Jawbone measuring device, United States, 1999

Mandibulometer made by Paleo-Tech Instruments, Wheeling, Illinois; scale made by the Oregon Rule Co., Oregon, USA, 1999. Used by skeletal biologists to study human remains.

A mandibulometer is a precision bone measuring (osteometric) instrument. An anthropologist or skeletal biologist uses it to measure the human lower jawbone. This example was used to research Bleadon Man, one of two Iron Age skeletons discovered when building began on a new housing estate in Somerset, England. Bleadon Man’s jaw shape proves how ancient diets differed from ours. He had developed a robust jawbone because his food contained lots of coarse grit.

This specialist device was developed by Jim Kondrat, of Paleo-Tech Instruments. He is an anthropologist based in Wheeling, Illinois. Professionals working in forensic science can also use it.