Skeletal Remains from Late Roman Period: »As Old as Diocletian\u27s Palace«

In 2000, human skeletal remains were discovered in Split (Croatia). As archaeologists confirmed, it was an ancient skeleton accompanied by ceramics and bracelet characteristic for late Roman period whose possible violent death was excluded. The bone sample was radiocarbon dated by AMS to 1750 years. DNA was successfully extracted from the bone sample and subsequently typed using mt DNA and STR systems. The metal content was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) in flame mode. Mercury concentration was determined by direct consecutive measures taken with a mercury analyzer. According to our results, we consider that the bones could belong to the one of the last citizens of the Diocletian’s Palace

Sex estimation of the sternum by automatic image processing of multi-slice computed tomography images in a Croatian population sample: a retrospective study

Aim To determine the sexual dimorphism of the sternum with standard measurements in a contemporary Croatian population sample using multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) and to compare the data obtained by an automatic with those obtained by a manual approach. Methods Five sternal measurements were obtained from MSCT images of 73 men and 55 women and three sternal indices were calculated. Custom image analysis software was developed for automatic segmentation and calculation of sternal measurements. Measurements of sexual dimorphism were automatically calculated and compared with manual measurements. Results All of the sternal measurements exhibited significant differences between men and women. The discrepancies between manual and automatic measurements ranged from 2.8% to 3.6% of the mean average values obtained with the automatic approach. The most accurate single-variable discriminant function was sternal body length (82.8%), the most accurate index was sternal area (89.1%), and the discriminant function using three variables was manubrium width, sternal body length, and sternal body width (90.6%). Conclusion Sternal measurements are a reliable sex indicator and can be used in forensic casework. Computer-aided measurement methods can accelerate sex estimation and improve its precision and accuracy