Carme Rissech | Universitat Rovira i Virgili (original) (raw)
In the analysis of osteological remains, the innominate is an important element for both sexual determination and age at death estimation. In spite of the extensive bibliography about these topics, there are some methodological problems specifically in the subadult coxal. This is due to the lack of a study about the coxal changes during growth from osteological material. This kind of studies are difficult because the subadult measures are not comparable with adult measures. However, this problem will be easy resolved using the acetabular point as a reference point between adults and subadults. For this reason the aim of this work is to provide the location of the acetabular point based on a morphological study, and to analyse the growth of 25 metrical variables which are comparable between adults and subadults based on polynomial regression. The material used was 327 individuals age ranging from new-borns to 97 years and belonging to four European collections with sex and age known.
The acetabular point in immature coxal bones is clearly represented by the point of fusion lines for each bony element of the coxal bone at the acetabular fossa level. In the adult coxal bones, the acetabular fossa has an irregular clover-leaf shape and, the superior lobe is smaller than the anterior and posterior lobes. The cross-sectional analysis of the acetabular morphology suggests that the acetabular point in adult coxal bones is always represented by the indentation between the superior and the anterior lobe of the acetabular fossa.
In the metrical study of the present work, in spite of some differences in the pelvic proportions between the Britannic population respect Iberian ones No differences statistically significant in corporal size are found. The development of the analysed sample is like the contemporary European population. The start of the puberal growth spurt and the acetabular maturity (age of fusion of the three acetabular elements) are into the normal ranges for the contemporary population. On the other hand, the behaviour of the growth curves from the analysed variables in the present study is similar to the curves obtained for similar or relating measures in the actual population. The vertical variables have a lineal behaviour with a constant growth tax. The horizontal variables have a no constant growth tax, they present a decreasing tax before the start of the puberal growth spurt. The present study shows growth into the coxal until 25 years of age approximately, specifically in the pubic length, sciatic notch width, ischium-pubic index, sciatic notch index in both sexes, and the ischium length in the masculine sex. We can not attribute this growth to the delay in the maturation of the analysed series because, as previously previously, the development of the series are similar to the contemporary European population. This permits us to affirm that the growth into the pubic length, the sciatic notch width in both sexes and the ischium length in masculine sexe is until 25 years approximately. In the other hand, we can also observe increase of the cotylosciatic width, coxal height and ilium width and the decrease of the sciatic notch in both sexes related with ages. This variations are caused for the apposition on the periostium.
With respect the sexual differences we did not observe significative differences after 10 years old, with the exception at the ischium-pubic index between 0 to 5 years. The ischium-pubic index is the only variable with significative differences, however also seems interesting for the sexual discrimination the absolute variables relating with the diameter of acetabulm; but it would be necessary more data to confirm this observation. The variables more significatives in the sexual discrimination of the adult coxal are: ischium length, cotylosciatic index, coxal height, coxal index, acetabular diameter and the variables relating with de acetabular diameters described in this study. The cotylosciatic width, coxal height and the analysed index are not recommendable either for the growth analysis nor for age estimation due to his big dispersion. The recommended variables for age estimation are the ischium length, ilium width and ilium length. The most interesting is the ischium length due to the lack of sexual differences into this variable during growth. This is important in archaeological material where the sex is unknown.
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The growth and development of the human humerus is studied, focusing the research on four variabl... more The growth and development of the human humerus is studied, focusing the research on four variables: diaphyseal length (DLH), transversal diameter of the proximal end of the shaft (TDPH), epicondylar breadth (EBH) and vertical diameter of the head (VDHH). To this purpose, 181 subadults (90 ♂ and 91 ♀, 0-25 years of age) from three documented Western European skeletal collections (Coimbra, Lisbon and St. Bride) were analysed. Once the homogeneity of the sample was tested, the existence of sexual differences (Student's t-and Mann-Whitney U-test) and the growth model (polynomial regression) were evaluated. Significant sexual differences were found in EBH and VDHH over 20 and 15 years of age respectively, indicating that these two variables may be useful for sex determination from that age onward. Strong correlation coefficients were identified between humeral size and age for each of the four variables. Specifically, both DLH and VDHH respond to a second degree polynomial regression, the EBH to a first degree and the TDPH to a fourth degree. The obtained results indicate that these four humeral measurements are valuable in sub-adult age estimation of osteological remains from both forensic and archaeological contexts.
Forensic science international, Jan 16, 2017
This study aims to explore shape variability of the acetabulum during the human adult life span, ... more This study aims to explore shape variability of the acetabulum during the human adult life span, in relation to sex and age. The human acetabular shape was analysed in 682 os coxae from three different documented skeletal collections from the Iberian Peninsula. Two landmarks and thirty-two sliding semi-landmarks were used for the geometric morphometric procedures and a clock-wise standard was used for orientation. The 180° meridian (6:00) line was positioned over the midpoint of the acetabular notch and 36 reference points in 10° increments along the rim were marked. Data showed that size, sex and age significantly influence acetabular shape variation. Sex differences were significant in individuals younger than 65 years old and were characterised by males exhibiting relatively extended acetabular rim profiles from 10:00 to 1:00, narrower acetabular notches, and reduced acetabular fossae. In addition, three main age-related changes occurred to the acetabular shape in both sexes: out...
International Journal of Legal Medicine, 2016
Age estimation is essential to the human identification process, both in forensic and archeologic... more Age estimation is essential to the human identification process, both in forensic and archeological contexts. Based on the previous male-specific method of Rissech et al. (J Forensic Sci, 2006, 51:213-229), a new approach to age estimation based on the acetabulum has been described and evaluated in 611 individuals from the Lisbon Collection (Lisbon, Portugal). This paper has two main goals: (1) to revise and better define the variables of Rissech's method related to the acetabular fossa, namely, variables 5, 6, and 7, and (2) to extend the applicability of this new approach to both sexes while analyzing age-related sex differences in the acetabular aging process. The results demonstrate the suitability of combining acetabulum traits and a Bayesian approach to estimating age in adults of both sexes. This study has confirmed the usefulness of the redefined variables of the acetabular fossa when age-related changes are considered. Furthermore, the newly defined variables have good to excellent values of repeatability. The study has also extended the method's applicability to females. The revised method has absolute error averages of 7.28 years for males and 7.09 years for females, based on a sex-specific reference sample. In addition, approximately 74 % of the individuals estimated had an absolute error less than 10 years. Interestingly, the acetabular aging process follows similar trends in both sexes, but the aging rate seems to be different between males and females, especially in middle-aged individuals. Despite the fact that the age estimates, on average, did not improve significantly with the use of a sex-specific reference sample, it is recommended that the sexes be analyzed separately due to the differences in aging rates and inaccuracy values.
Guix Elements D Accio Educativa, 1999
Antropologia Y Biodiversidad Vol 1 2002 Isbn 84 7290 113 0 Pags 447 455, 2002
Diversidad Humana Y Antropologia Aplicada 2010 Isbn 978 84 614 2257 9 Pags 557 570, 2010
Diversidad Humana Y Antropologia Aplicada 2010 Isbn 978 84 614 2257 9 Pags 571 582, 2010
American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2015
To describe the morphological changes of the male femur during the adolescent growth spurt and to... more To describe the morphological changes of the male femur during the adolescent growth spurt and to compare the pattern obtained with that reported previously for females. Two hundred and forty males from a Spanish population aged between 9 and 16 years were analysed, based on telemetries. Size and shape variation of the femur was quantified by 22 2D-landmarks and analysed using geometric morphometric methods. Likewise, the variation of neck-shaft and bicondylar angles were also determined and evaluated by Student's t-test. Sexual differences were analysed by comparing results here obtained on boys with those corresponding to girls reported in a previous study. In males, both size and shape varied significantly with age, with males having larger dimensions than females. In general terms, these changes are generally characterised by an increase in robustness of the femur and shape modifications in the epiphyses. During growth, the neck-shaft angle decreases and the size of the greater and lesser trochanters increase. A significant increase of distal epiphyseal dimensions was recorded, mainly in the medial condyle. The angular remodeling of both the neck and the bicondylar regions of the male femur continues until 16 and 15 years, respectively. Female and male femur each followed divergent growth trajectories. Males showed a greater variability in neck-shaft and bicondylar angles than females. The timing, morphology and growth trajectories provided on the femur during development can be very helpful in anthropological, paleoanthropological and evolution studies. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The aim of this paper is to provide an effective and quick reference guide based on the most usef... more The aim of this paper is to provide an effective and quick reference guide based on the most useful European formulae recently published for sub-adult age estimation. All of these formulae derive from studies on postnatal growth of the scapula, innominate, femur and tibia, based on modern skeletal data (173 ♂, 173 ♀) from five documented collections from Spain, Portugal and Britain. The formulae were calculated from Inverse Regression. For this reason these formulae are especially useful for modern samples from Western Europe and in particular on 20th century human remains from the Iberian Peninsula. Eleven formulae were selected as the most useful because they can be applied to individuals from within a wide age range and in individuals of unknown sex. Due to their high reliability and because they derive from documented European skeletal samples, we recommend these formulae be used on individuals of Caucasoid ancestry from Western Europe.
The aim of this study is to evaluate geometric morphometrics when applied to high definition radi... more The aim of this study is to evaluate geometric morphometrics when applied to high definition radiographic images for the study of the femur development. The material analysed was 25 images in DICOM format, corresponding to 25 female left femurs in anterior view, aged between 13 and 16 years, originating from telemetry from the Hospital Sant Joan de Deu of Barcelona database. The whole femur was measured by using 22 bidimensional landmarks. First of all, the reliability of the measurements was evaluated using a Euclidean distance test. An ANOVA was carried out to test size-related differences during growth, a Principal Component analysis on shape variables and a multivariant analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) between a group of principal components and age, using the centroid size as covariate. R results showed a high reproducibility of the landmarks selected and that they provide an accurate interpretation of the morphological changes during the growth period considered.. Both size and shape varied significantly with age. After removing the size effect, shape changes associated with age remained significant. In general, these changes follow patterns that can be found in the current literature; an increase in robustness of the bone and notable changes in different areas of the femur as, for example, in the neck and diaphyseal regions, and in the trochanters. Results obtained showed the usefulness of the methodology used for the study of femur development during the age period considered.
European Journal of Anatomy
The main objective of this study is to analyze the sexual dimorphism of the Spanish clavicle taki... more The main objective of this study is to analyze the sexual dimorphism of the Spanish clavicle taking into account lateral asymmetry. A total of 77 adult individuals (45 males and 32 females) from the documented collection of Madrid were used. Twelve measurements were taken: four direct measurements on bone (Maximum length, midshaft circumference, sternal epiphyseal width, acromial epiphyseal width) and eight indirect measurements based on orthogonal photographic images of the clavicles placed on a light box (maximum depth of the lateral and medial curvature, angle of the lateral and medial curvature, lateral and medial curvature, area and perimeter). The asymmetry and sexual dimorphism were analyzed using Student's t-test. Posteriorly, a PCA was applied to evaluate the contribution of each variable to sexual dimorphism. Finally, and taking into account previous results, a discriminant analysis was carried out on each clavicular side. Results indicate that the variables that contribute most in sexual dimorphism were five: perimeter, area, maximum length, midshaft circumference, and medial curvature. With them, fifteen formulae for each clavicular side were obtained: five by using individual variables and ten using combinations of two variables. The functions with highest accuracy were those constituted by two variables, specifically those comprising the midshaft circumference and the medial curvature. The obtained results and derived functions are important as they are the first to be obtained using Spanish clavicles to diagnose sex taking into account asymmetry. The new formulae are especially useful for skeletal remains from the Mediterranean area and in particular from the Iberian Peninsula.
The aim of this study is to analyze the sexual dimorphism of the clavicle taking into account its... more The aim of this study is to analyze the sexual dimorphism of the clavicle taking into account its directional asymmetry and to provide useful algorithms for sexual diagnosis. This analysis was performed on 77 modern adult individuals of Spanish origin (45 men and 32 women) ranging from 20 to 92 years of age and belonging to the collection of the University Complutense of Madrid. Two kinds of measurements were taken, one directly from the bone (maximum length, the perimeter at the middle and, acromial and esternal epiphysis width) and the other indirectly from photographic images (angle and sagita). After checking the consistence of the measurements, the sexual dimorphism and the directional asymmetry of the left and right clavicles were analyzed by Student's T test. Secondly, a Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was applied to evaluate the degree of variable implication in sexual dimorphism. Finally, a discriminant analysis was carried out on each clavicular side. The results indicated that: 1) males have higher average values than females in all the variables with the exception of the angle; 2) in males, the average values of the acromial and esternal width of the right clavicle are higher than those of the left; y 3) sexual dimorphism is manifested mainly by variables related to the clavicular size. Finally, 2 functions were obtained, one for left clavicles and another for the right, based on clavicle length and the perimeter at the middle, which showed an accuracy of over 92%.
The present study examines 25 infant and juvenile individuals from the archaeological Copper Age ... more The present study examines 25 infant and juvenile individuals from the archaeological Copper Age site, Camino del Molino (Caravaca de la Cruz, Murcia). The site consists of a collective burial of the III Millennium B.C. Growth patterns and pathological conditions of these individuals were examined in order to identify the health conditions of the whole population. A visual comparison of growth curves between Camino del Molino and three documented Iberian samples, two of them dating from the late nineteenth century and early twentieth, and the third from the current living population, revealed that our sample exhibits faltering growth compared with the current population until the growth spurt, in which the growth rate increased greatly. Concerning pathological conditions, a high percentage of porotic lesions was recorded; cribra orbitalia (77,77%), cribra femoralis (80,95%) and porotic hyperostosis of the cranial vault (33,33%) and ischium (33,33%). These lesions were associated with osteopenia, lacelike trabeculae pattern and H-shaped vertebral bodies, in the thoracic spine. The high frequency of porotic lesions together with the lesions observed in the spine could suggest some type of thalassemia endemic in the Mediterranean area. However, further research would be necessary to assert a diagnosis.
Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology studies depend critically on the accuracy and reliabilit... more Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology studies depend critically on the accuracy and reliability of age-estimation techniques. In this study we have evaluated two age-estimation methods for adults based on the pubic symphysis (Suchey-Brooks) and the auricular surface (Buckberry-Chamberlain) in a current sample of 139 individuals (67 women and 72 men) from Madrid in order to verify the accuracy of both methods applied to a sample of innominate bones from the central Iberian Peninsula. Based on the overall results of this study, the Buckberry-Chamberlain method seems to be the method that provides better estimates in terms of absolute difference to the chronological age taking into account the total sample. The mean absolute difference of the Buckberry-Chamberlain and Suchey-Brooks methods are 11.24 years and 14.38 years, respectively. Results indicated that Suchey-Brooks method is more appropriate for populations with a majority of young individuals, whereas Buckberry-Chamberlain method is recommended for populations with a higher percentage of individuals in the range 60-70 years. These different age-estimation methodologies significantly influence the resulting demographic profile, consequently affecting the biological characteristics reconstruction of the samples in which they are applied.
The growth and development of the human humerus is studied, focusing the research on four variabl... more The growth and development of the human humerus is studied, focusing the research on four variables: diaphyseal length (DLH), transversal diameter of the proximal end of the shaft (TDPH), epicondylar breadth (EBH) and vertical diameter of the head (VDHH). To this purpose, 181 subadults (90 ♂ and 91 ♀, 0-25 years of age) from three documented Western European skeletal collections (Coimbra, Lisbon and St. Bride) were analysed. Once the homogeneity of the sample was tested, the existence of sexual differences (Student's t-and Mann-Whitney U-test) and the growth model (polynomial regression) were evaluated. Significant sexual differences were found in EBH and VDHH over 20 and 15 years of age respectively, indicating that these two variables may be useful for sex determination from that age onward. Strong correlation coefficients were identified between humeral size and age for each of the four variables. Specifically, both DLH and VDHH respond to a second degree polynomial regression, the EBH to a first degree and the TDPH to a fourth degree. The obtained results indicate that these four humeral measurements are valuable in sub-adult age estimation of osteological remains from both forensic and archaeological contexts.
Forensic science international, Jan 16, 2017
This study aims to explore shape variability of the acetabulum during the human adult life span, ... more This study aims to explore shape variability of the acetabulum during the human adult life span, in relation to sex and age. The human acetabular shape was analysed in 682 os coxae from three different documented skeletal collections from the Iberian Peninsula. Two landmarks and thirty-two sliding semi-landmarks were used for the geometric morphometric procedures and a clock-wise standard was used for orientation. The 180° meridian (6:00) line was positioned over the midpoint of the acetabular notch and 36 reference points in 10° increments along the rim were marked. Data showed that size, sex and age significantly influence acetabular shape variation. Sex differences were significant in individuals younger than 65 years old and were characterised by males exhibiting relatively extended acetabular rim profiles from 10:00 to 1:00, narrower acetabular notches, and reduced acetabular fossae. In addition, three main age-related changes occurred to the acetabular shape in both sexes: out...
International Journal of Legal Medicine, 2016
Age estimation is essential to the human identification process, both in forensic and archeologic... more Age estimation is essential to the human identification process, both in forensic and archeological contexts. Based on the previous male-specific method of Rissech et al. (J Forensic Sci, 2006, 51:213-229), a new approach to age estimation based on the acetabulum has been described and evaluated in 611 individuals from the Lisbon Collection (Lisbon, Portugal). This paper has two main goals: (1) to revise and better define the variables of Rissech's method related to the acetabular fossa, namely, variables 5, 6, and 7, and (2) to extend the applicability of this new approach to both sexes while analyzing age-related sex differences in the acetabular aging process. The results demonstrate the suitability of combining acetabulum traits and a Bayesian approach to estimating age in adults of both sexes. This study has confirmed the usefulness of the redefined variables of the acetabular fossa when age-related changes are considered. Furthermore, the newly defined variables have good to excellent values of repeatability. The study has also extended the method's applicability to females. The revised method has absolute error averages of 7.28 years for males and 7.09 years for females, based on a sex-specific reference sample. In addition, approximately 74 % of the individuals estimated had an absolute error less than 10 years. Interestingly, the acetabular aging process follows similar trends in both sexes, but the aging rate seems to be different between males and females, especially in middle-aged individuals. Despite the fact that the age estimates, on average, did not improve significantly with the use of a sex-specific reference sample, it is recommended that the sexes be analyzed separately due to the differences in aging rates and inaccuracy values.
Guix Elements D Accio Educativa, 1999
Antropologia Y Biodiversidad Vol 1 2002 Isbn 84 7290 113 0 Pags 447 455, 2002
Diversidad Humana Y Antropologia Aplicada 2010 Isbn 978 84 614 2257 9 Pags 557 570, 2010
Diversidad Humana Y Antropologia Aplicada 2010 Isbn 978 84 614 2257 9 Pags 571 582, 2010
American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2015
To describe the morphological changes of the male femur during the adolescent growth spurt and to... more To describe the morphological changes of the male femur during the adolescent growth spurt and to compare the pattern obtained with that reported previously for females. Two hundred and forty males from a Spanish population aged between 9 and 16 years were analysed, based on telemetries. Size and shape variation of the femur was quantified by 22 2D-landmarks and analysed using geometric morphometric methods. Likewise, the variation of neck-shaft and bicondylar angles were also determined and evaluated by Student's t-test. Sexual differences were analysed by comparing results here obtained on boys with those corresponding to girls reported in a previous study. In males, both size and shape varied significantly with age, with males having larger dimensions than females. In general terms, these changes are generally characterised by an increase in robustness of the femur and shape modifications in the epiphyses. During growth, the neck-shaft angle decreases and the size of the greater and lesser trochanters increase. A significant increase of distal epiphyseal dimensions was recorded, mainly in the medial condyle. The angular remodeling of both the neck and the bicondylar regions of the male femur continues until 16 and 15 years, respectively. Female and male femur each followed divergent growth trajectories. Males showed a greater variability in neck-shaft and bicondylar angles than females. The timing, morphology and growth trajectories provided on the femur during development can be very helpful in anthropological, paleoanthropological and evolution studies. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The aim of this paper is to provide an effective and quick reference guide based on the most usef... more The aim of this paper is to provide an effective and quick reference guide based on the most useful European formulae recently published for sub-adult age estimation. All of these formulae derive from studies on postnatal growth of the scapula, innominate, femur and tibia, based on modern skeletal data (173 ♂, 173 ♀) from five documented collections from Spain, Portugal and Britain. The formulae were calculated from Inverse Regression. For this reason these formulae are especially useful for modern samples from Western Europe and in particular on 20th century human remains from the Iberian Peninsula. Eleven formulae were selected as the most useful because they can be applied to individuals from within a wide age range and in individuals of unknown sex. Due to their high reliability and because they derive from documented European skeletal samples, we recommend these formulae be used on individuals of Caucasoid ancestry from Western Europe.
The aim of this study is to evaluate geometric morphometrics when applied to high definition radi... more The aim of this study is to evaluate geometric morphometrics when applied to high definition radiographic images for the study of the femur development. The material analysed was 25 images in DICOM format, corresponding to 25 female left femurs in anterior view, aged between 13 and 16 years, originating from telemetry from the Hospital Sant Joan de Deu of Barcelona database. The whole femur was measured by using 22 bidimensional landmarks. First of all, the reliability of the measurements was evaluated using a Euclidean distance test. An ANOVA was carried out to test size-related differences during growth, a Principal Component analysis on shape variables and a multivariant analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) between a group of principal components and age, using the centroid size as covariate. R results showed a high reproducibility of the landmarks selected and that they provide an accurate interpretation of the morphological changes during the growth period considered.. Both size and shape varied significantly with age. After removing the size effect, shape changes associated with age remained significant. In general, these changes follow patterns that can be found in the current literature; an increase in robustness of the bone and notable changes in different areas of the femur as, for example, in the neck and diaphyseal regions, and in the trochanters. Results obtained showed the usefulness of the methodology used for the study of femur development during the age period considered.
European Journal of Anatomy
The main objective of this study is to analyze the sexual dimorphism of the Spanish clavicle taki... more The main objective of this study is to analyze the sexual dimorphism of the Spanish clavicle taking into account lateral asymmetry. A total of 77 adult individuals (45 males and 32 females) from the documented collection of Madrid were used. Twelve measurements were taken: four direct measurements on bone (Maximum length, midshaft circumference, sternal epiphyseal width, acromial epiphyseal width) and eight indirect measurements based on orthogonal photographic images of the clavicles placed on a light box (maximum depth of the lateral and medial curvature, angle of the lateral and medial curvature, lateral and medial curvature, area and perimeter). The asymmetry and sexual dimorphism were analyzed using Student's t-test. Posteriorly, a PCA was applied to evaluate the contribution of each variable to sexual dimorphism. Finally, and taking into account previous results, a discriminant analysis was carried out on each clavicular side. Results indicate that the variables that contribute most in sexual dimorphism were five: perimeter, area, maximum length, midshaft circumference, and medial curvature. With them, fifteen formulae for each clavicular side were obtained: five by using individual variables and ten using combinations of two variables. The functions with highest accuracy were those constituted by two variables, specifically those comprising the midshaft circumference and the medial curvature. The obtained results and derived functions are important as they are the first to be obtained using Spanish clavicles to diagnose sex taking into account asymmetry. The new formulae are especially useful for skeletal remains from the Mediterranean area and in particular from the Iberian Peninsula.
The aim of this study is to analyze the sexual dimorphism of the clavicle taking into account its... more The aim of this study is to analyze the sexual dimorphism of the clavicle taking into account its directional asymmetry and to provide useful algorithms for sexual diagnosis. This analysis was performed on 77 modern adult individuals of Spanish origin (45 men and 32 women) ranging from 20 to 92 years of age and belonging to the collection of the University Complutense of Madrid. Two kinds of measurements were taken, one directly from the bone (maximum length, the perimeter at the middle and, acromial and esternal epiphysis width) and the other indirectly from photographic images (angle and sagita). After checking the consistence of the measurements, the sexual dimorphism and the directional asymmetry of the left and right clavicles were analyzed by Student's T test. Secondly, a Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was applied to evaluate the degree of variable implication in sexual dimorphism. Finally, a discriminant analysis was carried out on each clavicular side. The results indicated that: 1) males have higher average values than females in all the variables with the exception of the angle; 2) in males, the average values of the acromial and esternal width of the right clavicle are higher than those of the left; y 3) sexual dimorphism is manifested mainly by variables related to the clavicular size. Finally, 2 functions were obtained, one for left clavicles and another for the right, based on clavicle length and the perimeter at the middle, which showed an accuracy of over 92%.
The present study examines 25 infant and juvenile individuals from the archaeological Copper Age ... more The present study examines 25 infant and juvenile individuals from the archaeological Copper Age site, Camino del Molino (Caravaca de la Cruz, Murcia). The site consists of a collective burial of the III Millennium B.C. Growth patterns and pathological conditions of these individuals were examined in order to identify the health conditions of the whole population. A visual comparison of growth curves between Camino del Molino and three documented Iberian samples, two of them dating from the late nineteenth century and early twentieth, and the third from the current living population, revealed that our sample exhibits faltering growth compared with the current population until the growth spurt, in which the growth rate increased greatly. Concerning pathological conditions, a high percentage of porotic lesions was recorded; cribra orbitalia (77,77%), cribra femoralis (80,95%) and porotic hyperostosis of the cranial vault (33,33%) and ischium (33,33%). These lesions were associated with osteopenia, lacelike trabeculae pattern and H-shaped vertebral bodies, in the thoracic spine. The high frequency of porotic lesions together with the lesions observed in the spine could suggest some type of thalassemia endemic in the Mediterranean area. However, further research would be necessary to assert a diagnosis.
Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology studies depend critically on the accuracy and reliabilit... more Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology studies depend critically on the accuracy and reliability of age-estimation techniques. In this study we have evaluated two age-estimation methods for adults based on the pubic symphysis (Suchey-Brooks) and the auricular surface (Buckberry-Chamberlain) in a current sample of 139 individuals (67 women and 72 men) from Madrid in order to verify the accuracy of both methods applied to a sample of innominate bones from the central Iberian Peninsula. Based on the overall results of this study, the Buckberry-Chamberlain method seems to be the method that provides better estimates in terms of absolute difference to the chronological age taking into account the total sample. The mean absolute difference of the Buckberry-Chamberlain and Suchey-Brooks methods are 11.24 years and 14.38 years, respectively. Results indicated that Suchey-Brooks method is more appropriate for populations with a majority of young individuals, whereas Buckberry-Chamberlain method is recommended for populations with a higher percentage of individuals in the range 60-70 years. These different age-estimation methodologies significantly influence the resulting demographic profile, consequently affecting the biological characteristics reconstruction of the samples in which they are applied.
Journal of Archaeological Science
Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology studies depend critically on the accuracy and reliabilit... more Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology studies depend critically on the accuracy and reliability of age-estimation techniques. In this study we have evaluated two age-estimation methods for adults based on the pubic symphysis (SucheyeBrooks) and the auricular surface (BuckberryeChamberlain) in a current sample of 139 individuals (67 women and 72 men) from Madrid in order to verify the accuracy of both methods applied to a sample of innominate bones from the central Iberian Peninsula. Based on the overall results of this study, the BuckberryeChamberlain method seems to be the method that provides better estimates in terms of accuracy (percentage of hits) and absolute difference to the chronological age taking into account the total sample. The percentage of hits and mean absolute difference of the BuckberryeChamberlain and SucheyeBrooks methods are 97.3% and 11.24 years, and 85.7% and 14.38 years, respectively. However, this apparently greater applicability of the BuckberryeChamberlain method is mainly due to the broad age ranges provided. Results indicated that SucheyeBrooks method is more appropriate for populations with a majority of young individuals, whereas BuckberryeChamberlain method is recommended for populations with a higher percentage of individuals in the range 60e70 years. These different age estimation methodologies significantly influence the resulting demographic profile, consequently affecting the biological characteristics reconstruction of the samples in which they are applied.
Journal of Human Evolution, 2015
The description of acetabular shape variation among primates is essential for our understanding o... more The description of acetabular shape variation among primates is essential for our understanding of the locomotor behaviour and ecology of both extant and fossil species. In this study, we use two-dimensional geometric morphometrics to examine variation in acetabular shape in human and non-human primates and to determine the degree to which it co-varies with locomotor behaviour, while taking both intra and inter-specific variation into account. To these ends, we examined the acetabulum of 303 left hip bones of 27 extant genera of primates (including humans) with different locomotor behaviours. After accounting for shape variation due to sex, size, and phylogeny, the results confirm that acetabular shape varies significantly across locomotor groups. The two most differentiated locomotor groups are leapers and slow-climbing quadrupeds, which exhibit a unique acetabular shape. Furthermore, the acetabulum of humans differed significantly from all other groups, while no significant differences existed between chimpanzees and gorillas. The most noticeable differences are detected in both cranial and dorsal areas and around the acetabular horns. This variation in acetabular morphology may have biomechanical implications at the level of the hip joint, potentially determining joint range motion and load distribution during locomotion. Given the increasing number of published studies on fossil pelves, our results are widely applicable to fossil analyses, with critical implications for paleoanthropological analyses about the complex locomotor behaviour of fossil specimens and their classification into locomotor groups, which may enhance our understanding of their ecological habits.
An international guide to laws and practice in the excavation and treatment of archaeological human remains, 2010
RESUMEN Este trabajo estudia la morfología comparada de la escápula de primates humanos y no huma... more RESUMEN Este trabajo estudia la morfología comparada de la escápula de primates humanos y no humanos mediante morfometría geométrica. Se han utilizado 62 omóplatos de individuos adultos de sexo desconocido (22 humanos actuales, 1 Neandertal y 39 primates no humanos), procedentes de las colecciones de las Universidades UAB, UB y del Museo de Ciencias Naturales de Barcelona. Cada escápula se fotografió ortogonalmente y se cuantificó su morfología mediante el uso de puntos anatómicos de referencia (12 para la cara posterior y 13 para la anterior). Después de eva-luar la fiabilidad de las mediciones mediante un test de distancias euclídeas, se analizó la diversi-dad de este hueso en las diferentes especies de primates mediante un Análisis de Componentes Principales (ACP). Los resultados mostraron clara separación morfológica entre primates cuadrú-pedos y no cuadrúpedos (suspensores, saltadores y bípedos). En este último conjunto los humanos se separan netamente del resto. En los primate...
