Boards and Cords

Discriminating Types of Artificial Cranial Deformation in Prehispanic South Central Andean Populations

Datos Bibliográficos

ID4626858
AutoresT G O''Brien, T G O'Brien (Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminology University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls IA 50614 USA), Tyler G O’Brien (University of Northern Iowa, autor de correspondencia), A M Stanley (Department of Mathematics University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls IA 50614 USA), Adrienne Stanley (0009-0005-3110-1335, University of Northern Iowa)
Año2013
Volumen23
Número4
Páginas459-470
Fecha de publicación2013-07-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaInternational Journal of Osteoarchaeology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1047-482X • E-ISSN: 1099-1212
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/oa.1269
OpenAlexW1955085433
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas14
Referencias citadas47

For over a century, a number of ambiguous typologies have been employed to distinctly categorise types of artificial cranial deformation. This paper provides a quantitative method, based on multiple dimensions and discriminant function analysis, by which to assign skulls not only into discrete categories: deformed or not, but also by type: annular or tabular. A series of prehispanic, adult, human crania (n = 469) from archaeological sites in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru represented by both normal and artificially deformed specimens, provide craniometric data for four measurements across the vault: maximum cranial length, breadth and height and the frontal chord. These data are used to develop three indices which in turn are used to compute two discriminant functions. Results are plotted on a territorial map whereby the type of deformity can be determined. When these methods were applied to a comparative cranial sample of nondeformed skulls from South America, 100% of the samples was found to be nondeformed. When these methods were applied to the samples which were subjectively classified a priori by the first author as nondeformed, 81.3% of the samples were found to be nondeformed. This study demonstrates the value of a more objective and quantitative method by which to classify artificial cranial deformation, and thus provides a new approach. Copyright (c) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Archaeology · Crania · Cranial vault · Discriminant function analysis · Geography · Linear discriminant analysis · Skull · Statistics · Craniofacial Disorders and Treatments · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Mathematics · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Geology · Paleontology