Estimating the Stature of an Ancient North Andean Population From Articular Breadths and Diaphyseal Diameters: An Extension of Anzellini and Toyne (2020).

Stature estimation of skeletal remains is mostly dependent on the lengths of long bones, but these are often unavailable in fragmented or commingled assemblages. To overcome this obstacle, we present an extension of the unisex stature estimation models for high-altitude Andean populations presented by Anzellini and Toyne (2020) using femoral and tibial articular breadths and diaphyseal diameters. We estimated the anatomical statures of 28 adults, both males and females, from Kuelap, Peru, and created linear regression formulae using Ridge regression with k-fold cross-validation. Thirty models were generated, with over half achieving standard error values below ±4 cm and tibial multivariable models approaching the precision of length-based estimates. These results demonstrate that epiphyseal breadths and midshaft diameters offer reliable alternatives for stature estimation when complete elements are unavailable, expanding options for analyses and providing valuable information that may otherwise go ignored.