Cephalic Index in Purana Inhabitants at the Foot of Sigiriya, Sri Lanka

Racial and ethnic differences in cranial morphology are documented. Geneticand non genetic factors such as climate and nutritional status are known to influence thecranial variation observed between human populations. The Cephalic index is importantwhen comparing the cranial morphology of the different ethnic groups in populations.The purana populations in Sigiriya facing imminent threat of extinction trace theirancestry to the times of the Sinhalese King of the 5th Century A.D. This study wascarried out to determine the cranial index of purana inhabitants of Thalkote,Diyakepilla, Nagalawewa and Pidurangala purana villages at the foot of Sigiriya. Onehundred and six male and 206 female purana inhabitants belonging to purana pedigreewith apparently healthy and without any craniofacial deformity, were recruited for thisstudy. The individual selection was based on verbal pedigree analysis and pedigree wastraced back to at least three generations. The maximum cranial length and breadth wastaken according to the standard anthropometry procedure described in Harrison et al in1990 by using spreading caliper. The horizontal cephalic index of each individual wascalculated by using measured maximum cranial length and maximum cranial breadth ofeach individual. The calculated mean horizontal cephalic index of male was 78.33 ±5.29 (mesocephalic) and female was 80.79 ± 5.86 (mesocephalic). The mean horizontalcephalic index for male and female was 80.04 ± 5.80 (mesocephalic). The meanhorizontal cephalic indices of male (78.33) and female (80.79) in this study was higherthan the mean value of Sri Lankan population reported by Illeperuma 2011, male as78.04 and female as 79.32. The obtained mean horizontal cephalic index in this studybeing 80.04 was higher than the mean value of Sri Lankan population (78.54) reportedby Illeperuma 2011 and Iranians : 75 (Farahani) and it is lower than the Indians : 80.42(del sol), Europeans in Mediterranean region : 81.19, Japanese : 87, (Nakahani 1986).These finding reinforce the racial diversity in the cephalic index between the puranainhabitants and modern Sri Lankans.Key words: Purana inhabitants, Cephalic index, Human diversit

The Evaluation of Living Stature in Purana Inhabitants at the Foot of Sigiriya, Sri Lanka

The human stature is determined by combination of genetic and environmentfactors such as nutrition and socioeconomic states. The human stature can vary amongpopulations. The present study evaluates the living stature of present purana inhabitantsat the foot of the Sigiriya. The stature of present purana population was taken from 300male and female purana inhabitants representing Pidurangala, Thalkote, Diyakepilla andNagalaweva purana villages of Sigiriya. The selection of purana individual was basedon oral pedigree analysis and pedigree was traced back to at least three generations. Thestature was measured using a temporary stadiometer prepared by us with the accuracyof 0.1cm. The mean stature of purana females and males were 152.90cm ± 7.05 and165.70cm ± 7.58 respectively. The obtained male and female mean stature of the studywas higher than reported average stature of Sri Lankan present male being163.6cm ±6.9 and female being 151.4cm ±6.4 reported by Ranasinghe 2011. The obtained meanstature male being 165.70cm ± 7.58 was higher than the reported mean height of veddabeing 156.62cm ± 5.59 reported by Wikramanayake 1992. The obtained mean stature ofpurana male was higher than the Indian male being 165.2cm reported by Deaton 2008,Malaysian male being 164.7cm reported by Lim et al 2000 and Indonesian male being158cm reported by Tunonggir 2009 while the mean stature of male was lower than theChinese male being 166.3cm reported by Yang et al 2005. The obtained mean stature ofpurana female was higher than the Indian female being 152.1cm reported by Deaton2008, Indonesian female being 147cm reported by Tunonggir 2009 while the meanstature was lower than the Chinese female being 157cm reported by Yang et al 2005and Malaysian female being 153.3cm reported by Lim et al. 2000.The higher stature ofpurana inhabitants of Sigiriya may be due to having agricultural live hood and peoplemaintaining better nutrition and another contributed factor by being a geneticallyisolated group.Key words: Purana inhabitants, living height, Human diversit

Ethics of DNA research on human remains: Five globally applicable guidelines

We are a group of archaeologists, anthropologists, curators and geneticists representing diverse global communities and 31 countries. All of us met in a virtual workshop dedicated to ethics in ancient DNA research held in November 2020. There was widespread agreement that globally applicable ethical guidelines are needed, but that recent recommendations grounded in discussion about research on human remains from North America are not always generalizable worldwide. Here we propose the following globally applicable guidelines, taking into consideration diverse contexts. These hold that: (1) researchers must ensure that all regulations were followed in the places where they work and from which the human remains derived; (2) researchers must prepare a detailed plan prior to beginning any study; (3) researchers must minimize damage to human remains; (4) researchers must ensure that data are made available following publication to allow critical re-examination of scientific findings; and (5) researchers must engage with other stakeholders from the beginning of a study and ensure respect and sensitivity to stakeholder perspectives. We commit to adhering to these guidelines and expect they will promote a high ethical standard in DNA research on human remains going forward.Community ethical engagement is context-specific - Representation of Indigenous perspectives - Global differences in the meaning of Indigeneity - Potential harm from emphasizing group identity Five globally applicable guidelines Promoting ethical DNA research on human remain