Specialists from the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) at the Russian Academy of Sciences have proposed a method that allows for a more accurate estimation of the age of deceased individuals based on skull sutures. This method can be used in archaeology and forensics.
The bones in the human skull are rigidly connected, and the areas where they meet – the sutures – are filled with connective tissue. With age, these sutures (primarily those on the cranial vault) ossify, a process known as fusion. However, the rate of this process varies even among individuals of the same age. Therefore, using this skeletal feature alone to determine age can lead to inaccurate results, potentially causing incorrect archaeological conclusions and complicating the work of forensic anthropologists.
A scientist from the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) at the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg has suggested an improved algorithm for determining the age of remains, building upon a classical anthropological technique. The new method`s database incorporates skull parameters from literary and archival sources.
In the new algorithm, the most probable age of the individual is determined not by an anthropologist`s subjective assessment but by applying statistical data analysis methods. This eliminates the subjectivity in evaluating this crucial anthropological parameter, making the age estimation method based on skull sutures more universal.
Using preliminary assessment and multiple reference groups helps avoid distortions that occur with classical methods. This is particularly important in archaeology, where we often deal with fragmentary materials. We are currently testing alternative variations of these methods and plan to create a web application that users can use to select the optimal method themselves and obtain age estimates for the remains being studied, based on the accessibility of specific features.
Ivan Shirobokov, Senior Researcher at the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera)
The research was supported by the Russian Science Foundation.
