DATA SETS
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About the Data Sets
Two osteometric data sets are currently made freely available to researchers and educators on the web site: the Goldman Osteometric Data Set and the William W. Howells Craniometric Data Set. Additional information about each may be found below and on their respective pages, linked below. If you choose to download any of these data sets, please refrain from sharing them with others; instead ask others to download them directly from this website. Researchers are asked to properly cite the sources of these data when they are used in publications or presentations. Dr. Auerbach is currently working on shifting the hosting of these data sets to a stable repository. Please feel free to contact Dr. Auerbach if you have any questions about the data or their use.
 
Goldman Osteometric Data Set
The Goldman Osteometric Data Set consists of postcranial skeletal metric measurements, sex estimates, and broad age estimates made by Dr. Benjamin Auerbach between 2001 and 2003. These represent a global sample of humans dating throughout the Holocene, though most samples are from preindustrial groups. A total of over 1500 individuals from 59 locations are included in the data set. Only measurements from the upper limb (humerus & radius), lower limb (femur &) tibia), and pelvis were taken.
 
William W. Howells Craniometric Data Set
The William W. Howells Craniometric Data Set consists of cranial metric measurements and sex estimates made by Dr. William Howells between 1965 and 1980. These represent a global sample of human groups considered by Dr. Howells to represent populations, all of which date to the later Holocene. Over 2500 individuals from 28 populations were measured by Dr. Howells. Craniometric dimensions in the data set are linear measurements taken with calipers, and include lengths, chords, subtenses, angles, and radii.
 
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