Review of Skeleton When you find a human skeleton what are the first two things you want to know about it Sex of the individual Age at death of the individual What parts of the skeleton are best for telling the sex of the individual 1 is the pelvis 2 is the skull General aspect of the skeleton Pelvis best for telling sex Which of these is female and which male Female ilia are flared out subpubic angle greater sciatic notch wider Overall males tend to be more rugged and muscular What about the skull Ruggedness brow ridge chin nuchal crest mastoid process muscle attachment at temporal area What parts of the body and how are best for telling us the age at death of the individual 1 Tooth eruption deciduous and permanent teeth erupt at known age ranges 2 Epiphyseal closure bones especially long bones stop growing and the epiphyses and diaphyses fuse together at known age ranges 3 Pubic symphysis roughness changes with age 4 Cranial suture closure separate bones in skull fuse together at known age ranges Age Estimation tooth eruption Steele Bramblett 1988 103 Cross section of 6 year old child s mandible showing developing but unerupted permanent teeth Humans have deciduous and permanent teeth that tend to erupt at known ages Age estimation epiphyseal closure Ossification centers in a subadult femur epiphysis Adult femur diaphysis bone shaft Newborn epiphysis Age estimation pubic symphysis This is where the two hip bones join in the front Ten age phases of changes established based on how rugged or smooth the surface is Male younger older Age estimation skull suture closure Just as long bones grow so does the skull The plates eventually join together and with age the sutures between the plates smooth out SUMMARY First two things you want to know about a skeleton SEX Pelvis female wide male narrow Skull male bigger brow ridge muscle attachments more square chin Males generally more robust females gracile AGE Dental eruption teeth erupt at known ages Epiphyseal closure diaphysis epiphysis unite Pubic symphysis change in roughness Cranial suture closure least exact What else can we learn from a skeleton Stature height from length of long bones Injuries and whether you lived to heal or not Activities or cultural practices Cause of death if it affected bones Diseases that affect bones General health and nutrition Diet Genetic relationship Could reconstruct face if know ethnicity What can we learn from a population of skeletons Paleodemography Basic population statistics to understand the structure of the population Mean life span age at which half dead half alive Sex ratio Looking at population better than just one individual Gives you idea of range of variation for that population Paleopathology Diseases The higher the population density the more infectious diseases Health and Nutrition What patterns do you see at the population level and what can that tell you about human behavior Comparison Can compare your population to others Similarities differences change through time Can look for amount of sexual dimorphism in your population Can compare an individual skeleton to the population to see whether normal or unusual
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