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Mole CG, Sealy J, Stynder DD, Le Roux PJ, Gibbon VE. Bioarchaeology and evidence of violence from a precolonial later stone age communal burial in South Africa. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0310421. [PMID: 39288114 PMCID: PMC11407628 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0310421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 08/31/2024] [Indexed: 09/19/2024] Open
Abstract
This study reports on the bioarchaeology and evidence of interpersonal violence in a group of archaeological skeletons found near Ladismith, Western Cape, South Africa. The co-mingled skeletal remains derive from at least ten individuals of varying ages and both sexes. Overlapping radiocarbon dates on three individuals place them in the first half of the 15th century CE, pre-dating first European contact at the end of that century. Three juvenile crania have perimortem perforations, the locations of which indicate violent deaths. The sizes and shapes of the lesions suggest impact by a blade at least 110mm long and 50mm wide but with edges only 2mm thick. Based on these dimensions, we hypothesise that this was a metal-tipped spear. The nearest metal-working communities at this time lived approximately 500 km away, implying long-distance trade or exchange. δ13C, δ15N and 87Sr/86Sr values indicate that this was a heterogenous group of individuals who had spent their early lives in different locations and consumed varied diets, who had come together and were living in or travelling through the Ladismith area at the time of their deaths. This finding extends the timeframe and location for the practice of communal burial in the Holocene of southern Africa and provides additional support for the hypothesis that communal burials in this region tend to be associated with violence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Calvin G Mole
- Department of Human Biology, Division of Clinical Anatomy and Biological Anthropology, University of Cape Town, Observatory, South Africa
- Department of Pathology, Division of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, University of Cape Town, Observatory, South Africa
| | - Judith Sealy
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Deano D Stynder
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Petrus J Le Roux
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Victoria E Gibbon
- Department of Human Biology, Division of Clinical Anatomy and Biological Anthropology, University of Cape Town, Observatory, South Africa
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Olsen TB, García-Martínez D, Villa C. Testing different 3D techniques using geometric morphometrics: Implications for cranial fluctuating asymmetry in humans. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2023; 180:224-234. [PMID: 36790697 PMCID: PMC10100329 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to test the performance of 3D digitizer, CT scanner, and surface scanner in detecting cranial fluctuating asymmetry. Sets of 32 landmarks (6 in the midline and 13 bilateral) were acquired from 14 archeological crania using a 3D digitizer, and from 3D models generated from a CT scanner and surface scanner using Viewbox 4. Levels of shape variation were analyzed in MorphoJ using Procrustes analysis of variance and Principal component analysis. Intra-observer error accounted for 1.7%, 1.8%, and 4.5% of total shape variation for 3D digitizer, CT scanner, and surface scanner respectively. Fluctuating asymmetry accounted for 15%-16% of total shape variation. Variation between techniques accounted for 18% of total shape variation. We found a higher level of missing landmarks in our surface scan data than for both 3D digitizer and CT scanner data, and both 3D model-based techniques sometimes obscured taphonomic damage. All three 3D techniques are appropriate for measuring cranial fluctuating asymmetry. We advise against combining data collected with different techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trine Bottos Olsen
- Laboratory of Advanced Imaging and 3D modelling, Section of Forensic Pathology, Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Daniel García-Martínez
- Physical Anthropology Unit, Department of Biodiversity, Ecology, and Evolution, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Burgos, Spain.,Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology, Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Chiara Villa
- Laboratory of Advanced Imaging and 3D modelling, Section of Forensic Pathology, Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Toneva DH, Nikolova SY, Tasheva-Terzieva ED, Zlatareva DK, Lazarov NE. Sexual dimorphism in shape and size of the neurocranium. Int J Legal Med 2022; 136:1851-1863. [PMID: 35945460 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-022-02876-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
Sex identification is a primary step in forensic analysis of skeletal remains. The accuracy of sex estimation methods greatly depends on the sexual dimorphism manifested by the target anatomical region. The study aims to evaluate the sexual dimorphism in shape and size of the neurocranium and to compare the potential of shape and size of different cranial regions to classify correctly the male and female crania. The study was carried out on computed tomography images of 373 Bulgarian adults (161 males and 212 females). Three-dimensional coordinates of 32 landmarks were acquired. The landmarks were arranged in 4 configurations: neurocranium, frontal bone, parietotemporal region, and occipital bone. For each configuration, the presence of significant sex differences in shape and size was tested. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to explore the shape variation. The classification power of size and shape was tested using discriminant analysis and k-means clustering. The neurocranium shows significant sex differences in shape and size. The parietotemporal region is the most dimorphic neurocranial part in size and the frontal bone is the most differing one in shape. The size of the parietotemporal region and frontal bone classifies correctly more than 80% of the crania. The discrimination ability based on shape is rather low as the highest values of about 70% are obtained for the frontal and occipital bone. The PCA plots show large overlapping of the male and female crania. It can be inferred that the sex-specific size differences in the neurocranium are more important than the shape differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana H Toneva
- Department of Anthropology and Anatomy, Institute of Experimental Morphology, Pathology and Anthropology with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 25, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria.
| | - Silviya Y Nikolova
- Department of Anthropology and Anatomy, Institute of Experimental Morphology, Pathology and Anthropology with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 25, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Elena D Tasheva-Terzieva
- Department of Zoology and Anthropology, Faculty of Biology, Sofia University, 1164, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Dora K Zlatareva
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Sofia, 1431, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Nikolai E Lazarov
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Sofia, 1431, Sofia, Bulgaria
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Zhang Y, Schepartz LA. Three-dimensional geometric morphometric studies of modern human occipital variation. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0245445. [PMID: 33444349 PMCID: PMC7808672 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives To investigate three-dimensional morphological variation of the occipital bone between sexes and among populations, to determine how ancestry, sex and size account for occipital shape variation and to describe the exact forms by which the differences are expressed. Methods CT data for 214 modern crania of Asian, African and European ancestry were compared using 3D geometric morphometrics and multivariate statistics, including principal component analysis, Hotelling’s T2 test, multivariate regression, ANOVA, and MANCOVA. Results Sex differences in average occipital morphology are only observed in Europeans, with males exhibiting a pronounced inion. Significant ancestral differences are observed among all samples and are shared by males and females. Asian and African crania have smaller biasterionic breadths and flatter clivus angles compared to Europeans. Asian and European crania are similar in their nuchal and occipital plane proportions, nuchal and occipital angles, and lower inion positions compared to Africans. Centroid size significantly differs between sexes and among populations. The overall allometry, while significant, explains little of the shape variation. Larger occipital bones were associated with a more curved occipital plane, a pronounced inion, a narrower biasterionic breadth, a more flexed clivus, and a lower and relatively smaller foramen magnum. Conclusions Although significant shape differences were observed among populations, it is not recommended to use occipital morphology in sex or population estimation as both factors explained little of the observed variance. Other factors, relating to function and the environment, are suggested to be greater contributors to occipital variation. For the same reason, it is also not recommended to use the occiput in phylogenetic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yameng Zhang
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Environmental and Social Archaeology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- * E-mail:
| | - Lynne A. Schepartz
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Human Variation and Identification Research Unit (HVIRU), School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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Austin D, King RE. The Biological Profile of Unidentified Human Remains in a Forensic Context. Acad Forensic Pathol 2016; 6:370-390. [PMID: 31239913 DOI: 10.23907/2016.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 07/01/2016] [Accepted: 08/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Estimation of the biological profile of unidentified human remains is a critical component of an anthropologic evaluation of unidentified human remains. The profile is used to search for missing persons that may match the decedent. The individual components of sex, ancestry, stature, and age at death require reliable methods to ensure accurate recording of these biological markers. This article showcases an unidentified skeleton that was misclassified as a female when the original evaluation was done in 1963. The revaluation in 2004 quickly led to resolution of the identity. Methods used today to evaluate the components of the biological profile are reviewed along with a limited review of the historic literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana Austin
- Tarrant County Medical Examiner - Anthropology
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Chovalopoulou ME, Valakos ED, Manolis SK. Sex determination by three-dimensional geometric morphometrics of the vault and midsagittal curve of the neurocranium in a modern Greek population sample. HOMO-JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE HUMAN BIOLOGY 2016; 67:173-87. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jchb.2015.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2014] [Accepted: 09/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Liebenberg L, L'Abbé EN, Stull KE. Population differences in the postcrania of modern South Africans and the implications for ancestry estimation. Forensic Sci Int 2015; 257:522-529. [PMID: 26584515 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2015.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2015] [Revised: 09/07/2015] [Accepted: 10/18/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The cranium is widely recognized as the most important skeletal element to use when evaluating population differences and estimating ancestry. However, the cranium is not always intact or available for analysis, which emphasizes the need for postcranial alternatives. The purpose of this study was to quantify postcraniometric differences among South Africans that can be used to estimate ancestry. Thirty-nine standard measurements from 11 postcranial bones were collected from 360 modern black, white and coloured South Africans; the sex and ancestry distribution were equal. Group differences were explored with analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's honestly significant difference (HSD) test. Linear and flexible discriminant analysis (LDA and FDA, respectively) were conducted with bone models as well as numerous multivariate subsets to identify the model and method that yielded the highest correct classifications. Leave-one-out (LDA) and k-fold (k=10; FDA) cross-validation with equal priors were used for all models. ANOVA and Tukey's HSD results reveal statistically significant differences between at least two of the three groups for the majority of the variables, with varying degrees of group overlap. Bone models, which consisted of all measurements per bone, resulted in low accuracies that ranged from 46% to 63% (LDA) and 41% to 66% (FDA). In contrast, the multivariate subsets, which consisted of different variable combinations from all elements, achieved accuracies as high as 85% (LDA) and 87% (FDA). Thus, when using a multivariate approach, the postcranial skeleton can distinguish among three modern South African groups with high accuracy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leandi Liebenberg
- Department of Anatomy, University of Pretoria, Arcadia, South Africa; Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.
| | - Ericka N L'Abbé
- Department of Anatomy, University of Pretoria, Arcadia, South Africa
| | - Kyra E Stull
- Department of Anthropology, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, USA
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McDowell JL, Kenyhercz MW, L'Abbé EN. An evaluation of nasal bone and aperture shape among three South African populations. Forensic Sci Int 2015; 252:189.e1-7. [PMID: 25963274 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2015.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2014] [Revised: 03/02/2015] [Accepted: 04/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Reliable and valid population specific standards are necessary to accurately develop a biological profile, which includes an estimation of peer-reported social identification (Hefner, 2009). During the last 300 years, colonialism, slavery and apartheid created geographic, physical and social divisions of population groups in South Africa. The purpose of this study was to evaluate variation in nasal bone and aperture shape in a modern population of black, white, and coloured South Africans using standard craniometric variables and geometric morphometrics, namely general Procrustes and elliptical Fourier analyses. Fourteen standard landmarks were digitally recorded or computationally derived from 310 crania using a 3D coordinate digitizer for discriminant function, principal components and generalized Procrustes analyses. For elliptical Fourier analysis, outlines of the nasal aperture were generated from standardized photographs. All classification accuracies were better than chance; the lowest accuracies were for coloured and the highest accuracies were for white South Africans. Most difficulties arose in distinguishing coloured and black South African groups from each other. Generally, misclassifications were noted between the sexes within each group rather than among groups, which suggests that sex has less influence on nasal bone and aperture shape than ancestry. Quantifiable variation in shape of the nasal aperture region between white and non-white South African groups was observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L McDowell
- Department of Anatomy, University of Pretoria, Private Bag x 323, Arcadia 0007, South Africa
| | - Michael W Kenyhercz
- Department of Anthropology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK 99775, United States; Department of Anatomy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, United States
| | - Ericka N L'Abbé
- Department of Anatomy, University of Pretoria, Private Bag x 323, Arcadia 0007, South Africa.
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Nieman BJ, Blank MC, Roman BB, Henkelman RM, Millen KJ. If the skull fits: magnetic resonance imaging and microcomputed tomography for combined analysis of brain and skull phenotypes in the mouse. Physiol Genomics 2012; 44:992-1002. [PMID: 22947655 DOI: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00093.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The mammalian brain and skull develop concurrently in a coordinated manner, consistently producing a brain and skull that fit tightly together. It is common that abnormalities in one are associated with related abnormalities in the other. However, this is not always the case. A complete characterization of the relationship between brain and skull phenotypes is necessary to understand the mechanisms that cause them to be coordinated or divergent and to provide perspective on the potential diagnostic or prognostic significance of brain and skull phenotypes. We demonstrate the combined use of magnetic resonance imaging and microcomputed tomography for analysis of brain and skull phenotypes in the mouse. Co-registration of brain and skull images allows comparison of the relationship between phenotypes in the brain and those in the skull. We observe a close fit between the brain and skull of two genetic mouse models that both show abnormal brain and skull phenotypes. Application of these three-dimensional image analyses in a broader range of mouse mutants will provide a map of the relationships between brain and skull phenotypes generally and allow characterization of patterns of similarities and differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian J Nieman
- Mouse Imaging Centre, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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Bastir M, Godoy P, Rosas A. Common features of sexual dimorphism in the cranial airways of different human populations. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2011; 146:414-22. [PMID: 21994017 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.21596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2010] [Accepted: 07/07/2011] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Sexual dimorphism in the human craniofacial system is an important feature of intraspecific variation in recent and fossil humans. Although several studies have reported different morphological patterns of sexual dimorphism in different populations, this study searches for common morphological aspects related to functional anatomy of the respiratory apparatus. 3D geometric morphometrics were used to test the hypothesis that due to higher daily energy expenditure and associated greater respiratory air consumption as well as differences in body composition, males should have absolutely and relatively greater air passages in the bony cranial airways than females. We measured 25 3D landmarks in five populations (N = 212) of adult humans from different geographic regions. Male average cranial airways were larger in centroid sizes than female ones. Males tended to show relatively taller piriform apertures and, more consistently, relatively taller internal nasal cavities and choanae than females. Multivariate regressions and residual analysis further indicated that after standardizing to the same size, males still show relatively larger airway passages than females. Because the dimensions of the choanae are limiting factors for air transmission towards the noncranial part of the respiratory system, the identified sex-specific differences in cranial airways, possibly shared among human populations, may be linked with sex-specific differences in body size, composition, and energetics. These findings may be important to understanding trends in hominin facial evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Bastir
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC; Calle J. G Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain.
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Cray J, Mooney MP, Siegel MI. Cranial Suture Biology of the Aleutian Island Inhabitants. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2011; 294:676-82. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.21345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2010] [Revised: 12/15/2010] [Accepted: 12/22/2010] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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12
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Macaluso PJ. The efficacy of sternal measurements for sex estimation in South African blacks. Forensic Sci Int 2010; 202:111.e1-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2010.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2010] [Revised: 06/14/2010] [Accepted: 07/12/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Three-dimensional geometric morphometric analysis of cranio-facial sexual dimorphism in a Central European sample of known sex. HOMO-JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE HUMAN BIOLOGY 2010; 61:16-32. [PMID: 20152969 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchb.2009.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2009] [Accepted: 09/01/2009] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
This article presents an approach for estimating the sexual dimorphism of adult crania using three-dimensional geometric morphometric methods. The study sample consisted of 139 crania of known sex (73 males and 66 females) belonging to persons who lived during the first half of the 20th century in Bohemia. The three-dimensional co-ordinates of 82 ecto-cranial landmarks and 39 semi-landmarks covering the midsagittal curve of the cranial vault were digitised using a MicroScribe G2X contact digitiser. The purposes of the investigation were to define the regions of the cranium where sexual dimorphism is most pronounced and to investigate the effectiveness of this method for determining sex from the shape of the cranium. The results demonstrate that it is better to analyse apportionable parts of the cranium rather than the cranium as a whole. Significant sexual differences (significance was determined using multivariate analysis of variance) were noted in the shape of the midsagittal curve of the vault, upper face, the region of the nose, orbits, and palate. No differences were recorded either in the shape of the cranium as a whole or in the regions of the base and the neurocranium. The greatest accuracy in determining sex was found in the region of the upper face (100% of study subjects correctly classified) and the midsagittal curve of the vault (99% of study subjects correctly classified).
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A geometric morphometric approach to the quantification of population variation in sub-Saharan African crania. Am J Hum Biol 2010; 22:23-35. [DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.20908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
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Oettlé AC, Becker PJ, de Villiers E, Steyn M. The influence of age, sex, population group, and dentition on the mandibular angle as measured on a South African sample. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2009; 139:505-11. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.21009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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16
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Franklin D, O’Higgins P, Oxnard CE, Dadour I. Discriminant function sexing of the mandible of Indigenous South Africans. Forensic Sci Int 2008; 179:84.e1-5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2008.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2006] [Accepted: 03/19/2008] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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