F A Karakostis
Biographic Data
| ID | 45075 |
|---|---|
| NAME | F A Karakostis |
| GIVEN NAMES | F A |
| FAMILY NAME | Karakostis |
| SIGNATURE | KARAKOSTIS F A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3913-4332 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 25 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 138 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 25 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Les pouces des Néandertaliens de La Ferrassie
International audience
Stone tool shaping without direct cultural transmission
While environment and biology play important roles, the complexity and variability of human life today depends in many ways on special cultural processes. Terminologies differ, but the key insight is that these processes are required to enable and to produce copies of behavior or artifacts that otherwise lie fully or partly beyond individual reach. Such “know-how copying” has proven rare in the animal kingdom, and is nearly or fully absent in con…
Trauma or taphonomy? A forensic reassessment of perimortem cranial trauma in burials from the Phaleron cemetery (Archaic Athens, Greece)
Rethinking Hominin Air Sac Loss in Light of Phylogenetically Meaningful Evidence
The evolution of laryngeal air sacs in hominins has been a subject of considerable debate, with particular attention given to the inferred presence of air sacs in Australopithecus afarensis and inferred absence in Middle and Upper Pleistocene hominins. We challenge several assumptions prevalent in relevant discourse and assert that (1) while exhibiting morphological similarity, it cannot be ruled out that relationships between hyoid morphology an…
Applying the V.E.R.A. method to entheses of the humerus
The “Validated Entheses‐based Reconstruction of Activity” (V.E.R.A.) method has proven to be a reliable method for the quantification and analysis of entheses. However, this method has only been successfully applied to human hand bones and animal long bones. This study tests the general applicability of the V.E.R.A. method to the human humerus, focusing on evaluating its reliability and repeatability. The sample included 23 humeri of unknown orig…
Humanlike manual activities in Australopithecus
The evolution of the human hand is a topic of great interest in paleoanthropology. As the hand can be involved in a vast array of activities, knowledge regarding how it was used by early hominins can yield crucial information on the factors driving biocultural evolution. Previous research on early hominin hands focused on the overall bone shape. However, while such approaches can inform on mechanical abilities and the evolved efficiency of manipu…
Reconstructing patterns of domestication in reindeer using 3D muscle attachment areas
The use of reindeer has been a crucial element in the subsistence strategies of past Arctic and Subarctic populations. However, the spatiotemporal occurrence of systematic herding practices has been difficult to identify in the bioarchaeological record. To address this research gap, this study proposes a new virtual anthropological approach for reconstructing habitual physical activity in reindeer, relying on the protocols of the "Validated Enthe…
Testing the discrepancy between physical and virtual linear measurements
Virtual calculations of bone morphology are increasingly becoming the golden standard in anthropological sciences, gradually replacing the performance of direct physical measurements. Nevertheless, the potential discrepancy between the two approaches is rarely addressed. Here, we address this question focusing on the second thoracic vertebrae of 24 well-preserved individuals from the skeletal collection of the Forensic Anthropology Unit of Medica…
Production method of the Königsaue birch tar documents cumulative culture in Neanderthals
Birch tar is the oldest synthetic substance made by early humans. The earliest such artefacts are associated with Neanderthals. According to traditional interpretations, their study allows understanding Neanderthal tool behaviours, skills and cultural evolution. However, recent work has found that birch tar can also be produced with simple processes, or even result from fortuitous accidents. Even though these findings suggest that birch tar per s…
Statistical protocol for analyzing 3D muscle attachment sites based on the "Validated Entheses-based Reconstruction of Activity" (Vera) approach
In anthropological sciences, the areas of the bones where muscles or ligaments attach ("entheses" or "muscle attachments") are routinely used for reconstructing habitual physical activity based on skeletal remains. However, several previous studies have argued against this practice, considering the low measuring repeatability of most traditional evaluation techniques and the former lack of supportive experimental evidence for an actual effect of …
Sexing the sternal rib end in modern Greeks
Sex determination is one of the first biological attribute to be assessed when unidentified remains surface. In material of forensic interest, being able to use every skeletal element available for identification purposes is of paramount importance. The osteometric method from the sternal rib end has been found to generate accurate sex estimates, but as various studies have proved, all osteometric methods should be population-specific, as one equ…
Bringing shape into focus
Technical note
For reconstructing physical activity in the past, the surfaces of bones where muscles and ligaments attach, “entheses,” are routinely studied. Previous research has introduced an experimentally validated virtual approach for reconstructing habitual activity based on entheses. The present study relies on this virtual method to further investigate the effects of various biological factors on entheses, including variation by ancestry. Our skeletal s…
New horizons in reconstructing past human behavior
An accurate reconstruction of habitual activities in past populations and extinct hominin species is a paramount goal of paleoanthropological research, as it can elucidate the evolution of human behavior and the relationship between culture and biology. Variation in muscle attachment (entheseal) morphology has been considered an indicator of habitual activity, and many attempts have been made to use it for this purpose. However, its interpretatio…
New insights into the manual activities of individuals from the Phaleron cemetery (Archaic Athens, Greece)
Biocultural evidence of precise manual activities in an Early Holocene individual of the high‐altitude Peruvian Andes
Overall, our findings provide the first biocultural evidence to confirm that the lifestyle of some of the earliest Andean inhabitants relied on habitual and forceful precision grasping tasks
A cross-population study of sexual dimorphism in the bony labyrinth
Previous research found sexual dimorphism in the bony labyrinth of a Greek population sample (Osipov et al. 2013). This study intends to investigate the nature of this structure's sexual dimorphism across populations of diverse geographic origin and to identify the effect of inter-population variation on the accuracy of determining sex using the bony labyrinth. Three population samples of known sex were analyzed originating from Europe (n = 30), …
A repeatable geometric morphometric approach to the analysis of hand entheseal three‐dimensional form
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to put forth a precise landmark-based technique for reconstructing the three-dimensional shape of human entheseal surfaces, to investigate whether the shape of human entheses is related to their size. The effects of age-at-death and bone length on entheseal shapes were also assessed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample comprised high-definition three-dimensional models of three right hand entheseal surfaces…
Occupational manual activity is reflected on the patterns among hand entheses
OBJECTIVES: In anthropological sciences, entheses are widely utilized as occupational stress markers. However, the reaction of entheseal surfaces to mechanical loading is not well understood. Furthermore, previous studies on entheses relied on the individuals' occupation-at-death. Past research by one of us has identified two patterns among hand entheses, proposing that they reflect two synergistic muscle groups. Here, we investigate the associat…
Morphometric variation and ray allocation of human proximal hand phalanges
rays, which ranged from 77.2 to 83.3%. The blind test indicated that the combined use of morphological and metric methods can provide a more certain anatomical allocation of proximal hand phalanges than each of these approaches separately.
Assessing the effect of manual physical activity on proximal hand phalanges using Hellenistic and modern skeletal samples from Greece
Morphometric patterns among the 3D surface areas of human hand entheses
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to put forth a new and precise methodology for calculating the 3D areas of hand entheses. Furthermore, it investigated some of the factors affecting hand entheses development through an assessment of their correlations and morphometric patterns. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty individuals from late-medieval San Pablo were studied. The sample consisted of high-definition 3D models of 17 entheses from the first, second, an…
Sexual Dimorphism of Proximal Hand Phalanges
Research on sexual dimorphism in proximal hand phalanges contributes to the assessment of the biological profile of an individual from human skeletal remains. Furthermore, it provides fundamental information for studying the origins of manual dexterity. The anatomy of proximal hand phalanges has been widely described, and the occurrence of sexual dimorphism has been reported in studies concentrating on sex determination. However, there is limited…
Sex determination using proximal hand phalanges
Sex determination is among the most important biological data to be obtained from human skeletal remains. In anthropological sciences, the applied methodology involves the analysis of the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of skeletal parts. Measurements of proximal hand phalanges have been shown to exhibit prominent sexual dimorphism, in different populations examined. The aim of this study is to assess the utility of proximal hand pha…
Osteometric sex determination using proximal foot phalanges from a documented human skeletal collection
Diagnosing sex is vital for developing biological profiles from human skeletal remains. For that purpose, osteometric evaluation of bone size has proven to be usually effective. The present study investigates the degree of sexual dimorphism in proximal foot phalanges from a documented human skeletal collection, known as the Athens collection. Furthermore, it utilizes the data for the development of sex-discriminant formulas in Greek population. T…
Occupational manual activity is reflected on the patterns among hand entheses
OBJECTIVES: In anthropological sciences, entheses are widely utilized as occupational stress markers. However, the reaction of entheseal surfaces to mechanical loading is not well understood. Furthermore, previous studies on entheses relied on the individuals' occupation-at-death. Past research by one of us has identified two patterns among hand entheses, proposing that they reflect two synergistic muscle groups. Here, we investigate the associat…
Morphometric patterns among the 3D surface areas of human hand entheses
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to put forth a new and precise methodology for calculating the 3D areas of hand entheses. Furthermore, it investigated some of the factors affecting hand entheses development through an assessment of their correlations and morphometric patterns. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty individuals from late-medieval San Pablo were studied. The sample consisted of high-definition 3D models of 17 entheses from the first, second, an…
A repeatable geometric morphometric approach to the analysis of hand entheseal three‐dimensional form
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to put forth a precise landmark-based technique for reconstructing the three-dimensional shape of human entheseal surfaces, to investigate whether the shape of human entheses is related to their size. The effects of age-at-death and bone length on entheseal shapes were also assessed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample comprised high-definition three-dimensional models of three right hand entheseal surfaces…
Production method of the Königsaue birch tar documents cumulative culture in Neanderthals
Birch tar is the oldest synthetic substance made by early humans. The earliest such artefacts are associated with Neanderthals. According to traditional interpretations, their study allows understanding Neanderthal tool behaviours, skills and cultural evolution. However, recent work has found that birch tar can also be produced with simple processes, or even result from fortuitous accidents. Even though these findings suggest that birch tar per s…
Biocultural evidence of precise manual activities in an Early Holocene individual of the high‐altitude Peruvian Andes
Overall, our findings provide the first biocultural evidence to confirm that the lifestyle of some of the earliest Andean inhabitants relied on habitual and forceful precision grasping tasks
Bringing shape into focus
Technical note
For reconstructing physical activity in the past, the surfaces of bones where muscles and ligaments attach, “entheses,” are routinely studied. Previous research has introduced an experimentally validated virtual approach for reconstructing habitual activity based on entheses. The present study relies on this virtual method to further investigate the effects of various biological factors on entheses, including variation by ancestry. Our skeletal s…
Humanlike manual activities in Australopithecus
The evolution of the human hand is a topic of great interest in paleoanthropology. As the hand can be involved in a vast array of activities, knowledge regarding how it was used by early hominins can yield crucial information on the factors driving biocultural evolution. Previous research on early hominin hands focused on the overall bone shape. However, while such approaches can inform on mechanical abilities and the evolved efficiency of manipu…
Statistical protocol for analyzing 3D muscle attachment sites based on the "Validated Entheses-based Reconstruction of Activity" (Vera) approach
In anthropological sciences, the areas of the bones where muscles or ligaments attach ("entheses" or "muscle attachments") are routinely used for reconstructing habitual physical activity based on skeletal remains. However, several previous studies have argued against this practice, considering the low measuring repeatability of most traditional evaluation techniques and the former lack of supportive experimental evidence for an actual effect of …
Osteometric sex determination using proximal foot phalanges from a documented human skeletal collection
Diagnosing sex is vital for developing biological profiles from human skeletal remains. For that purpose, osteometric evaluation of bone size has proven to be usually effective. The present study investigates the degree of sexual dimorphism in proximal foot phalanges from a documented human skeletal collection, known as the Athens collection. Furthermore, it utilizes the data for the development of sex-discriminant formulas in Greek population. T…
New insights into the manual activities of individuals from the Phaleron cemetery (Archaic Athens, Greece)
A cross-population study of sexual dimorphism in the bony labyrinth
Previous research found sexual dimorphism in the bony labyrinth of a Greek population sample (Osipov et al. 2013). This study intends to investigate the nature of this structure's sexual dimorphism across populations of diverse geographic origin and to identify the effect of inter-population variation on the accuracy of determining sex using the bony labyrinth. Three population samples of known sex were analyzed originating from Europe (n = 30), …
Sexual Dimorphism of Proximal Hand Phalanges
Research on sexual dimorphism in proximal hand phalanges contributes to the assessment of the biological profile of an individual from human skeletal remains. Furthermore, it provides fundamental information for studying the origins of manual dexterity. The anatomy of proximal hand phalanges has been widely described, and the occurrence of sexual dimorphism has been reported in studies concentrating on sex determination. However, there is limited…
Morphometric variation and ray allocation of human proximal hand phalanges
rays, which ranged from 77.2 to 83.3%. The blind test indicated that the combined use of morphological and metric methods can provide a more certain anatomical allocation of proximal hand phalanges than each of these approaches separately.
Sex determination using proximal hand phalanges
Sex determination is among the most important biological data to be obtained from human skeletal remains. In anthropological sciences, the applied methodology involves the analysis of the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of skeletal parts. Measurements of proximal hand phalanges have been shown to exhibit prominent sexual dimorphism, in different populations examined. The aim of this study is to assess the utility of proximal hand pha…
Reconstructing patterns of domestication in reindeer using 3D muscle attachment areas
The use of reindeer has been a crucial element in the subsistence strategies of past Arctic and Subarctic populations. However, the spatiotemporal occurrence of systematic herding practices has been difficult to identify in the bioarchaeological record. To address this research gap, this study proposes a new virtual anthropological approach for reconstructing habitual physical activity in reindeer, relying on the protocols of the "Validated Enthe…
Osteometric sex determination using proximal foot phalanges from a documented human skeletal collection
Diagnosing sex is vital for developing biological profiles from human skeletal remains. For that purpose, osteometric evaluation of bone size has proven to be usually effective. The present study investigates the degree of sexual dimorphism in proximal foot phalanges from a documented human skeletal collection, known as the Athens collection. Furthermore, it utilizes the data for the development of sex-discriminant formulas in Greek population. T…
Sexual Dimorphism of Proximal Hand Phalanges
Research on sexual dimorphism in proximal hand phalanges contributes to the assessment of the biological profile of an individual from human skeletal remains. Furthermore, it provides fundamental information for studying the origins of manual dexterity. The anatomy of proximal hand phalanges has been widely described, and the occurrence of sexual dimorphism has been reported in studies concentrating on sex determination. However, there is limited…
Sex determination using proximal hand phalanges
Sex determination is among the most important biological data to be obtained from human skeletal remains. In anthropological sciences, the applied methodology involves the analysis of the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of skeletal parts. Measurements of proximal hand phalanges have been shown to exhibit prominent sexual dimorphism, in different populations examined. The aim of this study is to assess the utility of proximal hand pha…
Assessing the effect of manual physical activity on proximal hand phalanges using Hellenistic and modern skeletal samples from Greece
Morphometric patterns among the 3D surface areas of human hand entheses
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to put forth a new and precise methodology for calculating the 3D areas of hand entheses. Furthermore, it investigated some of the factors affecting hand entheses development through an assessment of their correlations and morphometric patterns. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty individuals from late-medieval San Pablo were studied. The sample consisted of high-definition 3D models of 17 entheses from the first, second, an…
Occupational manual activity is reflected on the patterns among hand entheses
OBJECTIVES: In anthropological sciences, entheses are widely utilized as occupational stress markers. However, the reaction of entheseal surfaces to mechanical loading is not well understood. Furthermore, previous studies on entheses relied on the individuals' occupation-at-death. Past research by one of us has identified two patterns among hand entheses, proposing that they reflect two synergistic muscle groups. Here, we investigate the associat…
Morphometric variation and ray allocation of human proximal hand phalanges
rays, which ranged from 77.2 to 83.3%. The blind test indicated that the combined use of morphological and metric methods can provide a more certain anatomical allocation of proximal hand phalanges than each of these approaches separately.
A repeatable geometric morphometric approach to the analysis of hand entheseal three‐dimensional form
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to put forth a precise landmark-based technique for reconstructing the three-dimensional shape of human entheseal surfaces, to investigate whether the shape of human entheses is related to their size. The effects of age-at-death and bone length on entheseal shapes were also assessed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample comprised high-definition three-dimensional models of three right hand entheseal surfaces…
A cross-population study of sexual dimorphism in the bony labyrinth
Previous research found sexual dimorphism in the bony labyrinth of a Greek population sample (Osipov et al. 2013). This study intends to investigate the nature of this structure's sexual dimorphism across populations of diverse geographic origin and to identify the effect of inter-population variation on the accuracy of determining sex using the bony labyrinth. Three population samples of known sex were analyzed originating from Europe (n = 30), …
New horizons in reconstructing past human behavior
An accurate reconstruction of habitual activities in past populations and extinct hominin species is a paramount goal of paleoanthropological research, as it can elucidate the evolution of human behavior and the relationship between culture and biology. Variation in muscle attachment (entheseal) morphology has been considered an indicator of habitual activity, and many attempts have been made to use it for this purpose. However, its interpretatio…
New insights into the manual activities of individuals from the Phaleron cemetery (Archaic Athens, Greece)
Biocultural evidence of precise manual activities in an Early Holocene individual of the high‐altitude Peruvian Andes
Overall, our findings provide the first biocultural evidence to confirm that the lifestyle of some of the earliest Andean inhabitants relied on habitual and forceful precision grasping tasks
Sexing the sternal rib end in modern Greeks
Sex determination is one of the first biological attribute to be assessed when unidentified remains surface. In material of forensic interest, being able to use every skeletal element available for identification purposes is of paramount importance. The osteometric method from the sternal rib end has been found to generate accurate sex estimates, but as various studies have proved, all osteometric methods should be population-specific, as one equ…
Bringing shape into focus
Technical note
For reconstructing physical activity in the past, the surfaces of bones where muscles and ligaments attach, “entheses,” are routinely studied. Previous research has introduced an experimentally validated virtual approach for reconstructing habitual activity based on entheses. The present study relies on this virtual method to further investigate the effects of various biological factors on entheses, including variation by ancestry. Our skeletal s…
Production method of the Königsaue birch tar documents cumulative culture in Neanderthals
Birch tar is the oldest synthetic substance made by early humans. The earliest such artefacts are associated with Neanderthals. According to traditional interpretations, their study allows understanding Neanderthal tool behaviours, skills and cultural evolution. However, recent work has found that birch tar can also be produced with simple processes, or even result from fortuitous accidents. Even though these findings suggest that birch tar per s…
Statistical protocol for analyzing 3D muscle attachment sites based on the "Validated Entheses-based Reconstruction of Activity" (Vera) approach
In anthropological sciences, the areas of the bones where muscles or ligaments attach ("entheses" or "muscle attachments") are routinely used for reconstructing habitual physical activity based on skeletal remains. However, several previous studies have argued against this practice, considering the low measuring repeatability of most traditional evaluation techniques and the former lack of supportive experimental evidence for an actual effect of …
Applying the V.E.R.A. method to entheses of the humerus
The “Validated Entheses‐based Reconstruction of Activity” (V.E.R.A.) method has proven to be a reliable method for the quantification and analysis of entheses. However, this method has only been successfully applied to human hand bones and animal long bones. This study tests the general applicability of the V.E.R.A. method to the human humerus, focusing on evaluating its reliability and repeatability. The sample included 23 humeri of unknown orig…
Humanlike manual activities in Australopithecus
The evolution of the human hand is a topic of great interest in paleoanthropology. As the hand can be involved in a vast array of activities, knowledge regarding how it was used by early hominins can yield crucial information on the factors driving biocultural evolution. Previous research on early hominin hands focused on the overall bone shape. However, while such approaches can inform on mechanical abilities and the evolved efficiency of manipu…
Reconstructing patterns of domestication in reindeer using 3D muscle attachment areas
The use of reindeer has been a crucial element in the subsistence strategies of past Arctic and Subarctic populations. However, the spatiotemporal occurrence of systematic herding practices has been difficult to identify in the bioarchaeological record. To address this research gap, this study proposes a new virtual anthropological approach for reconstructing habitual physical activity in reindeer, relying on the protocols of the "Validated Enthe…
Testing the discrepancy between physical and virtual linear measurements
Virtual calculations of bone morphology are increasingly becoming the golden standard in anthropological sciences, gradually replacing the performance of direct physical measurements. Nevertheless, the potential discrepancy between the two approaches is rarely addressed. Here, we address this question focusing on the second thoracic vertebrae of 24 well-preserved individuals from the skeletal collection of the Forensic Anthropology Unit of Medica…
Trauma or taphonomy? A forensic reassessment of perimortem cranial trauma in burials from the Phaleron cemetery (Archaic Athens, Greece)
Rethinking Hominin Air Sac Loss in Light of Phylogenetically Meaningful Evidence
The evolution of laryngeal air sacs in hominins has been a subject of considerable debate, with particular attention given to the inferred presence of air sacs in Australopithecus afarensis and inferred absence in Middle and Upper Pleistocene hominins. We challenge several assumptions prevalent in relevant discourse and assert that (1) while exhibiting morphological similarity, it cannot be ruled out that relationships between hyoid morphology an…
Les pouces des Néandertaliens de La Ferrassie
International audience
Stone tool shaping without direct cultural transmission
While environment and biology play important roles, the complexity and variability of human life today depends in many ways on special cultural processes. Terminologies differ, but the key insight is that these processes are required to enable and to produce copies of behavior or artifacts that otherwise lie fully or partly beyond individual reach. Such “know-how copying” has proven rare in the animal kingdom, and is nearly or fully absent in con…
Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies (16 works) · Biology (14 works) · Geography (11 works) · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology (11 works) · Anatomy (9 works) · Mathematics (8 works) · Sexual dimorphism (8 works) · Zoology (8 works) · Demography (7 works) · Enthesis (7 works)