1. Forensic Anthropology
By J. Dickens

2. What does a forensic anthropologist do?
Tries to id decomposed or mutilated bodies and analyze skeletal remains
Determines if bones are human or not
What is the age, sex, race?
What is the COD?

3. Terms
Ossification is the formation of bone by the activity of osteoblasts and minerals.
Tuberosity is the knot on the side of the elbow
Taphonomy is the study of changes to biological organisms between death & discovery

5. Changes with age
The epiphyses are the growing end of long bones. They are soft and cartilaginous during the growing period but gradually harden into solid bone and fuse with the main shaft of the bone as adulthood is reached.

6. Changes come with age
17-20 yo- bones of upper limbs becoming completely ossified
18-23 yo bones of lower limbs becoming completely ossified
23-25 yo bone of the sternum, clavicles, and vertebrae become completely ossified
Female aging of the skeleton is usually about 1 year ahead of the male

7. Skulls Sutures are at the top of the skull
Infants have large gaps. These gaps close up after the age of 30. This fusing process occurs in a particular sequence beginning from the inside of the skull and working outwards
Complete absence of closure indicates that the skeleton is less than 30 yo

10. Female VS Male Skull Less pronounced muscle attachment
Less pronounced ridge
globular frontal bone
shallow palate
More pronounced muscle attachment
more pronounced ridge
slanting frontal bone
deep palate

12. Face
Females have less sloping mid-foreheads, more pointed nose, smaller, more rounded chin, smaller teeth

13. A) Male cranial mass more blocky & massive
B)Male temporal ridge is more square shaped and prominent
C) female supraorbital margin is sharper, males is round & dull (above eyes)
D Zygomatic bone more pronounced in males

14. E) Mandible of female is rounded, male square
F) Male forehead (frontal bone) is more slopping & lower
G) Male has a deeper cranial mass
H) Supercilary arch is larger and more pronounced in men

15. I) Males gonion most posterior inferior point on angle of mandibleis more flared out and sharply angled
J) Teeth larger in males

16. Pelvic Cavity
In the female the upper end of the pelvis is tilted forward, the sacrum is shorter & wider with less curvature, coccyx is more movable & tilted backward, width of pelvis is greater, more spacious. It has an oval to round shape while the mans is more heart shaped
Pubic arch is greater than 100 degrees

20. Vitruvian Man Palm is width of 4 fingers foot is the width of 4 palms
length of a man’s outspread arms is = to his height
hairline to bottom of chin is 1/10 height
height =4 cubits or 24 palms
elbow to tip of hand is 1/5 height

21. Porportions Cont. Length of hand is 1/10 height
bottom of chin to nose is 1/3 length of face
hairline to eyebrows is 1/3 length of face
length of ear is 1/3 length of face

22. More ratios
Foot to height… divide the length of a person’s left foot by height, multiply by 100 Results should be about 15.. Length of foot is approximately 15% of height
height in inches=(1.880 X femur length) Males… for females height in inches =(1.945 X femur length)