Journals / Antropoloji / 2026 / Sayı: 43

Usability of preauricular sulcus for sex and pregnancy⁄ parturition estimation in human skeletons: A test on the Cyprus population

Preauricular sulcusun insan iskeletlerinde cinsiyet ve hamilelik/doğum tayininde kullanılabilirliği: Kıbrıs popülasyonu üzerine bir test

Deren Çeker(KKTC Sağlık Bakanlığı, Dr. Burhan Nalbantoğlu Devlet Hastanesi Adli Tıp Birimi, Doğu Akdeniz Üniversitesi Dr.Fazıl Küçük Tıp Fakültesi)0000-0002-0262-260X
İdris Deniz(Dr. Burhan Nalbantoğlu Devlet Hastanesi Adli Tıp Birimi, Lefkoşa)0000-0002-7986-4658
Pages
22–26
Publication Date
2022-06-30
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The results of this test are important because of its contribution to population-specific studies on sex and pregnancy/parturition estimations on human skeletons, and being the first scientific study conducted on the Cyprus population on this subject.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:The preauricular sulcus (PS) appears as a parallel and adjacent groove in the coxae, inferior to the iliac auricular surface, is often cited as an indicator of female sex however its relationship to female skeletons and pregnancy/parturition is a controversial subject.
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Key Findings & Data:In our study, a total of 132 right and left coxae belonging to 66 modern skeletons, consisting of 35 male individuals aged 14-80 and 31 female individuals aged 14-79 (nulliparous/parous/multiparous), were macroscopically examined, and PS was morphologically divided into three categories and scored.
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Conclusion & Impact:The results of this test are important because of its contribution to population-specific studies on sex and pregnancy/parturition estimations on human skeletons, and being the first scientific study conducted on the Cyprus population on this subject.
🔬Design:Research Article
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Preauricular Sulcus · Cinsiyet Tayini · Hamilelik/Doğum Tahmini

Abstract

The preauricular sulcus (PS) appears as a parallel and adjacent groove in the coxae, inferior to the iliac auricular surface, is often cited as an indicator of female sex however its relationship to female skeletons and pregnancy/parturition is a controversial subject. Few studies are known to have tested PS on modern male and female skeletons and validated it with antemortem information. The aim of this study is to test the usability of PS in sex and pregnancy⁄parturition estimation in human skeletons and to contribute to related studies. In our study, a total of 132 right and left coxae belonging to 66 modern skeletons, consisting of 35 male individuals aged 14-80 and 31 female individuals aged 14-79 (nulliparous/parous/multiparous), were macroscopically examined, and PS was morphologically divided into three categories and scored. The results of our study, which is a preliminary test, indicate that the absence of PS or being present and shallow is not useful in sex estimation, the absence of PS in women coxae or being present and shallow indicate the possibility of not having a pregnancy/parturition history, and wide and deep PS points to female coxae and closely related to pregnancy/parturition. In the further stage of this test, the number of materials will be increased and the usability of wide and deep PS in sex estimation and its relation with pregnancy⁄parturition in women coxae will be tested. The results of this test are important because of its contribution to population-specific studies on sex and pregnancy/parturition estimations on human skeletons, and being the first scientific study conducted on the Cyprus population on this subject.

Özet

Coxa kemiklerinde, iliac auricular yüzeyin inferior üne paralel ve bitişik bir oluk görünümündeki preauricular sulcus un (PS), kadın iskeletleriyle ve hamilelik/doğumla ilişkilendirilmesi tartışmalı bir konu olup, her ikisini birlikte antemortem bilgileri mevcut modern iskeletler üzerinde test etmiş çalışmalar oldukça azdır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, PS’nin insan iskeletlerinde cinsiyet belirlemede ve kadın iskeletlerinde hamilelik/doğum tayininde kullanılabilirliğini Kıbrıs popülasyonu üzerinde test ederek bu alanda yapılmış benzer çalışmalara katkı koymaktır. Çalışmamızda, 14-80 yaş arası 35 erkek ve 14-79 yaş arası 31 kadın (doğum yapmadığı/yaptığı ve çocuk sayısı bilinen) bireyden oluşmak üzere 66 modern iskelete ait toplam 132 adet sağ ve sol coxa kemikleri makroskobik olarak incelenmiş, PS morfolojik olarak üç kategoriye ayrılmış ve skorlanmıştır. Ön test niteliğindeki bu çalışmamızın sonuçları, PS’nin mevcut olmaması veya mevcut ve sığ olmasının cinsiyet ayırımında kullanışlı olmadığını, kadınlarda PS’nin mevcut olmaması veya mevcut ve sığ olmasının hamilelik/doğum geçmişinin olmama olasılığını gösterdiğini, geniş ve derin PS’nin kadın bireylere işaret ettiğini ve hamilelik/doğumla yakından ilişkili olduğunu göstermiştir. Bu testin ileri aşamasında materyal sayısı artırılarak, geniş ve derin PS’nin cinsiyet ayırımında kullanılabilirliği ve kadınlarda hamilelik/doğumla doğrudan ilişkili olup olmadığı test edilecektir. Bu testin sonuçları, insan kemiklerinden cinsiyet tayini ve PS’nin hamilelik/doğumla ilişkisini araştıran popülasyona özgü çalışmalara katkısından ve bu konuda Kıbrıs popülasyonu üzerine yapılmış ilk bilimsel çalışma özelliğine sahip olmasından dolayı önemlidir.

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Cite This Article

Çeker, D., Deniz, İ. (2022). Usability of preauricular sulcus for sex and pregnancy⁄ parturition estimation in human skeletons: A test on the Cyprus population. Antropoloji, Sayı: 43, 22–26. https://doi.org/10.33613/antropolojidergisi.1107899

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