Mandibular ramus posterior flexure: a sex indicator in Homo sapiens fossil hominids?

• Published in: International journal of osteoarchaeology Vol. 10; no. 6; pp. 426 - 431
• Main Authors: Coqueugniot, Hélène, Tillier, Anne-marie, Bruzek, Jaroslav
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.11.2000; Chichester, West Sussex :Wiley,1991; Wiley
• Subjects: Archaeology and Prehistory; Biological anthropology; Early Modern Humans; Humanities and Social Sciences; mandible; Neanderthals; ramus; sex assessment; mandible; ramus; early Modern Humans; Sex assessment; Neandertals
• ISSN: 1047-482X; 1099-1212
• DOI: 10.1002/1099-1212(200011/12)10:6<426::AID-OA533>3.0.CO;2-#

Accurate determination of sex in skeletal human samples is very important in anthropological and demographic studies. Recently, Loth and Henneberg have suggested that a new osteological criterion on the mandible, the mandibular ramus posterior flexure (MRPF) had a high sex discriminating effectiveness. A preliminary test applied to a few hominid mandibles )including Australopithecines, Homo erectus, Neanderthals and Upper palaeolithic hominids) apparently confirmed the high reliability of the MRPF as a sex indicator ‘over time and through palaeospecies’. As the pelvis is commonly considered as providing the most significant criteria that allows the establishment of skeletal sexual dimorphism of adults, the present paper evaluates this mandibular feature on a few additional palaeolithic hominids (i.e. Neanderthals and Early Modern Humans) for whom a gender estimation was known based upon the pelvis. This analysis was conducted on the original material and its results appear in contradiction with those of the previous studies made by Loth and Henneberg. A reconsideration of the visual assessment of MRPF as a sex indicator in Homo sapiens fossil hominids is therefore suggested. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.