International Journal of Modern Anthropology

Anthropology of friendship: A preliminary review

Yanuardi Syukur — 2025-02-04

This paper elaborates studies related to the anthropology of friendship and relates the findings to the locus of the intellectual community named INSISTS. Various anthropological studies of friendship can be categorized into studies of friendship construction, interaction between actors in friendship, interests between actors in friendship and exchange between actors in friendship. In these various studies, this paper shows that for the context of the study of religious intellectual communities, friendship studies do not only focus on shared beliefs, concerns, sentiments, and so on, but also need to elaborate on the interests of religious actors. So far, actor interests have only been defined in terms of emotional and instrumental interests. This paper adds another type of actor’s interest, namely intellectual interest, which is inherent in the interaction between actors. The intellectual interest is indeed based on the locus of the intellectual community, but it is possible that the ‘intellectual interest’ is also present in other communities in which there is an exchange of ideas between actors.

The unique Balearic Megalithic “Taulas” (Tables): Paleolithic/Neolithic pre- Iberian lineal scripts found in the Taula complex of So Na Caçana (Menorca Island, Spain)

Antonio Arnaiz-Villena — 2025-02-04

Taulas (or Tables) are Megalithic unique monuments that are found only in Menorca Island (Balearic Is, Spain). Their construction age is uncertain but it is associated to Talayotic culture and it is assigned to the 1^st millennium BC without solid objective bases: particularly when the only one similar structure found in the World are those of Gobekli Tepe in Antolia (Turkey) constructed about 10,000 years ago. In the present paper, we have found Paleolithic /Neolithic Lineal scripts in the East Taula recint of So Na Caçana Minorca megalithic complex It was established that one of the few cultural features that maintained these scripts in Megaliths, rocks and stones at least in Balearic Islands (Menorca), Iberia, Canary Islands and South Sahara for such a long time could be the Mother Godess religion. On the other hand, this Megalithic Lineal script could also be Iberian signary precursor: our studies suggest that some of these scripts were included later in the Iberia-Tartessian signary at least. We have used the Iberian relationship with live Basque language for proposed a simple translation of these Megalithic signs in the context of the Mother Godess religion. Finally, it is postulated that a “green” Sahara migration of climate exiled people in the process of Sahara desertification after 10,000 years BC is responsible for many writing, language and genetic traits of the Mediterranean area, including Canary Islands and Balearic Archipelago, Also, So Na Caçana means in Menorca Island own language “The property of the She-Hunter”.

Sexual dimorphism and stature estimation from hand and foot variables in Ondo State, Nigeria.

Idowu Elijah Adefisan — 2025-02-04

Forensic anthropology relies critically on accurate sexual differentiation and stature estimation from skeletal remains, particularly in populations with significant ethnic diversity. This study investigated hand and foot measurements among the Yoruba population in Ondo State, Nigeria, to develop population-specific anthropometric models for forensic identification and individual characterization. A comprehensive crosssectional study was conducted with 300 participants (110 males, 190 females) aged 17- 55 years. Researchers meticulously measured hand and foot dimensions, including hand length, hand breadth, wrist diameter, foot length, and foot breadth. Advanced statistical analyses were employed, encompassing independent t-tests, Pearson correlation, stepwise regression, and discriminant function analysis to explore the intricate relationships between these physical measurements, sex, and stature. Significant sexual dimorphism was observed across all hand and foot measurements (p < 0.001), with males consistently demonstrating larger physical dimensions. Right hand breadth (RHB), right hand length (RHL), and right foot length (RFL) emerged as the most robust sex predictors, achieving an impressive 88.7% accuracy in discriminant analysis. Stature estimation revealed that hand and foot measurements explained 37.6% of variance in males and 22.8% in females. Notably, RHB proved most significant for male stature prediction, while RFL was most predictive for females. These findings substantially enhance the anthropometric database for Nigeria, offering pragmatic forensic applications for population-specific identification. The research underscores the reliability of hand and foot measurements in sex determination and stature estimation within the Yoruba population, providing valuable insights for forensic anthropology and archaeological investigations.

Renewal of structural anthropology through a new concept of knowledge origin ‘The dynamic mixed origin’ or ‘The deepest remembering process’

Hassen Chaabani — 2025-02-04

The first incentive leading to this study is to search for the origin and the nature of what Levis-Strauss meant by fundamental structures and/or hidden rules that contribute to the construction of languages and cultures within the principal idea of structural anthropology. This leads to rethink the process of knowledge origin that is still a matter of controversial debates. I propose the DNA as a physical source of these hidden innate structures. Supported by evidence and substantial arguments derived from the latest scientific findings, this suggestion is developed and formulated into a new concept of the process of knowledge formation that I call ‘The dynamic mixed origin of knowledge’ or ‘The deepest remembering process’. According to it, the formation of knowledge occurs thanks to our mental abilities through a complex dynamic network of reciprocal interconnections involving (1) extrinsic inputs, (2) what is stored in our conscious and/or in our unconscious and (3) genetic factors. Furthermore, I show how this mechanism of knowledge formation represents a particular remembering process deeper than the known remembering ones. Based on this concept, I clarify some issues such as what we call usually intuition, and I regenerate the principal idea of structural anthropology in a modern vision that is not subject to the criticisms directed at the classical vision. According to this modern vision, among other things, it is considered that cultures are based on the same structural foundations emanated from our genome, but each culture wears a different dress reflecting the impact of accumulating extrinsic inputs and historic events that it was exposed to during its formative stages.