Ancestry estimation of three Mediterranean populations based on cranial metrics

Abstract

The estimation of ancestry is an essential benchmark for positive identification of heavily decomposed bodies that are recovered in a variety of death and crime scenes. This is especially true when reconstructing the biological profile of the deceased as most methods for sex, age and stature estimation are population-specific. Ancestry estimation methods vary from traditional morphological assessment of cranial features and biometric quantification to computer-aided shape analysis and classification with specialised software. The current paper aims to explore population differences between three neighbouring countries (Greece, Cyprus and Turkey) that have been in constant interaction through conflicts and population movements from the ancient past to the present day, through cranial measurements. The sample consists of 160 dry crania of Greek origin, 137 dry crania of Greek-Cypriot of origin Cyprus and 380 CT scans from Turks individuals. Twelve measurements were taken in both dry and virtual skulls. Data were submitted to principal component analysis and discriminant function analysis. Intra- and inter-observer error as well as the measurement error between virtual and physical measurements were quantified using TEM, rTEM and R. Measurement error was very low in all cases. Classification accuracy for cross-validated data ranged from 74.1 to 97.9%. The highest accuracy was obtained for the Turks sample both in males and females. The results are in accordance with genetic data on the three populations. These results create great confidence in the application of the produced functions in forensic cases requiring ancestry estimation in Cyprus, specifically to unidentified individuals from the 1974 conflict. In addition, these standards can be applied in other forensic situations where ethnicity is an issue but the geographic area of origin is limited to the area encompassing Turkey, Cyprus and Greece.

Metric variation of the tibia in the Mediterranean: Implications in forensic identification

“…and Italy. Cranial data resulted in high classification accuracy in a sample of Cretans, Greek-Cypriots and the Turkish [26] but no studies on postcranial data currently exist for this part of the world. The main objective of this study was to acquire population-specific data that could be employed in the Mediterranean to aid positive identification of unknown individuals.…”

Identification of Ajnala skeletal remains using multiple forensic anthropological methods and techniques: A bioarchaeological report

“…The skeletal features used for determining sexual affiliation of Ajnala skeletal remains have been commonly employed for sexing unknown human remains found in forensic or bioarchaeological contexts (Buikstra and Ubelaker, 1994;Rogers, 2005;Williams and Rogers, 2006;Garvin and Ruff, 2012;Kranioti et al, 2018). No pelvis could be retrieved in the Ajnala skeletal assemblage for their accurate sex estimation.…”

Ancestry Estimation: Advances and Limitations in Forensic Applications

“…Research and Reports in Forensic Medical Science 2022:12 14 and population representation must be considered when there is no assumption on the individual's origin. Yet, group assignment can be less complicated and more reliable in more restricted geographical regions, as shown for example by Stull et al 39 on a South African sample and by Kranioti et al 40 on Greek, Greek-Cypriot and Turkish samples.…”