Estimación de la estatura a partir de medidas transversales de la tibia en la población prehispánica de Canarias

Abstract

Stature, an important aspect of the osteologic analysis of a given population, may be estimated on the basis of tibial length. However, in many instances only borre fragments are available. This study was performed in order to test the ability of severa! tibial breadth parameters to estimate tibiallength, and, therefore, stature. Osteometric information was obtained from 259 complete right tibiae belonging to adult prehispanic individuals from Gran Canaria, housed in the Museo Canario (Las Palmas), 173 males and 86 females. The parameters measured were: tibial length, proximal and distal epiphyseal breadth, transverse and anteroposterior diameter, circumference at the nutrition foramen level and minimum shaft perimeter. Stepwise multiple linear regression analyses were performed using the SPSS software statistical pacakage, between tibial length and all the other parameters, or only the proximal or distal ones, in order to obtain functions usable even if only borre fragments are available. Circumference at the nutrition foramen level and proximal epiphyseal breadth, among men, and minimum shaft perimeter among women allow and approximate estimation of stature, with a standard error of approximately 4 cm.