Internat J Osteoarchaeol 5 (2)

This study was designed to determine whether the fibula, one of the least studied long bones, can provide reliable information for sexing of human bones, provided that one condition is satisfied, namely, its distal end is available for measurement. A test group of skeletons of known age and sex was studied. Highly significant sex differences were found when all parameters examined were considered together. The differences for separate items were not sufficient for sex discrimination. Discriminant analysis was performed using the five parameters and yielded the correct sex with 90.6~per~cent accuracy for the entire group of specimens. This degree of accuracy suggests the utility of the present method for sexing human bones, particularly in osteoarchaeological situations.

To assess the feasibility of the fusion (synostosis) status of the jugular growth plate as an age at death indicator, a series of 98 skulls of documented age and sex from the so-called Utrecht collection was examined. Ages at death in the series ranged from 14 to 92 years. Only specimens that could be inspected bilaterally were taken into account. According to the few but conflicting data from the literature, fusion happens at 16-18 years, or starts at c 25 years of age. In this sample no fusions were seen before the age of 22. Unilateral fusions were found only in the age range 22-34 years. At ages above 34 years in females and above 36 years in males, all jugular growth plates were fused bilaterally. These results indicate that examination of the fusion status of the jugular growth plate is of use in age at death determination.

The discovery of polymeric DNA in charred wheat grains and other burnt plant remains prompted the examination of a set of cremated bones for the presence of ancient DNA. Extracts of cremated bones from an EBA cemetery cairn were analysed by hybridisation probing and the polymerase chain reaction. Hybridisation with two probes targeting human DNA resulted in strong positive signals. Polymerase chain reactions directed at a multi-copy sequence in human nuclear DNA were successful, extracts of five burials giving amplification products of the expected size. Exploitation of ancient DNA in cremated bones could be of great value in archaeology as it may enable information pertaining to sex and kinship to be obtained from fragmented material.

Note on the skull of a c thirty-five-year-old male found in a cist burial at Cnip, Uig (Isle of Lewis) exhibiting extensive but non-fatal facial injury.