The incidence of mylohyoid bridging in prehistoric and historic Anatolian populations

Abstract

In this study, the frequency of mylohyoid bridging (MHB) was investigated on 227 mandibles belonging to 8 prehistoric and historic Anatolian populations recovered from various archaeological sites dating from the Early Bronze Age (EBA) to the first quarter of the 20th century. The change in the frequency of MHB was analyzed in relation to age, sex, skull side, and population according to the criteria of Hauser and De Stefano (1989). The results revealed no significant relation between the occurrence of MHB and age or sex. An incidence rate of MHB varying between 6.07% and 30.00% was found in the Anatolian populations. The results revealed that these samples of ancient Anatolian populations exhibited a heterogeneous structure in view of the trait. However, the differences between the populations were not found to be statistically significant. When the population data is pooled, the frequency is 10.01%. This value falls within the levels of Europeans and Mongoloids. Bilaterality in the expression of MHB and its occurrence being independent of age and sex are findings that are consistent with the assumption that genetic background is relevant to its formation. Thus, MHB may be useful as a non-metrical feature in population studies when used in combination with other characteristics.

Keywords

• Skeletal biology,non-metric traits,mylohyoid bridge,ancient Anatolia

References

1. Berry AC. (1974) The use of non-metrical variations of the cranium in the study of Scandinavian population movements. Am J Phys Anthropol 40:345-358.