Regression equations for estimating stature from long bones of early holocene European samples

Regression equations for estimating living stature from long bone lengths have been calibrated on a sample of European Neolithic skeletons (33 males and 27 females) by using both least-squares (model I) and major axis (model II) regression techniques. Stature estimates of the skeletal sample have been made by means of Fully's anatomical method, a procedure based on the sum of all osseous components of height, providing the best approximations to the actual stature. The calculated equations have been tested, along with those generally used to predict stature of earlier European remains, on a small, well-preserved sample including Late Upper Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic skeletons. The results indicate that the model II equations are particularly useful when very short or very tall individuals are involved and, at the same time, are among the best predictors of stature in less extreme conditions.