In skeletal studies of prehistoric populations of Chile’s semiarid north, it is common practice for physical anthropologists to visually categorize crania as dolichophallic and brachycephalic which are then attributed to cultures or time periods based on the observed shape. The validity of this classification is still debated and poses several questions regarding the prehistory of Chile. The goal of this study is to investigate the craniofacial variation in populations representing the Archaic period and Intermediate-Late periods of Chile’s semiarid north using morphometric analysis. The samples comprise two collections from the Museo Arqueologico de La Serena in La Serena, Chile. The Archaic period dates from 10,000 BC to 300 AC. The Intermediate-Late period dates from 900 AC to 1500 AC. The Archaic period included 87 crania, while the Intermediate-Late period included 78 crania. Cranial vault modification was practiced in all prehistoric populations, and modified individuals comprise ~4.6% of the Archaic period sample and ~74.4% of the Intermediate-Late period sample. Individuals observed to be dolichocephalic are associated with the Archaic period, while brachycephalic individuals are associated with the Intermediate-Late period. Previous studies have shown that individuals with intentional cranial modification, annular and tabular, exhibit predictable changes in the craniofacial complex due to compensatory growth and shape changes related to peripheral structures of the cranial vault. A form of tabular modification is seen in both periods included in this sample, with the Intermediate-Late period sample being dominated by this modification. All craniometric landmarks were recorded using a Microscribe™ 3D digitizer, with exclusion of mandibular landmarks. MorphoJ was utilized to analyze the geometric morphometric data. Coordinates using the Microscribe were recorded in order to investigate the differences in shape of the craniofacial complex between the two samples. Two separate analyses were performed, one with all landmarks recorded and one excluding landmarks prosthion, alveolon, ectomolare and zygion. The results of both Canonical Variate analyses and associated Mahalanobis Distance values (2.699 and 2.9316) indicates statistically significant differences (p<0.001) between the two samples. It is also evident that shape changes along CV1, increases in minimum frontal breadth, upper facial breadth, and nasal height, correspond with characteristics associated with brachycephalism and tabular cranial vault modification. The large range of variation of the Intermediate-Late period sample is speculated to be a result of multiple small populations moving toward the coast possibly due to a change in climate. These small populations exhibited various morphologies which were influenced by nonrandom environmental factors. The Mahalanobis distances of the different cultural groups also indicate statistically significant differences. This method has the potential to be used in conjunction with others to identify cultural context and significance of remains in archaeological contexts in Chile. In the event of repatriation acts this method could also be used to attribute individuals to corresponding cultures and be donated to the appropriate community or facility.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/42145 |
| Date | 20 February 2021 |
| Creators | Getler, Anna Elizabeth |
| Contributors | Tallman, Sean |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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