable pattern that it is not very accurate
3. Long Bones of the Legs and Arms:
these bones change as the body ages
growth plates within them remain open as they grow, but then close up when
growth comes to an end (epiphyseal union)
help determine ages younger than 25, when the bones have completed their
growth
4. Pelvis:
the symphysis, a thin band of cartilage that attaches your pelvis to your spinal
column, has a zigzag shape in the beginning but it straightens as you age,
stopping when you are about 50
5. Ribs:
areas where ribs join the breastbone are smooth and round when you're young,
but become pitted and sharp as you age
these junctions can narrow age prediction to within 1.5 years up to age 30 and
within 5 years up to age 70
6. Bone Density:
bones lose calcium as you age and become less dense
X-rays reveal bone density
Determining Sex:
more difficult if children because gender-specific changes in skeletons don't
appear until puberty
diameters of the heads of the humerus, the radius and femur are larger in males
most reliable for sex determination is pelvis
--female: wider pelvis, pelvic outlet and sciatic notch
male skulls: more distinct ridges and crests and are larger and thicker; slightly
curved posterior ramus of mandible (straight in females)
Determining race:
extremely difficult using skeletal remains because no single skeletal trait is
racially distinct
Caucasians:
-high, rounded or square skulls, straight faces and narrow, protruding noses
-eye sockets are triangular
-forward cure to femurs
Negroid:
-lower and narrower skulls and wider, flatter noses with prominent, protruding
teeth
-eye sockets usually square
-femurs are straighter
Mongoloids:
-broad round skulls with an arched profile
-eye sockets are round with wide facial dimensions
skeleton of someone with mixed racial origins shares the ancestral characteristics of
its ancestors and makes racial determinations impossible