RELIABILITY TESTING OF METRIC METHODS FOR SEX DETERMINATION IN ANCIENT SKELETAL REMAINS IN GREECE

Abstract

The skeletal study of archaeological material is the only detailed source of demographic information on an

cient populations and investigating sex differences is crucial for the reconstruction of the social structure of

past societies. Determination of skeletal sex can be achieved using visual (non-metric) or metric methods.

Metric methods are considered more appropriate for assessing sex in archaeological skeletal remains since

the accuracy of non-metric methods decreases in cases of fragmented bones. Additionally, it is well estab

lished that the expression of sexual dimorphism is population specific. Therefore, sex prediction equations

should be used only when the sample is known to come from the same population from which the functions

were derived. The aim of this study is to test the application of sex prediction equations, which were pro

duced using measurements from the arm bones of a modern Greek population, in ancient Greek skeletal re

mains. For the purpose of this research five ancient populations were examined; Ancient Corinth, Corfu,

Agia Triada Thebes, Edessa and Thebes. According to our results, ulnar sex prediction equations cannot be

considered adequate for sex determination of ancient skeletal remains. On the contrary, humeral as well as

radial sex prediction equations can be considered adequately reliable for sex determination of ancient skele

tal remains. More specifically, sex prediction equations containing the humeral vertical head diameter, its

combination with the humeral epicondylar width as well as the maximum radial distal width, achieve a clas

sification accuracy over 72%.