Abstract: The basic statistics of 109 metrical traits and the incidences of 63 non -metrical traits in both male and female skulls from Taiyuan, Shanxi are reported in the present paper. The incidences of these non-metrical traits may be of use for a further comparative study. The side differences and the sexual differences of these metrical traits have been revealed by the t-tests. On the average, the orbital breadth, the height of mandibular body at foramen mentale and the breadth of mandibular notch on right side are significantly or very significantly larger than the corresponding measurements on left side in both male and female group. In male group alone, the orbital height on right is larger and the height of ca put mandibular on right is smaller than on left. These side differences probably are related with the right dominence in mastication. The sexual differences in Taiyuan series are generally reflected in a larger size of male skulls. Besides, the averages of the subtense mf-mf, the naso-malar angle and the profile angle of frontal bone in male group are statistically very significantly smaller than the corresponding values in female. Using 8 metrical traits in skulls with mandibles, the discriminant analysis leads to 92.5% cases of sexual diagnoses in accordance with those based on the morphology of postcranial bones. The discriminant analyses using a few traits in skulls without mandibles or in mandibles alone as their items produce approximately 90% accuracy. These discriminant functions have been formulated, which can be applied in the range of modern Northern Chinese skulls.

Key words: Human skulls; Metrical traits; Non-metrical traits; Discriminant analyses