A geometric approach to cranial sexual dimorphism in the upper palaeolithic skulls from Predmosti (Upper Palaeolithic, Czech Republic)
| Authors | |
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| Year of publication | 2004 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Journal of the National Museum Natural History Series |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | http://www.nm.cz/publikace/archiv.php?id=1&rok=173&kcislu=1-4&f_=Zobrazit |
| Field | Applied statistics, operation research |
| Keywords | Geometric morphometrics; shape analysis; 2D landmarks; thin-plate splines; 3D order penalty; partial warps; sexual dimorphism; Upper Palaeolithic |
| Description | The recently rediscovered glass plate negatives of unique skeletal fossil material from Předmostí – their estimated ranges from 25–27 000 years but they were destroyed during World War II – were studied by means of geometric morphometrics. The aim of this study was to determine the sexual shape variability of the best preserved skulls of adult individuals, using the methods of statistical shape analysis. While the results roughly support Matiegka’s sex estimation, skull 1 (Matiegka’s female) is more similar to males. The differences between the skulls of the Předmostí specimens are “more striking” in the lateral, frontal and vertical views, whereas the inter-sexual differences affect the non-affine parts of changes in vertical, lateral and basal views in particular. The areas of the metopion, glabella, auriculare, porion, asterion, gnathion and opisthocranion landmarks present more striking variations, i.e. those with more discriminatory power. According to the computations made of the various skull distances, the male skulls are more similar to each other and the female skulls less similar. This suggests possible patrilocal behaviour on the part of the males. |
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