I. Forensic Anthropology
A. Anthropology
a. Physical Anthropology
1.Human skeletal systems
a.) Its changes
b.) Variations (ex. age)
b. Archaeology
1. study the “remains”
of human cultures
from the past
2. What kinds of
“things” would be left
behind from a
culture?
3.Trained to reconstruct
events from the recent
past
4.Trained to excavate
bones from the ground
a.) use of Archaeologyreconstruct past events

Mass murders by the Saddam Hussin in Iraq
An Iraqi man sits amid bags containing 11,000
human remains exhumed Saturday from a mass grave site near Mahaweel, Iraq.
B. Forensic Anthropology
1. specializes in
the changes and
variations in the
human skeleton
for the purpose
of legal inquiry
2. provide
basic
identification
of
skeletonized
or badly
decomposed
remains.
3. From a bone or part of a bone, they
may be able to determine the biological
profile:
age range
Sex
Race
height
Cause of death
4. They look at
bodies that are
decomposed
badly burned
mummified
skeletonized
II.Osteology p. 412
A. The Study of bones
1. 206 bones in an adult
human
2. Osteons – the cells that
make up bone material
B. Bone Classification
1. Long
bones -longer
than wider
Ex. Limbs-the femur
or thigh bone
2. Short bones –
equidistant in
size
Ex. Wrist or
ankle bones
3. Flat bones –
enclose major
organs
Ex. Skull,ribs,
sternum, hip bones,
4. irregular bones –
oddly shaped
Ex. Vertebrae,
skull
C. Function of bones:
“morphology”
1.Provides
structure and
rigidity
2.Protects
soft tissue
and organs
3.Serves as an attachment
for muscles
4.Produces blood cells
D. Differences between Human and
Animal bones
1.Osteons
a. in animals are
regular in shape
b. in humans are
irregular in shape
E. Gender Differences in Bones
1. The pelvis of the female is
wider. > 100o
2. Males have a narrow subpubic
angle < 100o (A)
Male
Female
Sub Pubic Angle
3.Gender Differences
a. The ribcage /
shoulders of males
are wider/ larger than
females. (12prs)
1/20 people w an extra
rib. =more common males than females.
Females
 Skull
is rounder
/forehead fuller
 Jaw (mandible)
smaller
 Coccyx
(tailbone)
Movable -why?
Males
Skull
has larger
brow/jaw
Pelvic bones are
heavier/
rougher (muscle
attach)
Maori Warrior of New Zealand
They are part of the Polynesian culture.
All Blacks
F. Race Identification of
skeletal remains:
1. Race is difficult to
determine from most
skeletal remains,
especially since pure
races are becoming
uncommon.
2.Morphology is the
description of the bone
shape and its function
“FORM AND
FUNCTION”
3. Which bone is
the most useful
for identifying
race?
The Skull
4. Skull Categories
a. Caucasoid—European, Middle
Eastern, and Asian Indian
b. Africoid—Sub-Sahara African,
Aborigine, and African American
c. Mongoloid—Asian, Native
American and Polynesian
5. Skull Characteristics
Observe: What differences do you notice
between these three skulls? Can you
determine race?
a. Caucasoids


have a long,
narrow nasal
aperture
oval orbits

narrow
zygomatic arches

narrow
mandibles.
a
triangular
palate
b. Africoids

have a wide nasal
aperture

square orbits

more pronounced
zygomatic arches.

The long bones
are longer
a
rectangular
palate
c. Mongoloids
have a more rounded nasal
aperture
 rounded orbits
 wide zygomatic
arches
 more pointed
mandibles.

a
broad,
Ushaped
palate
G. Age Determination
1. estimations
from:
Teeth
Epiphyses or growth plates in
long bones
Cranial sutures: appear as
distinct lines in youth and
gradually close from the inside
out (fusion).
2. Children vs. Adults
Less
cartilage in adults
Adults have longer ,thicker
bones
Females stop at 18yrs
Males stop at 21yrs
Pelvic bones fuse
3. Age Determination Using 3
Cranial Sutures
Babies-
“Fontanelles” soft
spots in the skull,
membranes between the flat
bones.
Allow for compression during
birth
Expansion during growth
4. Skull Fusion over time
a.
Complete closure
of all three major
sutures
–Male—over 35
–Female—over 50