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.

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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