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5. THE STUDY OF CRANIAL MORPHOLOGY IN CASES OF ARTIFICIAL CRANIAL DEFORMATION USING ANGULAR MORPHOMETRY

THE STUDY OF CRANIAL MORPHOLOGY IN CASES OF ARTIFICIAL CRANIAL DEFORMATION USING ANGULAR MORPHOMETRY

Galeyev Ravil

Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

Galeyev Ravil, e-mail: ravil.galeev@gmail.com.

Abstract

Artificial deformation of the head is one of the most widespread ancient practices of changing human appearance. It has been studied by more than two hundred years. Certain problems relating to this custom can be solved with the help of physical anthropology. Angular morphometry is rooted in cranio-trigonometric studies of the early 20th century. The essence of this method consists in analyzing cranial morphology through a description of its shape by the system of triangles the angle values being used in multivariate statistical analysis. Numerous studies of artificial cranial deformation using the cranio-trigonometric approach were published in the first half of the 20th century. They were mainly based on the craniometric systems of H. Klaatsch and J. Imbelloni and on the notion of “cephalic constants”, such as the ‘Klaatsch central angle (Z)’. We selected some 400 skulls with various types of deformation coming from various regions of northern Eurasia. They were measured according to the angular morphometry program developed by S.V. Vasilyev and R.M. Galeyev. This program is based on a system of 33 triangles generated by craniometric reference points. The trigonometric systems of artificially deformed and undeformed skulls differ in various respects. The heavier the deformation, the larger these differences are. The braincase undergoes heavy transformation whereas general angular characteristics of the face change little if at all. Visual differences of artificially deformed crania are more evident in the curvature of individual skull bones than in the position of craniometric points within the cranial space. The angular characteristics of deformed braincases differ by types of deformation. Based on the results of the angular morphometric analysis we can distinguish two subtypes of circular deformation: straight and inclined types according to J. Imbelloni.

Keywords

angular morphometry, artificial cranial deformation

Цит.: Galeyev Ravil THE STUDY OF CRANIAL MORPHOLOGY IN CASES OF ARTIFICIAL CRANIAL DEFORMATION USING ANGULAR MORPHOMETRY // Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin (Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seria XXIII. Antropologia), 2014; 3/2014; с. 69-69