Sex estimation from the calcaneus and talus using discriminant function analysis and its possible application in fossil remains

Alonso-Llamazares, Carmen; Pablos, Adrián

doi:10.1007/s12520-019-00855-y

Cited by 16 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…In the absence of certain characteristics, age assessment was therefore primarily based on skeletal maturity and the degenerative changes observed in the vertebral bodies and joint ends. Inferences about sex were drawn from a number of metric determinations that could be collected from the humeral head and calcaneus 65 – 67 . For comparison of the vertical diameter of the caput humeri, regional data from adult skeletal Únětice Culture burials can be used (mean value for male individuals (n = 21): 44.4 mm; mean value for female individuals (n = 23): 40.95 mm) 17 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioarchaeological investigations of the princely grave at Helmsdorf attesting to the violent death of an Early Bronze Age leader

Nicklisch

Ramsthaler

Bunnefeld

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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The Helmsdorf “princely” tomb, excavated at the beginning of the twentieth century, is one of the most important archaeological discoveries dating from the Early Bronze Age in central Germany. In addition to the burial inventory, which points to an elevated social position of the deceased, a number of highly fragmented skeletal remains were preserved. Forensic anthropological investigation identified three distinctive bone defects, the surfaces of which were macromorphologically and microscopically examined in greater detail. Micro-CT analyses were also carried out. The results of all examinations suggested that the defects represented three perimortem injuries. The wound morphology was indicative of the use of a bladed weapon. The combination of injuries and their locations supported the assumption of a targeted use of force to kill. A comparison of Early Bronze Age weapons and tools with the bone lesions led to the identification of a type of weapon possibly used in the attack.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioarchaeological investigations of the princely grave at Helmsdorf attesting to the violent death of an Early Bronze Age leader

Nicklisch

Ramsthaler

Bunnefeld

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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“…Sex determination was carried out using four discriminant functions (Supplementary Table S2) (Gualdi-Russo, 2007;Zakaria et al, 2010;Spradley and Jantz, 2011;Alonso-Llamazares and Pablos, 2019), which are based on linear measurements of the calcaneus (Table 2). The final sex determination for each individual was based on the most frequent sex estimated per individual.…”

Section: Sex Estimationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These differences enabled the development of discriminant functions to estimate the sex based on calcaneal measures. The correct estimation rates achieved based on these equations varied between 64% and 95.7% (Steele, 1976;Riepert et al, 1996;Bidmos and Asala, 2003;Bidmos and Asala, 2004;Gualdi-Russo, 2007;DiMichele and Spradley, 2012;Kim et al, 2013;Alonso-Llamazares and Pablos, 2019). Nevertheless, the criteria for sex estimation based on calcaneal morphology is population-specific and should be carried out with caution (Gualdi-Russo, 2007;Alonso-Llamazares and Pablos, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in human calcaneal morphology throughout the Pleistocene-Holocene Levant

Dann,

Pokhojaev,

Anton

et al. 2024

Front. Earth Sci.

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The calcaneal morphology changed considerably during human evolution to enable efficient bipedal locomotion. However, little information exists regarding its adaptation to changes in habitual activities following the transition to a sedentary lifestyle. We aimed to examine changes in calcaneal morphology during the Pleistocene-Holocene Levant in light of sexual dimorphism. We studied three archaic Homo sapiens calcanei dated to the Middle and Upper Paleolithic, 23 Natufian hunter-gatherers, 12 Pre-Pottery Neolithic early farmers, and 31 Chalcolithic farmers. The calcanei were scanned via a surface scanner and measured, and bone proportions were calculated. Measurements included the height, length, and width of various calcaneal elements. The sex of each individual was determined using methods based on calcaneal morphology. The validity of these methods was tested in those individuals who had the pelvis (92.3% agreement rate). Accordingly, the sample included 59.4% males and 40.6% females. Most calcaneal indices were sex-independent, except for the relative width, relative anterior length, and the cuboid index. Temporal trends between the Natufian and Chalcolithic periods were more pronounced among males than females. While in the proximal calcaneus, the temporal trend was similar between males and females, it differed in the distal part and articular facets. The calcanei of archaic H. sapiens exceeded the average of the Natufian hunter-gatherer for most variables, though the trend varied. To conclude, males and females were affected differently by the changing environment. The calcanei of archaic H. sapiens were better adapted for activity involving high mobility, independent of sex. During the transition to a sedentary way of life, different factors probably designed the male and female calcaneus. These could include factors related to the sexual division of labor, adaptation to lengthy standing, and changes in footwear.

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“…This study also seeks to apply the Alonso-Llamazares and Pablos (2019) formulae generated from the HTHOC to the BSTAL cemetery populations to evaluate their accuracy for these populations. If successful, the Alonso-Llamazares and Pablos (2019) formulae could be used with con dence on similar populations where the sex of the individual is unknown, or when other sexually dimorphic skeletal material is absent or indeterminate (Klales 2013).…”

Section: Current Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

A metrical method of sex estimation for two medieval scottish populations

Bissonnette

2023

Preprint

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Calcanei and tali are robust, sexually dimorphic, weight-bearing foot-bones that survive well in forensic and archaeological contexts. In this study, sex estimations were conducted on calcanei and tali from the Ballumbie and St. Andrews Library mediaeval Scottish populations provided by the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, applying the Alonso-Llamazares and Pablos (2019) method. This method has proven accuracy of up to 96.4% for the Hamann-Todd Human Osteological collection, 91.4% for Homo sapiens from data published by other authors and 100.0% for both the Sima de los Huesos hominids and Homo neanderthalensis, based on discriminant functions for the calcaneus and talus. In this study, 39 calcanei from 19 males and 20 females and 56 tali from 25 males and 31 females were used. The functions obtained produced accuracies varying from 67.3% − 88.4% for univariate and from 79.1% − 100.0% for the multivariate discriminant formulae. This study confirms the finding of Alonso-Llamazares and Pablos (2019) that multivariate statistical analysis of the calcaneus and talus combined generally produce more accurate sex estimations than univariate statistical methods. Measurements yielding the highest accuracy for sex estimation were the maximum length of the calcaneus, posterior talar articular surface length of the calcaneus, talar length and total length of the talus. The Alonso-Llamazares and Pablos (2019) formulae applied to these two mediaeval populations produced accuracies ranging from 43.9% − 89.4% for univariate and from 75.6% − 97.1% accuracy for multivariate formulae. The best predictor for sex from both studies was the total talar length (M1a).

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Sex estimation from the calcaneus and talus using discriminant function analysis and its possible application in fossil remains

Cited by 16 publications

References 61 publications

Bioarchaeological investigations of the princely grave at Helmsdorf attesting to the violent death of an Early Bronze Age leader

Bioarchaeological investigations of the princely grave at Helmsdorf attesting to the violent death of an Early Bronze Age leader

Changes in human calcaneal morphology throughout the Pleistocene-Holocene Levant

A metrical method of sex estimation for two medieval scottish populations

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