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
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