Basics in paleodemography: A comparison of age indicators applied to the early medieval skeletal sample of Lauchheim (original) (raw)
Related papers
Interrelationship between various aging methods, and their relevance to palaeodemography
Human Evolution, 2004
Age estimations for 64 adult individuals from the Byzantine city of Rehovot-in-the-Negev were carried out using seven different aging methods. Correlation coefficients were calculated between five of the methods, which employed the following anatomical structures: teeth attrition rate, cranial sutures (closure stages), sternal end of ribs, symphysis pubis, and sacroiliac joints. Age estimations were checked against 'summary age' . Life tables were reconstructed based on summary ages and revised ages separately. It was found that ages obtained from the innominate bones correlated best with the summary age and showed less bias and inaccuracy, while ages obtained from the cranial sutures, showed the opposite. Reconstructing the 'revisedage' has no advantage over other aging methods when calculating demographic parameters.
The Journal of forensic odonto-stomatology, 2011
Estimation of age at death is an essential part of reconstructing information from skeletal material. The aim of the investigation was to reconstruct the chronological age of an archaeological sample from Croatia using cranial skeletal remains as well as to make an evaluation of the methods used for age estimation. For this purpose, four age calculation methods were used: palatal suture closure, occlusal tooth wear, tooth root translucency and pulp/tooth area ratio. Cramer's V test was used to test the association between the age calculation methods. Cramer's V test showed high association (0.677) between age determination results using palatal suture closure and occlusal tooth wear, and low association (0.177) between age determination results using palatal suture closure and pulp/tooth area ratio. Simple methods like palatal suture closure can provide data about age at death for large number of individuals, but with less accuracy. More complex methods which require qualifi...
A method for estimating age of Scandinavian medieval sub-adults based on long bone length (2012)
The preferred method for aging archaeological sub-adult skeletons is by dental examination. In cases where no dental records are available, age estimation may be performed according to epiphyseal union, skeletal elements or diaphyseal lengths. Currently no data have been produced specifically for aging archaeological Danish sub-adults from the medieval period based on diaphyseal lengths. The problem with using data on Danish samples, which have been derived from a different population, is the possibility of skewing age estimates. In this study 58 Danish archaeological sub-adults were examined, aged from approximately six years to twenty-one years. The samples were aged according to two dental methods: Haavikko and Ubelaker. Regression formulae were constructed for aging according to their diaphyseal lengths both for individual long bones and combinations of upper and lower long bones. This study indicated that with the regression formulae developed, estimation of age can be done with reasonable results on Danish sub-adults. The Danish data were then compared to data from a different archaeological sample and a modern sample. It showed that the modern data indicated a consistently lower age compared to this sample which increased until reaching a maximum of nearly five years and six months. When comparing the archaeological data to this study, the growth profile crossed over at 12.5 years with a maximum age difference before the cross point of two years and three months lower for the archaeological data. After the cross point there was a maximum difference of three years and four months higher for the archaeological data. This study has shown the importance of using data for age estimation for archaeological material which has been developed specifically for that population. In addition it has presented a possible solution for Danish sub-adult material when dental material is not available.
Accuracy tests of tooth formation age estimations for human skeletal remains
American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 1993
Estimations of age from tooth formation standards for a large (n = 282) sample of subadult skeletal remains from a 19th century historic cemetery sample were analyzed. The standards of Moorrees et al. (1963a, b) for the permanent and deciduous teeth, and Anderson et al. (1976) for the formation of permanent dentition were employed in a variety of combinations to calculate mean dental ages. Tests of accuracy and bias were made on a small sample (n = 17) of personally identified individuals, and age of attainment scores were compared to age of prediction scores for each individual. The resulting dental age distributions for the skeletal sample were compared to documented burial records for the cemetery to determine the representativeness of the skeletal sample. These comparisons showed little difference between age of attainment versus age of prediction methodologies. The standards of Moorrees et al. (1963a, b) were observed to provide the most accurate estimates of age with a standard deviation of one-half year. The standards of Anderson et al. (1976), while easier to use and more extensive, are problematic in that the original reference sample begins at three years of age, while the sample used by Moorrees and colleagues begins at birth. The skeletal age distributions compare well to the overall chronological age distribution for the cemetery. These results affirm that tooth formation age estimates for subadult skeletal remains from archaeological or forensic samples provide accurate assessments of age at both the individual and population level. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Estimating age without measuring it: a new method in paleodemography
2010
At what age did humans die in the past? To estimate age at death in ancient populations for which no civil records exist, skeletons are often the only information source. Bones and teeth provide indications of the stage of growth or ageing reached by individuals at the moment of their death, but they cannot be used to estimate age with certainty. Skeletons of individuals whose age at death is known, and for whom these biological parameters have been measured, provide a reference population for constructing statistical models to estimate the age distribution at death of persons whose skeletons have been uncovered. But these individuals are not necessarily representative of the general population to which they belonged: skeletal conservation depends on burial conditions and the circumstances of death. One way to resolve this problem is to work on homogeneous groups, such as the convent of nuns whose data are presented here as an illustrative example. How can statistical inferences be drawn from these data? Henri CAUSSINUS and Daniel COURGEAU first describe the methods generally used in paleodemography and demonstrate their limits. They then propose a new method, based on the principle of Bayesian inference, and compare it with standard methods to demonstrate its greater accuracy and fl exibility.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2022
The chart relating molar wear to age published by Brothwell in 1963 is widely used to estimate age at death in archaeological adult human skeletal remains, especially in Britain, but also more widely. The chart was based on examination of juvenile and adult dentitions from Neolithic to Medieval periods from Britain, but few further details of materials and methods were given. The aim of this work is to reassess the value of molar wear for estimating age at death for adult human remains in Britain and, if necessary, to provide an updated replacement for the Brothwell chart. 870 dentitions (juveniles with at least one permanent molar erupted and adults) were examined dating from the Neolithic period onward. The aim was to use a Miles-like method to assess the relationship between molar wear and agei.e. to calibrate wear rates using juvenile dentitions and then, by extrapolating from this baseline, estimating age from wear in individuals with successively more worn dentitions. We validate some key assumptions of the method. Molar wear bears a consistent relationship to dental age in juveniles and does not appear to vary greatly from Neolithic to Medieval times, nor in the post-Medieval rural group studied. First and second molars appear to wear at similar rates, as do third molars except in dentitions where wear is very advanced. The estimated rate of molar wear is somewhat slower than that estimated by Brothwell. The results allow a chart to be presented that replaces Brothwell's (1963) chart, and permits age estimation from molar wear in British archaeological human remains dating from Neolithic to Medieval times and, tentatively, for rural post-Medieval remains. It is not applicable to post-Medieval remains from most urban contexts where dental wear is much reduced.
Age Estimation of the Human Skeleton
Age Estimation of the Human Skeleton is a collection of papers presented over a several year period at the Mountain, Desert, and Coastal Forensic Anthropology meetings. The purpose of the book, according to the editors, is to present some of the most recent work on age-at-death estimations from the human skeleton. It begins with a short paper on the history of age-at-death methodologies by Douglas Ubelaker. The remainder of the book is divided into three sections: (1) dental, (2) osteological, and (3) histological and multifactorial methods. The 17 chapters in these three sections are a mixture of reviews of the current methods (four chapters), evaluation studies of existing methods (seven chapters), and new or revised approaches in age-at-death (six chapters). The first section contains five chapters. Chapter 1 is a review of dental methods, whereas the next three chapters focus on dental root transparency for adult age-at-death estimation. Chapter 5 evaluates the dental age charts by Schour and Massler and by Ubelaker on recent children of European ancestry. Section 2 consists of seven chapters examining osteological indicators of age. It starts with a chapter on the nature and source of error in age-at-death estimation by Stephen Nawrocki (Chapter 6). Other chapters examine the accuracy and precision of macromorphoscopic changes in the sacrum, radiographic analysis of cartilage ossification, degenerative changes in the acetabulum, a comparison of the pubic symphysis methods, and two chapters on advances in determining age in fetal and subadult bones. Section 3 includes three chapters on histological methods and two chapters focusing on multifactorial methods. Chapter 13 examines the accuracy and precision of current histological methods. In Chapter 14, the authors investigate the use of frontal bone histology for estimating adult age, and in Chapter 15, Streeter presents her histological method for estimating age in subadults using developmental processes of the rib. One problem confronting biological anthropologists, especially in a medicolegal setting, is how to combine multiple indicators of age into a single summary age with a point estimate and valid range for the estimate. Uhl and Nawrocki (Chapter 16) test four methods (i.e., average, minimum and maximum overlapping ranges, and multiple linear regression) for developing a summary age based on multiple indicators. The final chapter of this section, and the book, compares the Todd, McKern and Stewart, Suchey- Brooks, and the ADBOU Age Estimation program for estimating age using pubic symphysis morphology. Accurate age-at-death estimation from human skeletal remains forms a vital part of the observations used in forensic osteological, bioarcheological, and paleodemographic analyses. However, age-at-death estimations are hindered by several biological and methodological issues. For these reasons, a book on recent advances in age-at-death methods has been needed. Age Estimation of the Human Skeleton does not address all the important issues related to age-at-death estimation, but it does take up some of them. One quality of the book is that it has chapters on methods for all life-stage categories, with good review chapters on methods for estimating age in fetal, subadult, and adult skeletal remains. As a collection of conference papers, the quality of the chapters range from fair to excellent. One thing I found missing was a summary chapter to pull all the works together. The new methods have generally been presented elsewhere, but this volume provides some more details and evaluates their validity. Age Estimation of the Human Skeleton might work for some instructors as a supplementary text in forensic anthropology or skeletal biology courses. There are a few chapters in this book that would be valuable for students in these courses to read. For example, Nawrocki’s chapter (Chapter 6) on error in age estimations is an excellent, but easy to read, overview of uncertainty that causes inaccuracy and imprecision in age-at-death estimations. Likewise, Chapter 16 by Uhl and Nawrocki discusses many of the statistical problems investigators must deal with when trying to determine age-at-death based on multiple indicators. Chapter 13 by Crowder and Pfeiffer is an excellent example of how to conduct a study testing the validity of age-at-death methods. Overall, Age Estimation of the Human Skeleton is well balanced and worth the relatively low price. Many forensic anthropologists will find it to be a good resource.
Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2013
The aim of this study is to provide an effective and quick reference guide based on the most useful European formulae recently published for subadult age estimation. All of these formulae derive from studies on postnatal growth of the scapula, innominate, femur, and tibia, based on modern skeletal data (173 ♂, 173 ♀) from five documented collections from Spain, Portugal, and Britain. The formulae were calculated from Inverse Regression. For this reason, these formulae are especially useful for modern samples from Western Europe and in particular on 20th century human remains from the Iberian Peninsula. Eleven formulae were selected as the most useful because they can be applied to individuals from within a wide age range and in individuals of unknown sex. Due to their high reliability and because they derive from documented European skeletal samples, we recommend these formulae be used on individuals of Caucasoid ancestry from Western Europe.
Vis a Vis Explorations in Anthropology, 2014
Accurately estimating adult skeletal age at death is a critical component of forensic case studies, archaeological fieldwork, and osteological research. This study applies 11 age estimation methods to a sample of 20 male skeletons of European descent (mean age 54.5 years, range 29-85) from the J.C.B. Grant Collection at the University of Toronto to assess the relative correctness (appropriate assignment to defined phases), reliability (inaccuracy and bias of estimations), and precision (reproducibility) of each method. Five original methods were compared with six revised or newly developed methods. Results indicate that the newer methods correctly score individuals more consistently than the older methods; however, this may be attributed to the larger age ranges of their phases. The newer methods are also more reliable than the older methods: Buckberry and Chamberlain (6.54 inaccuracy, 2.24 bias) and Passalacqua (8.07 inaccuracy, -1.28 bias) rated highest. Newer methods had slightly lower rates of intra-observer error; newer and original methods had similar fair-to-moderate rates of inter-observer error. While newer methods may represent improvements to the field, they follow the trend of over-aging younger individuals and under-aging older individuals.