Abstract
Sex determination is one of the principal aims when examining human skeletal remains. One method for sex determination is based on metric criteria using discriminant functions. However, discriminant function sexing formulas are population-specific. In the present study, we determined the use of the foramen magnum as well as the occipital condyles for sex determination on adults from a modern Greek population. Seven parameters were examined (4 obtained from the foramen magnum; 3 obtained from the occipital condyles) and the sample consisted of 154 adult crania (77 males and 77 females). The results indicate that the foramen magnum region exhibits sexual dimorphism and the mean values for all parameters were higher in males than females. In comparison, the occipital condyles provide a higher determination of the correct sex than the foramen magnum. The combination of the occipital condyle variables allowed for the development of discriminant functions that predicted the correct sex in 74% of all cases. Finally, although other anatomical regions can discriminate the sexes with higher accuracy, the functions developed in this study could be cautiously used in cases of fragmented crania.
Highlights
Reliable sex determination is one of the principal aims when examining human skeletal remains
In forensics or anthropology, the occipital bone is frequently used in sex determination because the cranial base tends to withstand both physical insults and inhumation more successfully than many other areas of the cranium [1]
The present study confirms the results of Natsis and his colleagues [15] regarding the presence of sexual dimorphism in the foramen magnum region in the modern Greek population
Summary
Reliable sex determination is one of the principal aims when examining human skeletal remains. In forensics or anthropology, the occipital bone is frequently used in sex determination because the cranial base tends to withstand both physical insults and inhumation more successfully than many other areas of the cranium [1]. The dimensions of the occipital condyles and the foramen magnum have been reported as useful for quantitative diagnosis of sex by several authors [8,9,10]. According to Gapert and his colleagues [11], the correctly classified crania ranged from 65.8% for univariate functions to 70.3% for multivariate functions. Gapert and his colleagues [11] evaluated the foramen magnum of eighteenth and nineteenth century
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