ІSSUES OF HUMAN STATURE ESTIMATION IN PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY

Abstract

Stature is an important biological characteristic for both modern and ancient populations. Combining the analysis of stature with demographic indicators and skeletal pathologies, one can infer the social status of individuals in paleopopulations. Spatio-temporal changes in stature can indicate shifts in adaptation to the environment. As of today, physical anthropologists use anatomical and mathematical methods to reconstruct stature from skeletal remains. Anatomical is considered more accurate because it integrates all the elements of the skeleton that contribute to human stature into the final formula. The basis of the mathematical method is the statistical calculation of the interdependence between the lengths of individual bones and stature. A large body of studies has shown that long bones (especially those of the lower extremities) correlate best with stature. The mathematical method is less time-consuming than the anatomical method and allows one to calculate an individual’s stature from a poorly preserved skeleton. Given this, anthropologists have been intensively developing regression formulas specific to each population for more than a hundred years. The starting point for population-specific formulas is the known height of the sample during life or an anatomically reconstructed stature, which is considered to be as close as possible to the lifetime stature. The suitability and applicability of anatomical and mathematical methods depends on the study’s goals. The anatomical method is often unfeasible due to poor skeletal preservation. Even when suitable skeletons exist, small sample sizes may not represent the whole series. If the aim is osteobiographical research and the skeleton is well-preserved, the anatomical method should be preferred, as it best reflects the individual’s lifetime stature. When working with a large number of skeletons of varying preservation, the mathematical method is optimal because it enables a larger sample and, with representative data, offsets individual estimation errors at the average level. Since it is impossible to develop a universal formula due to differences in body proportions across populations, it is important to identify populations with similar morphological characteristics. It is necessary to understand that identical proportions do not give identical stature, so stature should be given in the ranges specified in each formula. Wide prediction intervals significantly complicate comparisons of paleopopulations and the construction of evolutionary trends, as differences in stature indicators may be statistically insignificant. Therefore, it is worth developing a procedure that can consistently solve the described problems.