(FAY) Ancestry From Skeletal Remains Lesson
Ancestry From Skeletal Remains
Ancestry refers to the genetic heritage of an individual. It is not always possible to determine ancestry from skeletal remains as many characteristics of skeletal remains overlap in many ancestral populations. Below are some of the more common indicators used to infer ancestry from skeletal remains.
|
|
African Ancestry |
European Ancestry |
Asian Ancestry |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Maxilla Shape (The Maxilla is the upper jawbone; it is fused to the cranium.) |
Hyperbolic (Hyperbola shape) |
Parabolic (Parabola shape) |
Rounded shape |
|
Teeth (General appearance) |
Larger, more forward on face, wrinkled molars |
Flat to face, not projected |
Projected moderately forward |
|
Incisor shape (Commonly referred to as the "front teeth".) |
Spatula shape |
Spatula shape |
Shovel shape |
|
Nasal Aperture & Structure (The Nasal Aperture is the hole in the skull where the nose is located.) |
Wider, larger. Smooth and gutted nasal border Smaller nasal spine |
Sharp inferior nasal border Prominent nasal spine Narrow, high aperture |
Tented nasals Flared nasal base |
|
Zygomatic Arch- (This is the arch of bone beneath the eye that forms the prominence of the cheek.) |
Less prominently forward |
Less prominently forward |
More forward angle; gives face a slightly more flattened shape below. |
|
Inter-Orbital Area (This is the area between the eyes at the top of the nose.) |
Wide |
More narrow |
More narrow |
|
Orbit Shape (This refers to the shape of the eye socket.) |
Rectangular |
Sloped |
Round |
|
Zygomatic-Maxillary Suture (A suture that runs across the cheek bone, or zygomatic area.) |
S-shaped |
S-shaped |
Angled |
|
Face Shape |
Wide to very wide face |
Long, narrow face |
Moderate width |
At times when a decedent's identity can't be determined by existing clues, a Forensic Facial Reconstruction artist may be called in to complete a facial reconstruction using the skull. The artist measures various structures on the skull and puts markers to indicate the approximate depth. Then, the marked skull is covered with clay and made to look as closely as possible to the decedent from the given information and skull measurements.
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