Sex Differences of Pelvis and Sex Determination in Paleoanthropology - Novotny - 1983

The study deals with the revision of sex diagnosis in some fossil pelvic remains using the discriminant function of the ischium and pubis measurements. The ischiopubic segment of the pelvis may be most suitable for pelvis sexing of the hominids since it is less influenced by hominization. Since the original bones are not available, the author used the published documentation and the results compared with the diagnoses published by authors working with the original skeletons. 1. The European Neanderthal man "La Ferrassie I." is defined by the discriminant function as a male, supporting thus Heim's view (1972); 2. In the SW-Asian Neanderthal man "Tabun I.", the female value is to such a degree beyond the limits of variability of the recent population, that it supports not only sexing, but it upholds also the view that such a long os pubis need not be necessarily a sex character (Stewart, Trinkaus); 3. Although in the skeleton "Skhul IX." the diagnosis agrees with the original sexing, i.e., that it is a male, but the value is within the zone of overlapping, so that it might be also the pelvis of a hypofeminine female; 4. In "Skhul IV." we disagree with the original sexing (McCown and Keith, 1939). The discriminant function points to female, but for the same reason as in "Skhul IX.", it could be also a hypomasculine male. The purpose of this paper is to cast some light on the new methods of pelvis sexing.

Keywords

Pelvis sexing - Fossil remains - Discriminant analysis

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