Ancestry and Sex in Human Crania: A Comparative Photographic Atlas

This atlas consists of 29 male and 21 female crania and is intended to serve as a reference source of documented-identity crania in the Mann-Labrash Osteology Collection at the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) of the University of Hawaii, Manoa. It is intended to add to our knowledge of the complexity and range of cranial variation and to provide examples based on contemporary known-identity individuals. Large color photographs are provided for researchers to reference when estimating ancestry, sex, and, to a limited extent, age. This atlas increases our comparative reference samples and diversity to include individuals of Asian and Pacific Islander ancestry. Most crania in this atlas are presented using six anatomical views: anterior, right lateral, left lateral, inferior (basilar), superior, and posterior (occipital) in the Frankfort horizontal plane. A superior view of each mandible is included to provide the reader with size and shape features of the teeth and bone. Additional photos are included to highlight other features such as dental morphology and anatomical variants. Many photographs are labeled to identify specific features, while others are not, leaving interpretation to the reader. Figure captions reflect the author’s opinion but are intended to allow readers to interpret features for themselves and draw their own conclusions based on the photographs of each cranium. The photographs are intended to provide readers with the most holistic and integrated perspective of each feature. Each feature is viewed as part of the whole without requiring the reader to place them along a fixed continuum or sequence based on size or shape. Photographs also allow readers to examine each feature as an integrated piece of the “puzzle.”