A simple metric sexing method for unknown skeletal remains: The Sacro-Clavicular Index (SCI)

Sex diagnosis on human skeletal remains from forensic or archaeological contexts is often hampered by poor preservation or completeness. The successful application of most identification methods demands the presence of skull or pelvis, since most reliable sex-determining features can be found here; unfortunately, because of their fragile anatomy, these bones are frequently damaged or destroyed. To compensate for this, we tested the effectiveness of two often well preserved postcranial structures as instrument of sexing skeletal individuals. Preliminary results are promising.