Methods Of Physical Anthropology Research Articles

Measuring pelvises in 3D surface scans and in MDCT generated virtual environment: Considerations for applications in the forensic context

Virtual Anthropology (VA) transposes the traditional methods of physical anthropology to virtual environments using imaging techniques and exploits imaging technologies to devise new methodological protocols. In this research, we investigate whether the measurements used in the Diagnose Sexuelle Probabiliste (DSP) and Ischio-Pubic Index (IPI) differ significantly when 3D models of a bone are generated using 3D surface scans (3DSS) and Multidetector Computed Tomography (MDCT) scans. Thirty pelvises were selected from the SIMON identified skeletal collection. An equal ratio of females to males was sought, as well as a good preservation of the bones. The pelvises were scanned using an MDCT scanner and a 3D surface scanner. The measurements of the DSP and IPI methods on the dry bones (referred to as macroscopic measurements here), and then to the 3D models. The intra- and interobserver, using the Technical Error of Measurement (TEM) and relative Technical Error of Measurement (rTEM) error was assessed, and we aimed to observe if the measurements made on the MDCT and 3DSS generated models were significantly different from those taken on the dry bones. Additionally, the normality of the data was tested (Shapiro-Wilk test) and the differences in measurements was evaluated using parametric (Student t-tests) and non-parametric (Wilcoxon) tests. The TEM and rTEM calculations show high intra and interobserver consistency in general. However, some measurements present insufficient inter- and intraobserver agreement. Student t and Wilcoxon tests indicate potentially significant differences of some measurements between the different environments. The results show that especially in the virtual environment, it is not easy to find the right angle for some of the DSP measurements, However, when comparing the measurement differences between dry and virtual bones, the results show that most of the differences are less than or equal to 2.5 mm. Considering the IPI, the landmarks are already difficult to determine on the dry bone, but they are even more difficult to locate in the virtual environment. Nevertheless, this study shows that quantitative methods may be better suited for application in the virtual environment, but further research using different methods is needed.

The Population of the Bronze Age of the Lower Volga Region in the Works of Russian Anthropologists

Introduction. This work is a review of scientific publications on studying paleoanthropological materials of the Bronze Age originating from burial mounds of the Lower Volga region. Materials and Analysis. The paper begins with the analysis of articles and monographic studies of domestic authors, whose works were written in the period from the 30s to the late 80s of the 20th century. The so-called Soviet period in Russian anthropology is characterized by the dominance of the individual-typological approach in describing skeletal series of representatives of the Bronze Age cultures. The osteological collections from burial complexes of the Bronze Age of the Lower Volga region accumulated at this stage of the study were distinguished by a small number and low representativeness. The main conclusions were based on studying craniological samples. A great contribution to developing ideas on the racial and ethnic history of the Lower Volga region during this period was made by researchers G.F. Debets, V.V. Gizburg, V.I. Vuich, B.V. Firshtein, A.V. Shevchenko. The second part of the article is devoted to analyzing the results of anthropological research in the region in the works of modern Russian scientists.A distinctive feature of these works is that they are based on studying large-scale craniological series of broad temporal and territorial coverage. The studies of such scientists as A.A. Khokhlov, E.F. Batieva, A.A. Kazarnitsky, M.A. Balabanova use the complex approach in which classical methods of physical anthropology (craniology, osteology) are combined with the methods of statistical analysis and using data from Archaeology, Paleodemography, and Paleoecology. Results. The work shows the importance of using anthropological data as an independent source in paleohistorical constructions, as well as in the process of the archaeological study of various cultures of the Bronze Age that existed in the Lower Volga region.

Biomechanical analysis of a femur fracture in osteoarchaeology: Reconstruction of pathomechanics, treatment and gait

In paleopathology, biomechanics allows us to investigate traumas in ancient skeletal remains. The aim of our current research is to reconstruct pathomechanics, treatment and gait of an individual from a Late Medieval femur with evident bone callus. In particular, to reconstruct the dynamic of the trauma that caused the injury and the adopted therapeutic measures, taking into account medical knowledges of that time.The femur was recovered during the archaeological investigation in the Sanctuary of Sacro Monte, Varese (Northern Italy). Classical physical anthropological methods and CT scans were used for macroscopic and radiological measurements of the bone. Finally, the reconstruction of the static and dynamic functional outcomes of the lesion were performed by Observation Gait Analysis (OGA) procedure.The femur shows an important callus at the middle third proximal of the shaft. The antemortem fracture was oblique and caused by a direct trauma probably related to occupational activities. The alignment of the segments in the frontal plane lead us to assume that the fracture was treated and the femur was immobilized with splints. The overlap and the angle of the segments indicate that the subject was not submitted to traction or fracture reduction. Good bone remodeling and consolidation of the fracture suggest that the subject had gradually led to the resumption of load and walking, although with important effects on posture and movement.The use of the OGA allows us to highlight the subject's kind of gait after healing.

A Bronze Age Grave Discovered at Tepe Foroudgah, Iran: An Anthropological and Palaeopathological Study

The first aim to study skeletal remains is to recognize and answer the human differences, sex, stature and demography. The next, and important reason, is skeletal palaeopathology. It examines remained bones and teeth to show dead reasons and find out the environmental diseases in ancient times. The result of this study illustrates re-establishment of ancient society and gives the main key for discussion and conclusion. This article focuses on remained bones, found from the first season of excavation, on Tepe Foroudgah, Khorramabad-Iran, in September 2014. This site is located among three prehistoric sites with almost 3 to 4 kilometers away from each other. No reports from those archaeological excavations have been issued on human skeletal remains so far. Tepe Foroudgah yielded human skeletal remains for the first time amongst them and from this point of view, the study of the found bones was put in the first job of excavation reports to answers many questions such as the reason of finding human skeleton, its identity, the reason of death, sex and age. Hence, this article tries to give a new light on Iranian ancient population in Western parts. Further, this article will focus on age and sex determination, human discrepancies and it will describe these main questions as well. General views and analysis on palaeopathologies show the stresses and lesions of individual. Therefore, the reason of individual death is discussed here. The methodology applied is based on current and standard studies methods in Physical Anthropology. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n6p259

From first to latest imaging technology: Revisiting the first mummy investigated with X-ray in 1896 by using dual-source computed tomography

PurposeThe aim of this study was to systematically reinvestigate the first human mummy that was ever analyzed with X-ray imaging in 1896, using dual-source computed tomography (DSCT) in order to compare the earliest and latest imaging technologies, to estimate preservation, age at death, sex, anatomical variants, paleopathological findings, mummification, embalming and wrapping of the child mummy from ancient Egypt. Radiocarbon dating was used to determine the mummy’s age and to specify the child’s living period in the Egyptian chronology. Material and methodsThe ancient Egyptian child mummy is kept in the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. An accelerator mass spectrometer (MICADAS) was used for radiocarbon dating. DSCT was performed using a 2×64 slice dual-source CT system (Siemens Healthineers, Forchheim, Germany). A thorough visual examination of the mummy, a systematic radiological evaluation of the DICOM datasets, and established methods in physical anthropology were applied to assess the bio-anthropological data and the post mortem treatment of the body. ResultsRadiocarbon dating yielded a calibrated age between 378 and 235cal BC (95.4% confidence interval), corresponding with the beginning of the Ptolemaic period. The mummy was a male who was four to five years old at the time of death. Remnants of the brain and inner organs were preserved by the embalmers, which is regularly observed in ancient Egyptian child mummies. Skin tissue, inner organs, tendons and/or musculature, cartilage, nerves and vasculature could be identified on the DSCT dataset. The dental health of the child was excellent. Anatomical variants and pathological defects included a congenital Pectus excavatum deformity, hepatomegaly, Harris lines, and longitudinal clefts in the ventral cortices of both femora. ConclusionOur results highlight the enormous progress achieved form earliest to latest imaging technology for advanced mummy research using the first human mummy investigated with X-ray. With the application of DSCT, detailed knowledge regarding age at death, sex, diseases, death, and mummification of a child from Ptolemaic Egypt are revealed while considering the temporary rites of body treatment and burial for children.

New paleoradiological investigations of ancient human remains from North West Lombardy archaeological excavations.

Since its birth in 1895, radiology has been used to study ancient mummies. The purpose of this article is to present paleoradiological investigations conducted on several medieval human remains in Varese province. Anthropological (generic identification) and paleopathological analyses were carried out with the support of diagnostic imaging (X-ray and CT scans). Human remains were discovered during excavations of medieval archaeological sites in northwest Lombardy. Classical physical anthropological methods were used for the macroscopic identification of the human remains. X-ray and CT scans were performed on the same scanner (16-layer Hitachi Eclos 16 X-ray equipment). Results Radiological analysis permitted investigating (1) the sex, (2) age of death, (3) type of trauma, (4) therapeutic interventions and (5) osteomas in ancient human remains. In particular, X-ray and CT examinations showed dimorphic facial traits on the mummified skull, and the same radiological approaches allowed determining the age at death from a mummified lower limb. CT analyses allow investigating different types of traumatic lesions in skulls and postcranial skeleton portions and reconstructing the gait and functional outcomes of a fractured femur. Moreover, one case of possible Gardner’s syndrome (GS) was postulated from observing multiple osteomas in an ancient skull. Among the medical tests available to the clinician, radiology is the most appropriate first-line procedure for a diagnostic approach to ancient human remains because it can be performed without causing any significant damage to the specimen.

Health Status in Early Modern Somali People from their Skeletal Remains

This study discusses the paleohealth of Somali men who lived between the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century and whose skeletal remains are stored at the University of Cambridge. These materials were divided into an early middle age group and a late middle age group based on the degree of cranial suture closure. Physical anthropological methods were used to examine their caries, periodontal disease antemortem tooth loss (AMTL), dental attrition level, alveolar bone loss, enamel hypoplasia, cribra orbitalia, and cranial porotic hyperostosis. There were limitations, such as the small number of individuals examined, all the individuals were men, and the postcranial skeletons were not examinable. This study observed the following findings regarding the paleohealth of Somalis from the end of the 19th century to the early 20th century: (1) the caries rate was low, (2) there was onset of periodontal disease and it progressed with aging, (3) the number of missing teeth was low, (4) the dental attrition level was lower than the level in Nigerians, and (5) there was minimal change in stress markers with aging, and only a small number of individuals exhibited severe stress markers. The results led to the speculation that the nutritional status was generally poor in Somali individuals examined in this study and that the mortality rates were high in newborns, infants, and young children, which resulted in deaths in individuals with severe stress markers before adulthood.

The outline of forensic anthropology: Experience through an exhumation of the 4.3 massacre

Forensic anthropology is the scientific discipline that applies the methods of physical anthropology and archaeology to the collection and analysis of legal evidence. The work of anthropologists overlaps the work of both the crime scene investigator and the medical examiner (or forensic pathologist) except that they deal with human remains losing legal consequence. ln this paper author reviewed the outline of forensic anthropology and described what experienced through an exhumation of the 4.3 massacre.

Margaret Clitherow: Skeletal identification of an historical figure?

This paper describes the use of physical anthropological methods of analysis in attempting to identify an historical figure in England. The historical background to the examination is detailed and reasons for the belief that the skeletal remains excavated from the site were those of a named person, Margaret Clitherow, are discussed. Analysis of age, sex and manner of death indicated that the remains were not those of Margaret Clitherow.

Anthropology and statistics?

van Vark, G. N. and W. W. Howells, eds. Multivariate Statistical Methods in Physical Anthropology. Dordrecht, Holland: Reidel, 1984. x 4‐ 433 pp. including illustrations, references, and subject index. $61.00 cloth. De Meur, Gisele, ed. New Trends in Mathematical Anthropology. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1986. xx + 315 pp. including illustrations and references. $39.95 cloth.

Iron Age people of Norway

‘Iron Age People in Norway’ is an interdisciplinary research project. The source material consists of archaeological finds of graves containing human skeletal remains. Archaeological and physical anthropological methods and data will be combined in analyses of the people, their living conditions, aspects of social organization and questions about ethnic groups, using a specially developed computer registration system and database structure. The in‐depth analyses concentrate on the five northernmost counties in Norway, while the catalogue covers the whole country.

Multivariate Methods in Physical Anthropology.

Multivariate Methods in Physical Anthropology.

Four Achievements of the Genetical Method in Physical Anthropology

THE use of genetical methods in physical anthropology, which really began with the Hirszfelds' classical paper (1919:675) is no longer new and is now widely accepted. Genetical methods are referred to, in an approving tone, in many books and articles published during the last few years. The late Prof. Hooton (1946) devoted 18 pages out of 788 to genetical methods, and Montagu (1960:327) devotes 93 out of 771 to the subject, giving it avery up-to-date treatment, and stating, . . . if we are to trace the relationships of the varieties of man to one another, it is necessary that we rely on criteria which possess a more permanent character than the shifting sands of head shape .... Such characters are available in the blood groups, in the M-N in the Rh-Hr blood types and in the hemoglobin and haptoglobin types of man. In addition to the characteristics mentioned by Montagu, we now know of a number of other inherited traits of man that either are or will doubtless become useful. One might well ask, are there any longer any skeptics? The answer to this question seems to be: yes, there are skeptics, and some of them are rather vocal. Worse than this, examination of some of the books and papers written by authors who seem to welcome the genetical method suggests that they, in reaching their conclusions, actually make very little use of the data and modes of reasoning that such methods provide. Layrisse and Wilbert (1960) state that in their experience about four out of ten physical anthropologists are still doubtful about the value of blood grouping in their science. Probably most of us have had one or more of the older physical anthropologists inquire, in conversation, Now frankly, what have blood groups ever proved that we didn't know already? L. Oschinsky (1959:1) has not hesitated to carry the war into his enemy's country. He says, Nowhere has Professor Boyd posed the question as to whether or not the characteristics he is choosing are taxonomically relevant .... Unfortunately for Professor Boyd, it is the polygenic features such as skin colour, hair texture, nose shape, lip thickness, which have the greatest taxonomic value. And why is it necessary to understand the mechanism of inheritance if one is concerned with the question of distinguishing between the various racial groups which, Professor Boyd states, is one of the chief aims of physical anthropology? (my italics) A few years ago, at a seminar at Columbia University, a distinguished American physical anthropologist delivered a detailed attack on the blood groups as anthropological criteria, partly on the grounds that they may respond too readily to selection pressures. More recently, two Polish anthropologists, Bielicki (1962:3) and Wiercinski (1962:2) have also attacked the use of

Pneumothorax

In paleopathology, biomechanics allows us to investigate traumas in ancient skeletal remains. The aim of our current research is to reconstruct pathomechanics, treatment and gait of an individual from a Late Medieval femur with evident bone callus. In particular, to reconstruct the dynamic of the trauma that caused the injury and the adopted therapeutic measures, taking into account medical knowledges of that time.The femur was recovered during the archaeological investigation in the Sanctuary of Sacro Monte, Varese (Northern Italy). Classical physical anthropological methods and CT scans were used for macroscopic and radiological measurements of the bone. Finally, the reconstruction of the static and dynamic functional outcomes of the lesion were performed by Observation Gait Analysis (OGA) procedure.The femur shows an important callus at the middle third proximal of the shaft. The antemortem fracture was oblique and caused by a direct trauma probably related to occupational activities. The alignment of the segments in the frontal plane lead us to assume that the fracture was treated and the femur was immobilized with splints. The overlap and the angle of the segments indicate that the subject was not submitted to traction or fracture reduction. Good bone remodeling and consolidation of the fracture suggest that the subject had gradually led to the resumption of load and walking, although with important effects on posture and movement.The use of the OGA allows us to highlight the subject's kind of gait after healing.

The Problem of Relationship between Pygmies and Bushmen

The problem of the relationship between Pygmies and Bushmen is not yet solved. The earlier investigators contented themselves with the methods of Physical Anthropology which have predominated over all others. Father Wilhelm Schmidt, using more especially arguments based on his studies of religious history, was the pioneer of the ethnological approach. The only student to make use of linguistic evidence was Father Schebesta, who tried to establish the unity of all African Pygmies and Bushmen by means of tribal names.

Principles and Methods of Physical Anthropology. By Rai Bahadur Sarat Chandra Roy, M.A., Reader in Ethnology, Patna University. Patna University Readership Lectures, 1920. 10 × 6, 181 pp. Patna : Government Press, 1920.

Principles and Methods of Physical Anthropology. By Rai Bahadur Sarat Chandra Roy, M.A., Reader in Ethnology, Patna University. Patna University Readership Lectures, 1920. 10 × 6, 181 pp. Patna : Government Press, 1920. - Volume 54 Issue 3

Principles and Methods of Physical Anthropology

THERE is not an anthropologist in Europe who will not extend a welcome to this work by Rai Bahadur Sarat Chandra Roy, reader in anthropology at Patna University, not only for what it is, but also for what its appearance signifies. Anthropology, hitherto a plant of exotic growth in India, has at length taken root in the native mind. A single readership in a single university is a somewhat slender root for a plant which has to cover more than 300 millions of people, but those who have noted the series of excellent researches and monographs which have been published in recent years by Mr. Roy and by his colleagues and disciples will have no fear of the result if a fostering hand be extended by the Government of India. Our knowledge of the peoples of India has been laid by those great-minded Civil Servants who realised that good government must be based on accurate, intimate, and sympathetic records of the mentality, customs, and traditions of the governed. It was at the feet of one of these great Indian servants, Sir Edward Gait, now chancellor of Patna University, that Mr. Roy was introduced to the methods and aims of modern anthropology. Principles and Methods of Physical Anthropology. By Rai Bahadur Sarat Chandra Roy. (Patna University Readership Lectures, 1920.) Pp. xiii + 181. (Patna: Government Printing Office, 1920.) 5 rupees.

Book Reviews

PSYCHOLOGY AND FOLK-LORE, by R. R. MARETT, M.A., D.Sc. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd. 1920. Price 7s. 6d. net. Reviewed by E. Sidney Hartland. PRIMITIVE SOCIETY : THE BEGINNINGS OF THE FAMILY AND THE RECKONING OF DESCENT, by EDWIN SIDNEY HARTLAND, LL.D., F.S.A., Hon. F.R.S.A. (Ireland). London: Methuen & Co. 1921. Pp. v, 180. Price 6s. net. Reviewed by E. N. Fallaize. THE ORIGIN OF MAN AND OF HIS SUPERSTITIONS, by CARVETH READ. Cambridge: University Press. 1920. 18s. net. Reviewed by A. C. Haddon. PRINCIPLES AND METHODS OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY (Patna University Readership Lectures, 1920), by RAI BAHUDUR SARAT CHANDRA ROY, M.A. Patna, 1920. 5 Rs. Reviewed by A. C. Haddon.