Geometrics morphometrics and fragmented archaeological skeleton remains: Examples, limits and perspectives

Vigne, J.D.; Bignon, O.; Callou, C.; Cucchi, T.; Mashkour, M.; Auffray, J.C.; Baylac, M.

Abstract

Though the use of geometrics morphometrics analysis is wide spread since at least 15 years in the scope of biological and anthropological sciences, the overwhelming majority of archaeologists still investigate the morphology of animal remains by the way of traditional measurements and basic statistical methods. This is at least partly due to the high level of dissociation and fragmentation of the archaeological skeletal remains. In order to estimate more precisely the limitation made by bone fragmentation and to try to take more advantage from the morphology of vertebrates’ archaeological bones, we experimented successively more and more sophisticated morphometric methods: Log Shape Ratio analyses applied to traditional length measurements (historical times in Europe; Neolithic equids of Iran), Landmark analyses (Late Glacial Equids of Western Europe), Outline analyses (Mediterranean house mouse). These different examples will be briefly presented, and assessed in terms of efficiency with reference to traditional archaeozoological measurements. General conclusions emphasize the high benefit that archaeozoology can get from a separate analysis of shape and size, especially for interpopulation comparisons and phylogeographic approaches. But it also highlights the true limitations induced by the fragmentation, which may lead to bias simplistic morphological approaches and preclude some investigation such as asymmetry analyses.

Citation

Vigne, J., Bignon, O., Callou, C., Cucchi, T., Mashkour, M., Auffray, J., & Baylac, M. (2007). Geometrics morphometrics and fragmented archaeological skeleton remains: Examples, limits and perspectives. Journal of Morphology, 268(12), 1145-1145. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmor.10589

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2007
• Deposit Date: Aug 11, 2009
• Journal: Journal of Morphology
• Print ISSN: 0362-2525
• Electronic ISSN: 1097-4687
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 268
• Issue: 12
• Pages: 1145-1145
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jmor.10589
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1531429