Markku Niskanen
Biographic Data
| ID | 80106 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Markku Niskanen |
| GIVEN NAMES | Markku |
| FAMILY NAME | Niskanen |
| SIGNATURE | NISKANEN M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Oulu |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4341-146X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 23 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 237 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 23 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2005 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2023 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
The prehistoric origins of the domestic horse and horseback riding
L’étude de Librado et al. (2021) montre que les chevaux domestiques modernes (DOM2) ont émergé dans la région inférieure du Don-Volga et impliquent que l’équitation a conduit à la sélection aboutissant à ces chevaux, a alimenté leur dispersion initiale. Cette étude implique que les chevaux DOM2 ont remplacé d’autres chevaux en raison de leurs meilleures aptitudes à l’équitation en raison d’un tempérament plus docile et d’un dos durable. Dans cet …
Communication invitée du thème“Les relations entre les humains et les animaux”Body size, conformation, athletic ability and temperament of horses have likely affected the human-horse relationship over…
Horse management practices – including artificial selection – have affected size, conformation, athletic ability and temperament of horses since these very important animals for numerous human societies were domesticated several millennia ago. These changes must have affected the range of “services” these non-human animals have been able to provide, which in turn must have had at least some effect on the human – horse relationship. Reconstruction…
Re‐analysis of the Levänluhta skeletal material
Levänluhta, an Iron Age water burial site in Finland, and its material consisting of commingled skeletal remains and artifacts, has been studied by several researchers over the past 100 years, resulting in multiple interpretations of the people and the site. Previous skeletal analyses have concluded that the majority of the individuals represented in the remains were females and children and were of relatively short stature, so possibly nutrition…
Improving anatomical stature estimation method. The relationship between living stature and intervertebral disc thickness
Anatomical stature estimation methods reconstruct stature for skeletal specimens by adding up the heights of skeletal elements contributing to stature. In addition, these estimations factor in a certain amount of soft tissue known as "soft tissue correction". Our study focuses on the relationship between living stature and one of the major soft tissue contributors to stature: the intervertebral disc thickness/height. The purpose of this study was…
The association between knee breadth and body mass
OBJECTIVES: Body mass estimation from skeletal dimensions is a useful tool when studying archeological human samples. Bony articular surface dimensions of the lower limb have frequently been utilized to estimate body size. In the present study, we investigated the association between knee breadth and body mass in a Northern European population. Our study aimed to confirm both methodology and results presented in earlier studies. MATERIALS AND MET…
Effects of age and body proportions on stature estimation
OBJECTIVES: Two issues involved in mathematical estimation of stature from long bone lengths are explored: the use of different age points for estimating maximum adult stature, and the effects of linear body proportions on stature estimation errors. Both issues were raised by a recent analysis of stature in the British Medieval Wharram Percy sample. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A large (n > 500) sample of European skeletal remains with anatomically est…
The effect of age and body composition on body mass estimation of males using the stature/bi-iliac method
Introduction to special issue
Can we refine body mass estimations based on femoral head breadth
Suspected tuberculosis in an early 17th-century northern Finnish mummy—A computed tomography case study
Thesprotia Expedition III Landscapes of Nomadism and Sedentism
In 2024, the publisher of PMFIA series (Foundation for the Finnish Institute of Athens) decided to re-publish all previous volumes of the series, earlier available in printed form only, in an open-access format. Simultaneously, the contributions have been re-licensed with Creative commons license standard CC BY-NC, now commonly used in scientific publishing. The volumes, and the individual articles contained within them, have also been addigned D…
Computed tomography of mummified human remains in old Finnish churches, a case study
Mummified human remains have been preserved in the cool, well-ventilated crypts of old Finnish churches, which were popular burial sites among the elite of the early modern period. Here, the authors present the results of a computed tomography study of the remains of an early 17th-century vicar of Keminmaa. They examined the preservation of his remains and made several pathological findings; the causes of the latter possibly had a severe impact o…
The impact of subsistence changes on humeral bilateral asymmetry in Terminal Pleistocene and Holocene Europe
Gradual decline in mobility with the adoption of food production in Europe
Significance Declining mobility levels following the Pleistocene had profound effects on human demography, social organization, and health, but the exact timing and pace of this critical change are unknown. Here we examine direct evidence for changing mobility levels from limb bone structural characteristics in a large sample of European skeletons spanning the past 30,000 y. Our results show that mobility first declined during the Neolithic, at t…
Cortical bone thickness can adapt locally to muscular loading while changing with age
Modeling skeletal traits and functions of the upper body
Application of the anatomical method to estimate the maximum adult stature and the age‐at‐death stature
This study focuses on the age adjustment of statures estimated with the anatomical method. The research material includes 127 individuals from the Terry Collection. The cadaveric stature (CSTA)–skeletal height (SKH) ratios indicate that stature loss with age commences before SKH reduction. Testing three equations to estimate CSTA at the age at death and CSTA corrected to maximum stature from SKH indicates that the age correction of stature should…
Stature and body mass estimation from skeletal remains in the European Holocene
Techniques that are currently available for estimating stature and body mass from European skeletal remains are all subject to various limitations. Here, we develop new prediction equations based on large skeletal samples representing much of the continent and temporal periods ranging from the Mesolithic to the 20th century. Anatomical reconstruction of stature is carried out for 501 individuals, and body mass is calculated from estimated stature…
Cross sectional properties of the human radial tuberosity
Estimation of African apes’ body size from postcranial dimensions
New regression equations for stature estimation for medieval Scandinavians
Estimating stature from skeletal remains in an archaeological context requires appropriate methods that take into account possible temporal and spatial changes in body proportions. New regression equations—both least squares (LSQ) and reduced major axis (RMA) equations—were thus developed for estimating living stature from the long bone lengths of medieval inhabitants (N = 60) of Westerhus, Sweden. The living stature of these skeletal specimens w…
The estimation of body weight of the reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus L.) from skeletal measurements
In this study, a variety of postcranial skeletal measurements of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus L.) are used to predict the body mass. Regression equations for estimating the body weight of females as well as correction factors for estimating the weight of males are generated. These are applied to archaeological reindeer bones from 17th- and 18th-century Northern Finland. Predicted weights of archaeological reindeer correspond well with the weight o…
Body mass prediction from stature and bi-iliac breadth in two high latitude populations, with application to earlier higher latitude humans
Body mass prediction from stature and bi-iliac breadth in two high latitude populations, with application to earlier higher latitude humans
Stature and body mass estimation from skeletal remains in the European Holocene
Techniques that are currently available for estimating stature and body mass from European skeletal remains are all subject to various limitations. Here, we develop new prediction equations based on large skeletal samples representing much of the continent and temporal periods ranging from the Mesolithic to the 20th century. Anatomical reconstruction of stature is carried out for 501 individuals, and body mass is calculated from estimated stature…
The impact of subsistence changes on humeral bilateral asymmetry in Terminal Pleistocene and Holocene Europe
The estimation of body weight of the reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus L.) from skeletal measurements
In this study, a variety of postcranial skeletal measurements of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus L.) are used to predict the body mass. Regression equations for estimating the body weight of females as well as correction factors for estimating the weight of males are generated. These are applied to archaeological reindeer bones from 17th- and 18th-century Northern Finland. Predicted weights of archaeological reindeer correspond well with the weight o…
New regression equations for stature estimation for medieval Scandinavians
Estimating stature from skeletal remains in an archaeological context requires appropriate methods that take into account possible temporal and spatial changes in body proportions. New regression equations—both least squares (LSQ) and reduced major axis (RMA) equations—were thus developed for estimating living stature from the long bone lengths of medieval inhabitants (N = 60) of Westerhus, Sweden. The living stature of these skeletal specimens w…
The effect of age and body composition on body mass estimation of males using the stature/bi-iliac method
Application of the anatomical method to estimate the maximum adult stature and the age‐at‐death stature
This study focuses on the age adjustment of statures estimated with the anatomical method. The research material includes 127 individuals from the Terry Collection. The cadaveric stature (CSTA)–skeletal height (SKH) ratios indicate that stature loss with age commences before SKH reduction. Testing three equations to estimate CSTA at the age at death and CSTA corrected to maximum stature from SKH indicates that the age correction of stature should…
The association between knee breadth and body mass
OBJECTIVES: Body mass estimation from skeletal dimensions is a useful tool when studying archeological human samples. Bony articular surface dimensions of the lower limb have frequently been utilized to estimate body size. In the present study, we investigated the association between knee breadth and body mass in a Northern European population. Our study aimed to confirm both methodology and results presented in earlier studies. MATERIALS AND MET…
Effects of age and body proportions on stature estimation
OBJECTIVES: Two issues involved in mathematical estimation of stature from long bone lengths are explored: the use of different age points for estimating maximum adult stature, and the effects of linear body proportions on stature estimation errors. Both issues were raised by a recent analysis of stature in the British Medieval Wharram Percy sample. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A large (n > 500) sample of European skeletal remains with anatomically est…
Introduction to special issue
Can we refine body mass estimations based on femoral head breadth
Body mass prediction from stature and bi-iliac breadth in two high latitude populations, with application to earlier higher latitude humans
The estimation of body weight of the reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus L.) from skeletal measurements
In this study, a variety of postcranial skeletal measurements of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus L.) are used to predict the body mass. Regression equations for estimating the body weight of females as well as correction factors for estimating the weight of males are generated. These are applied to archaeological reindeer bones from 17th- and 18th-century Northern Finland. Predicted weights of archaeological reindeer correspond well with the weight o…
Estimation of African apes’ body size from postcranial dimensions
New regression equations for stature estimation for medieval Scandinavians
Estimating stature from skeletal remains in an archaeological context requires appropriate methods that take into account possible temporal and spatial changes in body proportions. New regression equations—both least squares (LSQ) and reduced major axis (RMA) equations—were thus developed for estimating living stature from the long bone lengths of medieval inhabitants (N = 60) of Westerhus, Sweden. The living stature of these skeletal specimens w…
Cross sectional properties of the human radial tuberosity
Stature and body mass estimation from skeletal remains in the European Holocene
Techniques that are currently available for estimating stature and body mass from European skeletal remains are all subject to various limitations. Here, we develop new prediction equations based on large skeletal samples representing much of the continent and temporal periods ranging from the Mesolithic to the 20th century. Anatomical reconstruction of stature is carried out for 501 individuals, and body mass is calculated from estimated stature…
Cortical bone thickness can adapt locally to muscular loading while changing with age
Modeling skeletal traits and functions of the upper body
Application of the anatomical method to estimate the maximum adult stature and the age‐at‐death stature
This study focuses on the age adjustment of statures estimated with the anatomical method. The research material includes 127 individuals from the Terry Collection. The cadaveric stature (CSTA)–skeletal height (SKH) ratios indicate that stature loss with age commences before SKH reduction. Testing three equations to estimate CSTA at the age at death and CSTA corrected to maximum stature from SKH indicates that the age correction of stature should…
Gradual decline in mobility with the adoption of food production in Europe
Significance Declining mobility levels following the Pleistocene had profound effects on human demography, social organization, and health, but the exact timing and pace of this critical change are unknown. Here we examine direct evidence for changing mobility levels from limb bone structural characteristics in a large sample of European skeletons spanning the past 30,000 y. Our results show that mobility first declined during the Neolithic, at t…
Suspected tuberculosis in an early 17th-century northern Finnish mummy—A computed tomography case study
Thesprotia Expedition III Landscapes of Nomadism and Sedentism
In 2024, the publisher of PMFIA series (Foundation for the Finnish Institute of Athens) decided to re-publish all previous volumes of the series, earlier available in printed form only, in an open-access format. Simultaneously, the contributions have been re-licensed with Creative commons license standard CC BY-NC, now commonly used in scientific publishing. The volumes, and the individual articles contained within them, have also been addigned D…
Computed tomography of mummified human remains in old Finnish churches, a case study
Mummified human remains have been preserved in the cool, well-ventilated crypts of old Finnish churches, which were popular burial sites among the elite of the early modern period. Here, the authors present the results of a computed tomography study of the remains of an early 17th-century vicar of Keminmaa. They examined the preservation of his remains and made several pathological findings; the causes of the latter possibly had a severe impact o…
The impact of subsistence changes on humeral bilateral asymmetry in Terminal Pleistocene and Holocene Europe
The effect of age and body composition on body mass estimation of males using the stature/bi-iliac method
Introduction to special issue
Can we refine body mass estimations based on femoral head breadth
The association between knee breadth and body mass
OBJECTIVES: Body mass estimation from skeletal dimensions is a useful tool when studying archeological human samples. Bony articular surface dimensions of the lower limb have frequently been utilized to estimate body size. In the present study, we investigated the association between knee breadth and body mass in a Northern European population. Our study aimed to confirm both methodology and results presented in earlier studies. MATERIALS AND MET…
Effects of age and body proportions on stature estimation
OBJECTIVES: Two issues involved in mathematical estimation of stature from long bone lengths are explored: the use of different age points for estimating maximum adult stature, and the effects of linear body proportions on stature estimation errors. Both issues were raised by a recent analysis of stature in the British Medieval Wharram Percy sample. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A large (n > 500) sample of European skeletal remains with anatomically est…
Improving anatomical stature estimation method. The relationship between living stature and intervertebral disc thickness
Anatomical stature estimation methods reconstruct stature for skeletal specimens by adding up the heights of skeletal elements contributing to stature. In addition, these estimations factor in a certain amount of soft tissue known as "soft tissue correction". Our study focuses on the relationship between living stature and one of the major soft tissue contributors to stature: the intervertebral disc thickness/height. The purpose of this study was…
Re‐analysis of the Levänluhta skeletal material
Levänluhta, an Iron Age water burial site in Finland, and its material consisting of commingled skeletal remains and artifacts, has been studied by several researchers over the past 100 years, resulting in multiple interpretations of the people and the site. Previous skeletal analyses have concluded that the majority of the individuals represented in the remains were females and children and were of relatively short stature, so possibly nutrition…
Communication invitée du thème“Les relations entre les humains et les animaux”Body size, conformation, athletic ability and temperament of horses have likely affected the human-horse relationship over…
Horse management practices – including artificial selection – have affected size, conformation, athletic ability and temperament of horses since these very important animals for numerous human societies were domesticated several millennia ago. These changes must have affected the range of “services” these non-human animals have been able to provide, which in turn must have had at least some effect on the human – horse relationship. Reconstruction…
The prehistoric origins of the domestic horse and horseback riding
L’étude de Librado et al. (2021) montre que les chevaux domestiques modernes (DOM2) ont émergé dans la région inférieure du Don-Volga et impliquent que l’équitation a conduit à la sélection aboutissant à ces chevaux, a alimenté leur dispersion initiale. Cette étude implique que les chevaux DOM2 ont remplacé d’autres chevaux en raison de leurs meilleures aptitudes à l’équitation en raison d’un tempérament plus docile et d’un dos durable. Dans cet …
Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies (13 works) · Geography (12 works) · Demography (10 works) · Archaeology (9 works) · Biology (7 works) · Medicine (7 works) · Paleopathology and ancient diseases (7 works) · Estimation (6 works) · Geology (5 works) · Mathematics (5 works)