Osteology Review and Comment Page
- Megan Forbes
Owned by Megan Forbes
Review and Comment Instructions
This Review and Comment page is for the OSTEOLOGY PROCEDURE.
- Review the fields present in the schema pages linked below, and ask the following questions in relation to your organization:
- Is this procedure necessary to manage my collections?
- If so, are all the fields needed to manage my collection present? If not, what would we need to add?
- Are there field that are not useful? If so, what would we delete?
- Contribute your comments to the project team via the comment box at the bottom of this page
- Stay tuned for further iterations as community critiques are factored in
Descriptive Schema (XLS version here)
| CSpace Information Group | CSpace Field Name | CSpace Field Definition | CSpace Field Type | Field Repeatable? | Group Repeatable? | CSpace Default Controlled List Contents | Required Field? |
| Inventory information | Inventory ID | The identification number for the inventory | Text | No | Yes | ||
| Age estimate | Lower estimate (years) | The lowest estimated age of the skeletal elements | Number | No | Yes | ||
| Upper estimate (years) | The greatest estimated age of the skeletal elements | Number | No | ||||
| Date | The date (or approximate date) for the age estimate by the analyst | Structured date | No | ||||
| Analyst | The Person responsible for the age estimate | Person authority | No | ||||
| Notes | Any notes about the age estimate | Text | No | ||||
| Sex determination | Sex | The sex determination for the skeletal elements | Controlled list; dynamic | No | Yes | female; probably female; possible female; male; probably male; possibly male; indeterminate; unknown | |
| Date | The date (or approximate date) for the sex determination by the analyst | Structured date | No | ||||
| Analyst | The Person responsible for the sex determination | Person authority | No | ||||
| Notes | Any notes about the sex determination | Text | No | ||||
| Notes on inventory | Text | No | |||||
| Inventory complete | Checkbox affirming the completeness of the osteological inventory. | Checkbox | No | ||||
| Analyst | Person responsible for the osteological inventory. | Person authority | No | Yes | |||
| Date | Date osteological inventory completed. | Calendar date | No | Yes | |||
| Dental pathology (incl. alveolar) | General notes about any dental or alveolar pathologies that were observed (e.g., 'Buccolingual abscess is present in both upper M1s') | Text | No | ||||
| Cranial bony pathology | General notes about any non-dental, non-alveolar cranial pathologies that were observed (e.g., 'Button osteoma noted on right parietal', 'Cribra orbitalia is present bilaterally') | Text | No | ||||
| Postcranial bony pathology | General notes about any postcranial pathologies that were observed (e.g., 'Both tibias have extensive periostitis', 'There is a healed fracture at the distal end of the right fibula') | Text | No | ||||
| Cultural modifications | General notes about any cultural modifications that were observed (e.g., 'Upper incisors have been filed to a point', 'Annular cranial deformation present with band impressions visible on parietals and occipital') | Text | No | ||||
| Nonhuman taphonomic alterations | General notes about any nonhuman taphonomic alterations that were observed (e.g., 'Weathering noted on long bones and right clavicle'', 'Rodent gnaw marks present on left tibia') | ||||||
| Curatorial suffixing notes | General notes about any necessary revisions to object labels, object numbers or individual suffixes required due to individuation determinations made during the osteological inventory (e.g., 'A second suffix is needed for the remains of a second commingled individual') | Text | No |
Osteological Inventory Schema
Each element or portion thereof is assessed for its completeness and is assigned to one of six completeness categories:
• Absent
• Less than 25% complete
• 25% to 50% complete
• 50% to 75% complete
• Greater than 75% complete
• Complete
• Absent
• Less than 25% complete
• 25% to 50% complete
• 50% to 75% complete
• Greater than 75% complete
• Complete
For the six major long bones, this assessment of completeness is made for each of five portions of each bone:
• The proximal joint surface(s)
• The proximal one-third of the shaft
• The middle one-third of the shaft
• The distal one-third of the shaft
• The distal joint surface(s)
• The proximal joint surface(s)
• The proximal one-third of the shaft
• The middle one-third of the shaft
• The distal one-third of the shaft
• The distal joint surface(s)
The Inventory UI includes logic that aids in data entry. For instance, if the entire cranium is marked as "Complete", then all bones of the cranium are automatically marked as complete. If one of those cranial bones is later marked as less than complete, then the cranium will automatically un-mark itself as "Complete". Details of the logic are detailed in the right column below.
 | A complete cranium implies that the following are also complete:
A complete Occipital implies a complete Pars basilaris and Pars lateralis (bilateral); however, absence of Pars basilaris and Pars lateralis does not imply absence of Occipital. |
 | A complete humerus, radius, or ulna implies that all five portions thereof are also complete. An absent humerus, radius, or ulna implies that all five portions thereof are also absent. |
 | A complete femur, tibia, or fibula implies that all five portions thereof are also complete. An absent femur, tibia, or fibula implies that all five portions thereof are also absent. |
 | A complete Os coxae implies that the following are also complete:
A complete Scapula implies a complete Glenoid; however, absence of Glenoid does not imply absence of Scapula A complete Sternum implies a complete Manubrium; however, absence of Manubrium does not imply absence of Sternum |
 | A complete wrist implies a complete:
|
 | A complete ankle implies a complete:
|
 | A complete ribcage implies that all portions of all ribs on that side are also complete. An absent ribcage implies that all portions of all ribs on that side are also absent. A complete rib implies that all portions of that rib are also complete. An absent rib implies that all portions of that rib are also absent. |
 | A complete hand implies a complete (NB: hand phalanges are not included):
|
 | A complete foot implies a complete (NB: foot phalanges are not included):
|
 | A complete vertebral column implies a complete:
Additionally, any vertebra marked as complete is also implied to have a complete:
A complete sacrum implies a complete:
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