Moscow University
Anthropology
Bulletin
Anthropology
Bulletin
Lomonosov Moscow State University, Anuchin Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, Mokhovaya st., 11, Moscow, 125009, Russia
Karapetian Marina, Ph.D., ORCID ID: 0000-0003-1886-8943, e-mail: marishkakar@hotmail.com
Several osteometric models have been published that use di-mensions of the first and the second cervical vertebrae for sex determination. However, other cervical vertebrae were not stud-ied in this respect. Accordingly, the aim of this article is to de-velop and test osteometric models for sex determination using human cervical vertebrae. Overall, 477 skeletons were studied: American Whites (N=117) and Blacks (N=61), Canadians (N=102) and Muscovites (N=59) of the early-middle XX cen-tury, as well as XVIII century countrymen from the Moscow re-gion (N=108) and individuals from an Early Medieval cemetery located in the modern N. Ossetia (N=30). Discriminant analysis was used. Probabilities of belonging to either sex were calcu-lated for each case and solutions to discriminant functions were classified according to V.N. Zvyagin into «almost certain» (P>0.95), «probable» (0.75ЈPЈ0.95) and «uncertain» (P<0.75). C7 was the most sexually dimorphic cervical vertebra in three out of six samples. The percentage of correct classification for all models was between 79–92% in reference sample (American Whites, Terry collection) and 71–92% in test samples. Models were least effective for the sample of African American males (Terry collection, 48–69% of accuracy), and the maximum per-centage of correct classification in this sample was achieved when C6 and C7 were used. A model that includes dimensions of all 7 cervical vertebrae gives the highest percentage of cor-rectly classified individuals with the level of probability exceed-ing 0.95 (67% for all groups). Models for C6 and C7 give the lowest percentage of misclassification (0.0–0.5% for P>0.95), but the highest percentage of cases with uncertain sex (40–43% for P<0.75). For these models only 10% of cases were correctly classified with P>0.95. The osteometric models may be useful in paleodemography and in forensic anthropology, especially for the analysis of fragmentary or scattered skeletal remains.
anthropology, human anatomy, cervical vertebrae, paleodemography, forensic anthropology, sex determination, population variability, discriminant analysis
Цит.: Karapetian M. Dimorphism of human cervical vertebrae: osteometric models for sex determination // Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin (Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seria XXIII. Antropologia), 2013; 4/2013; с. 80-92
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