Estimation of age at death of adults from skeletal remains

Question 1

Sub-adults

Answer 1

Ossification and fusion to assess age of an individual

Epiphyseal union

Dental development

Question 2

Adults

Answer 2

In adults age is estimated using the development and degeneration of the; pelvis, cranial suture closure, ribs, and dental wear

Question 3

Age categories

Answer 3

Adolescent 12-20 years
Young adult 20-35 years
Middle adult 35-50 years
old adult 50+ years

Question 4

Stature determination

Answer 4

Height increases through childhood to adulthood

Height decreases with old age

There is a correlation between limb length and overall height

This ignores the height of the vertebral column

Variation between and within populations

Females are normally shorter than males in a given population

Difficulties with matching post mortem assessment with ante mortem records

Most height records are self reported and not may not be accurate

May have been measured in shoes

Posture can influence height by up to 2.5cm

Height can decrease during the day by 2-3cm

Stature obtained from measuring length of long bones. Most reliable are whole long bones and is based on data sets and regression equations. There are various formulae depending on:
Bone
Sex
Ancestry
Results can vary in reliability

Question 5

Osteometeric board

Answer 5

Use an Osteometric board to take the long bone measurement.