Sexual Dimorphism of the Iliac Crest: A Quantitative Approach

Abstract

This study examines indicators of male-female differences in the os Coxa, specifically in the shape of the iliac crest for the purpose of skeletal sex estimation. The iliac crest is a curved, or "S-shaped", epiphysis which extends along the cranial margin of the ilium, posteriorly from the anterior superior iliac spine to the posterior superior iliac spine of the os Coxae. Forty two metric variables characterizing the shape of the os Coxa and iliac crest are derived from a digital data-base of 150 adult White human os Coxae, including 75 males and 75 females, from the Hamann- Todd osteological collection at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The os Coxae are all digitized using a MicroScribe-3DX digitizer, and the data is stored in an excel spread-sheet, facilitating further mathematical analysis to define and calculate all variables. A single point of origin defined as the most superior point in the midline of the pubic symphysis, is common to each variable. This study hypothesizes that these variables will better define variation in form, and that they will better characterize sexual dimorphism in the iliac crest. Statistical analyses will be used to test the potential application of the findings of this study to human identification in osteological investigation.