Željka Bedić

Sex determination by discriminant function analysis of the tibia for contemporary Croats

Previous studies have demonstrated that populations differ from each other in size and proportion, and that these differences can affect metric assessment of sex. This paper establishes standards for determining sex from fragmentary and complete tibiae in the modern Croatian population. Measurements were taken on 180 tibiae (109 male and 71 female) from positively identified victims of the 1991-1995 War in Croatia. Six standard dimensions: length of the tibia (CML), maximum epiphyseal breadth of the proximal tibia (MPEB), maximum epiphyseal breadth of the distal tibia (MDEB), maximum diameter of the tibia at the nutrient foramen (MDNF), transverse diameter of the tibia at the nutrient foramen (TDNF), and circumference of the tibia at the nutrient foramen (CNF), were taken and subjected to different discriminant function analyses. The highest level of accuracy (91.1%) in the analyzed data set was achieved employing the variables: maximum epiphyseal breadth of the proximal tibia, maximum epiphyseal breadth of the distal tibia, maximum diameter of the tibia at the nutrient foramen, transverse diameter of the tibia at the nutrient foramen, and circumference of the tibia at the nutrient foramen. The second highest level of accuracy (90.6%) was achieved using a combination of only three variables: maximum epiphyseal breadth of the proximal tibia, maximum diameter of the tibia at the nutrient foramen, and circumference of the tibia at the nutrient foramen. The lowest accuracy (84.4%) was obtained when only one variable (maximum diameter of the tibia at the nutrient foramen) was employed. The results of this study show that the modern Croatian tibia is a good skeletal component for determining sex. Standardized coefficients of the discriminant functions generated in this study support the results of previous studies that found that breadth dimensions provide better separation of the sexes than length.

The harsh life on the 15th century Croatia‐Ottoman Empire military border: Analyzing and identifying the reasons for the massacre in Čepin

Excavation of the historic period cemetery in Cepin, Croatia revealed the presence of a large number of perimortem injuries distributed among males, females, and subadults. Archaeological and historical data suggest these individuals were victims of a raid carried out by Turkish akinji light cavalry in 1441. Comparisons with the frequencies of perimortem trauma in 12 other, temporally congruent skeletal series from the Balkans (n = 2,123 skeletons) support this assumption. The role of the akinji in the Ottoman army was twofold: to supply war captives, and to terrorize and disperse local populations before the advance of regular troops. This article tests the hypothesis that the purpose of the 1441 raid was the latter. To accomplish this, perimortem trauma in the series were analyzed by sex, age, location, and depth of the injury. A total of 82 perimortem injuries were recorded in 12 males, 7 females, and 3 subadults. The demographic profile of the victims suggests that young adults were specifically targeted in the attack. Significant sex differences are noted in the number, distribution, and pattern of perimortem trauma. Females exhibit significantly more perimortem injuries per individual, and per bone affected, than males. The morphology and pattern of perimortem trauma in females is suggestive of gratuitous violence. Cumulatively, analysis of the osteological data suggest that the objective of the 1441 akinji raid was to spread terror and panic in the Cepin area, either as revenge for recent military setbacks, or as part of a long-term strategy intended to depopulate the area around Osijek.