Notes:
Anthropology and Death
Not in the textbook! So pay attention 
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Anthropology is the scientific study of human
development and interaction.
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Tools, language, traditions, and social interactions
Forensic Anthropology studies these
identifying characteristics on the remains of
an individual.

First used to identify remains of WWII soldiers
How Bones Connect

Bones are held
together by:
a. cartilage—wraps
the ends of bones
and keeps them
from scraping one
another.
b. ligaments—bands
that connect two or
more bones
together.
c. tendons—connect
muscle to bone.
Development of Bone
 Osteology--the study of bones

Osteoblasts: Cells that form new bone

Osteoclasts: Bone cells that break down and
remove wastes from bones

Ossification: mineral deposits that aid in the
hardening of cartilage
 Osteoblasts  Cartilage  Ossification
 Throughout life, bones are being broken
down, deposited, and replaced.
What Bones Can Tell Us…
 Osteobiography tells us lots about a
person through the study of the skeleton.
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The bones of a right-handed person, for example,
would be slightly larger than the bones of the left
arm.
Record of the physical life.
Questions can be Answered Using
Forensic Anthropology
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Are the remains animal or human?
Are the remains male or female?
What is the age of the victim?
Height of the victim?
What was the manner of death?
What was the cause of death?
Animal or Human?
Human and animal bones have very different
structures
 When partial bones are only available,
scientists look at the osteons

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Osteons are the holes in bones that carry blood
In animals, they form regular patterns
In humans, the patterns are known to be more
random
Male or Female?

Females have a much wider pelvic bone
than males for child-bearing purposes.
Male or Female? (Don’t need to write)
Region
Bone
Male
Subpubic angle: 50-82 degrees
Pelvic
Sacral
Female
90 degrees
Shape of pubis
Triangular pubis
Rectangular pubis
Shape of pelvic
cavity:
Heart-shaped
Oval- shaped
Longer, narrower,
curved inward
Shorter, broader,
curved outward
Sacrum:
Male
Female
Front View of Skull
Trait
Shape of Eye:
Mandible Shape
From Underside:
Upper Brow
Ridge:
Male
Characteristics
Female
Characteristics
More square
More rounded
More square
More V-shaped
Thick and larger
Thin and smaller
Male or Female?
Male
Female
Side View of Skull: (Don’t need to write)
Trait
Male
Characteristics
Female
Characteristics
Occipital
Protuberance:
Frontal Bone:
Present
Absent
Low and sloping
Higher and more
rounded
Surface of Skull:
Rough and bumpy
Smooth
Ramus of
Mandible:
Nuchal Crest:
Straight
Slanting
Rough and bumpy
Smooth
Male or Female?
Age?

Growth plates called epiphyses form together
and eventually unite with age.
Age
 By about age 30, the lambdoid suture at the
back of the skull will have closed.
 By about age 32, the sagittal suture running
across the top of the skull, back to front, will
have closed.
 By about age 50, the coronal suture running
side to side over the top of the skull, near the
front, will have closed.
Height
 Just as age can be estimated by looking at the
bones of the arm and leg, so also can an estimate of
height be made.
 Often, the approximate height of a person
can be calculated from one of the long
bones even if just one of those is found.
 Gender and race will need to be taken
into consideration in making the estimate.
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You can use the length of the femur to calculate
an approximate range of height.
Calculating Height Based on Femur Length:
Male (2.32 x length of the femur in cm.) +65.53 ±
3.94
Female (2.47 x length of the femur in cm.) +
54.10 ± 3.72

Practice Problem: A partial skeleton of a female is found
and the femur is measured and found to be 50cm. How
tall was this woman?

(2.47 x 50 cm) + 54.10 ± 3.72
177.6 + 3.72 = 181.32 cm
177.6- 3.72 = 173.85 cm
If you had a conversion table:
Converted to inches: 71.4 inches to 64.4 inches
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Divide by 12”
This person would be a female that was 5’9” to 5’4”
Racial Characteristics of Bone
Caucasoid
Negroid
Mongoloid
Shape of
Eye Orbits
Nasal Spine
Rounded,
somewhat square
Rectangular
Rounded,
somewhat circular
Prominent spine
Very small spine
Somewhat
prominent spine
Nasal Index
<.48
>.53
.48-.53
Prognathism
Straight
Prognathic
Variable
Femur
Fingers fit under
Fingers will not fit Fingers will fit
curvature of femur under curvature of under curvature of
femur
femur
Race?

Caucasoid: Descriptor for people of European,
Middle Eastern, and East Indian Descent
Race?

Negroid: A descriptor for people of African,
Aborigine, and Melanesian decent

Race?
Mongoloid:

Descriptor for people of Asian, Native American,
and Polynesian descent
Facial Reconstruction

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Used when traditional methods of
identification are not useful
Uses standard tissue thickness and facial
muscles to build a new face on a skull

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The skull and skeleton gives information about age, race, and gender
Not totally accurate and is more of an art form based in science
Facial Reconstruction
DNA Evidence
 Bone contains little nuclear DNA but it does
contain mitochondrial DNA.
 This has DNA that is inherited only from the
mother.
 Long after nuclear DNA has been lost through
tissue degeneration, mitochondrial DNA can be
obtained from bone.
 Results can be compared with living relatives
on the mother’s side of the family to identify
skeletal remains.