Research Article

Identifying artificially deformed crania

  1. J. L. Clark1,*,
  2. S. D. Dobson2,
  3. S. C. Antón3,
  4. J. Hawks4,
  5. K. L. Hunley5,
  6. M. H. Wolpoff6

Article first published online: 12 APR 2007

DOI: 10.1002/oa.910

Issue

International Journal of Osteoarchaeology

International Journal of Osteoarchaeology

Volume 17, Issue 6, pages 596–607, November/December 2007

Additional Information

How to Cite

Clark, J. L., Dobson, S. D., Antón, S. C., Hawks, J., Hunley, K. L. and Wolpoff, M. H. (2007), Identifying artificially deformed crania. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 17: 596–607. doi: 10.1002/oa.910

Author Information

  1. 1

    Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1079, USA

  2. 2

    Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03775, USA

  3. 3

    Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA

  4. 4

    Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA

  5. 5

    Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA

  6. 6

    Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA

*Museum of Anthropology, 4013 Musuems Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1079, USA.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 23 NOV 2007
  2. Article first published online: 12 APR 2007
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 23 NOV 2006
  4. Manuscript Revised: 22 NOV 2006
  5. Manuscript Received: 15 MAY 2006

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Keywords:

  • artificial cranial deformation;
  • discriminant function analysis;
  • Guthe collection

Abstract

In this paper we report on a new discriminant function for the identification of artificially deformed crania. Development of the function, based on a sample of deformed and undeformed crania from the Philippines, required visual classification of the sample into deformed and undeformed groups. Working from the observation that deformed crania display flattened frontal and occipital regions, the sample was seriated based on degree of flattening; classification was based on the results of this seriation. The discriminant function, calculated using curvature indices, required only six simple measurements: arc and chord measurements for the frontal (glabella to bregma), parietals (bregma to lambda) and occipital (lambda to opisthion). The function was designed to be conservative, in that a deformed cranium may be classified as undeformed, but the opposite should not occur. Our function classified the undeformed crania with 100% accuracy and deformed crania with 76.9% accuracy, for a total of 91.9% agreement with visual classification. In order to evaluate whether the function is applicable for samples from outside the Philippines, a double blind test was conducted with a large sample of deformed and undeformed crania from a broad geographical and temporal range. For this sample, the function agreed with visual classification in 89.7% of cases; 98.8% of undeformed crania were correctly classified, while deformed crania were identified with 73.7% accuracy. These results demonstrate the utility of the new discriminant function for the classification of artificially deformed crania from diverse contexts. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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