Anthropology

Research has shown immense behavioral variation across Macaca, likely due to the wide geographic range of the genus. Due to their marked sexual dimorphism, sex can be identified based on cranial and dental size. However, skeletal shape variants distinguishing species are less clear. The current study sought to test a geometric morphometric protocol for sex and species identification in Macaca. 20 M. fascicularis and 20 M. mulatta (10 males and 10 females of each species) were collected from the UB Primate Skeletal Collection. Given that the crania and innominate most accurately portray sex and/or ancestry in humans, these bones were used for the present study. 29 cranial landmarks and 20 pelvic landmarks were captured using a MicroScribe GTM digitizer. Intra-observer error was calculated using the average standard deviation of three landmarking trials with calculated error rates <1mm for each configuration. Landmarks were subjected to a generalized Procrustes analysis and subsequently analyzed using principal components analysis (PCA), canonical variate analysis (CVA), and discriminate function analysis (DFA). Results suggest relatively large distinctions between males and females based on innominate shape, while cranial shape differences between the sexes were relatively minor following size adjustment. The shape of the innominate was distinct between the two species, particularly between females, while the cranium showed relatively less shape distinction between the two species. Therefore, these results indicate that sex and taxonomic identification based on skeletal shape are feasible, and that postcranial elements such as the pelvis may be more useful for taxonomic identification than previously thought.

Research has shown extensive behavioral variation across Macaca, likely due to the wide geographic range of the genus. Due to their marked sexual dimorphism, sex can be identified based on cranial and dental size. Recent studies have demonstrated a wide cranial diversity throughout the order Primates, however, cranial shape variants distinguishing species are less clear. The current study sought to test a geometric morphometric protocol for sex and taxonomic identification in Macaca, testing the hypothesis that two closely related but geographically and behaviorally distinct species could be identified based on cranial shape. The study utilized 20 M. fascicularis and 20 M. mulatta (10 adult males and females of each species) that were collected from the UB Primate Skeletal Collection.

29 unilateral cranial landmarks were captured using a MicroScribe GTM digitizer. Intra-observer error was calculated using the average standard deviation of three landmarking trials with calculated error rates <1mm for each configuration. Landmarks were subjected to a generalized Procrustes analysis and subsequently analyzed using principal components analysis (PCA), canonical variate analysis (CVA), and discriminate function analysis (DFA). Results suggest relatively minor distinctions between males and females based on cranial shape following size adjustment, which is surprising given the degree of sexual dimorphism in Macaca. CVA and DFA results were able to partially determine species affinity, suggesting that a geometric morphometric approach to taxonomic classification is feasible. These results suggest that with a larger sample size and the utilization of bilateral landmarks, specific shape traits distinguishing macaque species could be determined.

Identification of phylogenetically relevant skeletal traits is a pervasive problem in bioanthropology, particularly when it comes to the history of our own species. Traditionally, crania have been considered the gold-standard in terms of phylogenetic relevance, but recent research has demonstrated the potential of postcranial elements, particularly the os coxa, for phylogenetic distinction at higher taxonomic levels (i.e. supra-generic). In the interest of challenging those limits, we test the hypothesis that two closely related, yet behaviorally distinct, species of macaque can be distinguished reliably based on pelvic morphology. A total of 20 landmarks were digitized on right os coxae of 20 adult Macaca fascicularis and 20 M. mulatta (10 male and 10 female of each species). Intra-observer error was calculated and returned an average standard deviation <1mm for three repeat trials on a single individual. Following generalized procrustes analysis, landmarks were analyzed using principal components analysis (PCA), canonical variate analysis (CVA), and discriminant function analysis (DFA).
Results of the PCA and CVA revealed interspecific shape differences in the angle of the superior and inferior pubic rami when comparing only females. Os coxa shape distinctions between males of each species were different to those seen in females and were much less clear using these methods. Results of the DFA (and accompanying cross-validation scores) corroborate those of the PCA and CVA with the addition of slightly more reliable interspecific distinction between males of the two species. Consequently, results provide partial support for the hypothesis with less reliable inter-specific distinction in males than females.

Though sex can be identified based on sexually dimorphic characteristics in cercopithecinae, species distinctions based on skeletal shape variants are less clear. Additionally, the skeletons of captive primates are likely to exhibit phenotypic plasticity due to their environment, making sex and species identification more difficult. Here we test the hypothesis that geometric morphometric methods and analyses could be useful for both sex and taxonomic assessment in captive cercopithecines, with the aim of using results to develop a reliable classification methodology based on morphology.

Landmark data were collected from the skeletons of 40 Macaca fascicularis, 40 M. mulatta, and 40 Chlorocebus pygerythrus (20 males and 20 females of each species) from the Buffalo Primate Skeletal Collection. Cranial (n=29) and pelvic landmarks (n = 20) were captured using a MicroScribe digitizer. Intra-observer error was calculated with a returned error rate of <1mm. Landmark configurations were registered using Generalized Procrustes Analysis and resultant shape variables were subject to a Principal Components Analyses and Canonical Variates Analysis. A Discriminant Function Analysis aided in predicting categorical memberships and misclassifications.

Results suggest relatively large distinctions between males and females based on pelvic and cranial shape and some morphological distinction among species, particularly between females. Results indicate that sex and taxonomic identification based on skeletal shape are feasible, and that postcranial elements may be more useful for identification than previously thought. The resulting data could be compared to specimens with similar morphology in order to quantitatively and reliably assess the taxonomic classification of previously unknown specimens.

The PILOST Field Project is a preliminary archaeological survey of southwestern parts of the island of Osterøy, Norway, as a joint project between the University of Bergen’s Department of Archaeology, History, Cultural Studies and Religion, and the University at Buffalo’s Department of Anthropology. The focus of the project addresses the changes in patterns of enclosure of the landscape as well as settlement and burial patterns from the Neolithic through the historic periods in southwestern Norway.
The first field season of PILOST (summer 2016) initiated extensive field survey, with subsequent seasons in the planning stages for the summer of 2017 and beyond. GPS units were utilized to both track survey progress and create GIS maps of the surveyed areas. PILOST serves to further inform wider archaeological understandings and discussions regarding not only land use through time, but the interpretation of and attachment of fishing-farming communities to the archaeological landscape.
The 2016 field season data records more than 145 distinct landscape features, consisting primarily of walls, fences, and other boundary markers. These features were identified based on their potential utility to document and inform a wider archaeological discussion of the evolving nature of boundaries, in/outfield usage, and land ownership within farming communities.

Perceptions of disability and impairment in Medieval Iceland are often linked to specific character traits within historical literature.  Recognition of what we would today consider a disabling condition varies greatly from source to source making it difficult to determine the perceived nature of disability in medieval Icelandic society. 
Haffjarðarey is a small island off the coast of Western Iceland on the southern coast of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, north of Borgarnes. A regionally popular Catholic church and cemetery were built on the island some time before the year 1200 CE and remained in use until 1563 CE when the site was abandoned.  Excavations throughout the early 20th century have revealed one of the largest cemeteries from this period.
This paper presents an interdisciplinary approach to the case study of a young adult female (18-24 years old) with skeletal features consistent with a clinical diagnosis of Facio-Auriculo-Vertebral Sequence (FAVs).  FAVs is a highly variable spectrum of craniofacial and skeletal asymmetries with accompanying organ, central nervous system, and/or sensory defects.  This paper considers paleopathological, literary, and archaeological evidence in a discussion of perceived and physical disability in the medieval North Atlantic.