Howells Craniometric Database
Definition
A dataset of 82 standard craniometric measurements on over 2,500 adult skulls from more than 30 population groups worldwide, assembled by W.W. Howells between 1965 and 1980, forming the principal reference for metric ancestry assessment in forensic anthropology.
- Measurements
- 82 standard craniometric variables
- Sample size
- Over 2,500 adult skulls
- Population coverage
- More than 30 groups worldwide
- Compiler and period
- W.W. Howells, 1965 to 1980
Common questions
How does the Howells database relate to FORDISC?+
FORDISC uses the Howells data, along with other reference samples such as the Forensic Data Bank, as its comparative population base, so a FORDISC classification is only as representative as the populations included in that underlying data.
What is the main limitation practitioners raise about using Howells data for modern forensic cases?+
The reference populations were sampled decades ago from specific regional groups, so applying them to a contemporary, admixed, or geographically different individual can produce a classification that reflects the closest available reference group rather than a true population match.
Does the Howells database estimate sex as well as ancestry?+
The dataset includes both male and female specimens and is used for sex estimation alongside ancestry estimation, since cranial morphology carries sexually dimorphic features that FORDISC and similar tools analyse together with population affinity.
Related terms
- Anterior Nasal Spine (ANS)
- A morphoscopic trait: the bony projection at the inferior border of the nasal aperture, scored on a 0-3 scale from absent to...
- Discriminant Function Analysis
- A multivariate statistical technique that derives linear combinations of measurements to maximally separate two or more groups (male and female). The resulting...
- FORDISC
- Forensic Discriminant Computer program, developed by Ousley and Jantz at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. Performs discriminant-function analysis on user-supplied craniometric measurements...
- Forensic Data Bank (FDB)
- The modern documented skeletal sample within FORDISC, built from cases submitted by US medical examiners since the late 1980s. Provides reference data...
- Malar Tubercle
- A small bony protuberance on the inferior surface of the malar (zygomatic) bone, scored as present or absent. Higher frequency in East...
- Morphoscopic Traits
- Non-metric cranial features assessed on ordinal or nominal scales (anterior nasal spine, malar tubercle, nasal bone shape, post-bregmatic depression, inferior nasal aperture...
- Population Affinity
- The preferred modern forensic-anthropological term for the relationship between an unidentified individual's skeletal morphology and a modern reference population. Replaces the older...
- Posterior Probability
- The probability, returned by FORDISC, that the unknown skull belongs to the classified reference group, given that it must belong to one...
- Typicality Probability
- In FORDISC analysis, the probability that the unknown skull is a typical member of the best-matching reference group, based on Mahalanobis distance....