Determining Gender and Ethnicity

Sex   Race   and Age :  After completing the inventory, determinations must be made regarding sex and race. 

SKULL:

Cranium Feature Male FemaleFrontal Bone (forehead) Lower/sloping More vertical and

roundedTemporal Ridge Large SmallBony superciliary arches (browridges)

Prominent Absent/slight

Mastoid process Large Small (generally)Supraorbital margin (ridge above eye)

Rounded Sharp

External occipital protuberance (protrusion on lower back of the cranium)

Generally present Generally absent

Nuchal crest (low ridge along the base of the cranium)

Rugged, well defined Smoother, even absent

Nuchal line Rugged and sharp AbsentZygomatic process (cheek bones)

Extends past external auditory meatus

Does not extend past (generally)

Mandible Larger and more robust (thicker)

Smaller and lighter

Symphysis and mental eminence of mandible (chin)

Square Rounded (generally) or pointed

Ramus of mandible Straight SlantingMandible gonion and gonion angle (back corner of jaw bone)

Flaring & sharply angled

Less so

Sinuses (air ways) Larger SmallerTeeth Larger SmallerCranium Deeper and larger by

about 10%Smaller

Total skull Rougher, heavier Smoother and more rounded

 In general, males have larger and bigger muscles, therefore those areas of the bones where muscles attach tend to be larger and rougher than the same areas on female bones. With this in mind, take a close look at each skull, especially, the browridge (the ridge above the eye socket ), mastoid process (part of a temporal bone that extends down behind the ear), and external occipital protuberance which covers the back lower part of the head (it may protrude like a hook in the male, called an inion hook). You may have observed the similar size of the occipital protuberance in these two skulls. Analyzing human skeletal remains often aren't cut and dry. Anthropologists need to examine numerous characteristics by making visual comparisons and taking measurements before forming their conclusions.

Race/Ethnicity Terminology:  SKULL

silled = narrow

prognathism = a term used to describe the positional relationship of the mandible and/or maxilla to the skeletal base where either of the jaws protrudes beyond a predetermined imaginary line in the sagittal plane of the skull. 

 

Anterior Nasal Spine

In general: the racial group to which the person belongs is determined by examining the width and height of the nose. It is important to note that many of these characteristics only have a higher frequency among particular races and the presence or absence of one or more does not automatically classify an individual into a racial group. Different human populations have developed close proximity to one another due to mixed ethnic heritage.

  Caucasian/European

Negroid Mongoloid

Nasal Cavity Steep towering nasals

Large nasal spine

 

narrow nasal aperture

Triangular nose holes

Semicircle nasals

 

Small nasal spine

 

Large nasal aperture

Square nose holes

Tented nasals but not towering and sharp. Diamond shaped node holes

Small nasal spine

Nasal aperture larger than Caucasian

 

Prognathism Maxillary prognathism

Mandibular prognathism

Most often no prognathism, face

(maxilla protrudes forward more than mandible) "overbite"

(mandible protrudes forward more than maxilla) "underbite"

relatively flat.

Chin is more vertical.  If prognathism is present it favors a maxillary trend

Eye Orbit angular

lower eye border receding

square or rectangular

lower eye border receding

round

lower eye border projecting

Mouth & teeth parabolic dental arch and spatulate teeth *shaped like a spatula; rounded more or less like a spoon.

hyperbolic rectangular-shaped palate and megadontic teeth, spatulate

 Dental arch is rounded, incisors shoveled *swollen lateral borders and a hollow in the center of the crown

Zygomatic bones Curved Curved Squared

 Using a sliding caliper, taking a measurement of nasal aperture .

Spreading caliper (left) and sliding caliper (right) 

 

 

 

European male

European female

Asian male

Asian female

African male

African female

Other Axial bones used to determine Gender:Sacrum Gender Differences (anterior or posterior view)

      Male – narrower         Female - wider

Sacrum Gender Differences (lateral view)

    Male – pointed inward        Female - straighter