Determination of the Paleolithic reindeer sex applying the K-means algorithm to frontal bones with pedicles
Determination of the Paleolithic reindeer sex applying the K-means algorithm to frontal bones with pedicles
Author(s): Roman CroitorSubject(s): Archaeology, Gender Studies, Methodology and research technology, Demography and human biology, Prehistory
Published by: Institutul Patrimoniului Cultural al Academiei de Științe a Moldovei
Keywords: Late Paleolithic; Cosăuți; Rangifer tarandus; pedicles; sexual dimorphism; K-means clustering;
Summary/Abstract: The article presents the application of K-means clustering algorithm to sorting female and male pedicles of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) from the Paleolithic site of Cosăuţi from Soroca District (the Republic of Moldova). According to the obtained results, 29.8% of frontal bones with pedicles belong to males, while the rest of 70.2% of specimens belong to females. The obtained value of the sex ratio of the reindeer pedicle sample confirms the earlier study that obtained the same results based on sexual dimorphism of limb bones. The volume of pedicles represents the most secure parameter that allows to distinguish female pedicles from male pedicles. The distribution of pedicle volume size in the samples of males and females corresponds to the age profiles of the samples.
Journal: Revista Arheologică
- Issue Year: XVIII/2022
- Issue No: 2
- Page Range: 101-106
- Page Count: 6
- Language: English
