Paper

Weight References for Burned Human Skeletal Remains from Portuguese Samples^†

Corresponding Author

David Gonçalves Ph.D.

Research Centre for Anthropology and Health (CIAS), Universidade de Coimbra, Rua do Arco da Traição, Coimbra, 3000-056 Portugal

Forensic Sciences Centre (CENCIFOR), Largo da Sé Nova, Coimbra, 3000-213 Portugal

Laboratório de Arqueociências, Direção-Geral do Património Cultural and LARC/CIBIO/InBIO, Rua da Bica do Marquês 2, Lisboa, 1300-087 Portugal

Additional information and reprint requests:

David Miguel da Silveira Gonçalves, Ph.D.

Rua Pinheiro Borges

8 2E 2610-140 Alfragide

Portugal

E-mail: [email protected]

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Eugénia Cunha Ph.D.,

Eugénia Cunha Ph.D.

Forensic Sciences Centre (CENCIFOR), Largo da Sé Nova, Coimbra, 3000-213 Portugal

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Tim J. U. Thompson Ph.D.,

Tim J. U. Thompson Ph.D.

School of Science & Engineering, Teesside University, Borough Road, Middlesbrough, TS1 3BA U.K

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David Gonçalves Ph.D.,

Corresponding Author

David Gonçalves Ph.D.

Research Centre for Anthropology and Health (CIAS), Universidade de Coimbra, Rua do Arco da Traição, Coimbra, 3000-056 Portugal

Forensic Sciences Centre (CENCIFOR), Largo da Sé Nova, Coimbra, 3000-213 Portugal

Laboratório de Arqueociências, Direção-Geral do Património Cultural and LARC/CIBIO/InBIO, Rua da Bica do Marquês 2, Lisboa, 1300-087 Portugal

Additional information and reprint requests:

David Miguel da Silveira Gonçalves, Ph.D.

Rua Pinheiro Borges

8 2E 2610-140 Alfragide

Portugal

E-mail: [email protected]

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Eugénia Cunha Ph.D.,

Eugénia Cunha Ph.D.

Forensic Sciences Centre (CENCIFOR), Largo da Sé Nova, Coimbra, 3000-213 Portugal

Search for more papers by this author

Tim J. U. Thompson Ph.D.,

Tim J. U. Thompson Ph.D.

School of Science & Engineering, Teesside University, Borough Road, Middlesbrough, TS1 3BA U.K

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First published: 03 July 2013

https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.12167

Citations: 28

^†

Funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (Portugal), Grant No. SFRH/BD/40549/2007.

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Abstract

Weight is often one of the few recoverable data when analyzing human cremains but references are still rare, especially for European populations. Mean weights for skeletal remains were thus documented for Portuguese modern cremations of both recently deceased individuals and dry skeletons, and the effect of age, sex, and the intensity of combustion was investigated using both multivariate and univariate statistics. The cremains from fresh cadavers were significantly heavier than the ones from dry skeletons regardless of sex and age cohort (p < 0.001 to p = 0.003). As expected, males were heavier than females and age had a powerful effect in female skeletal weight. The effect of the intensity of combustion in cremains weight was unclear. These weight references may, in some cases, help estimating the minimum number of individuals, the completeness of the skeletal assemblage, and the sex of an unknown individual.

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Volume58, Issue5

September 2013

Pages 1134-1140

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Weight References for Burned Human Skeletal Remains from Portuguese Samples^†