The Impact of Preservation on the Determination of Sex from Human Remains in Archaeology

Summary

Determination of sex in the study of human remains is crucial. It is not only necessary for the assessment of other demographic features, like age and stature, but is also imperative in interpretative research on paleodemography or paleopathology. This paper will present the results of an analysis carried on more than 200 individuals of different origins and periods. The analysis tested the visual method proposed in the standards of Buikstra and Ubelaker (1994) and particularly, the degree of preservation of sexual markers and their precision. In total, 12 markers were observed: 5 on the pelvis and 7 on the cranium. From these results, recommendations for a better accuracy in sex assessment and suggestions on new research are made. A note will also be given on metric methods and their performance in archaeological contexts.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Giving the Dead a New Life: Cemeteries and Bioarchaeology   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-32,07