Article1997

Why do we fail in aging the skull from the sagittal suture?

Israël Hershkovitz · Bruce Latimer · Olivier Dutour · Lyman M. Jellema · Susanne Wish‐Baratz · Christine Rothschild +1 more

136 citations0/0 files storedAmerican Journal of Physical Anthropology

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Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies Morphological variations and asymmetry Craniofacial Disorders and Treatments

Abstract

The controversy over the reliability of ectocranial suture status (open vs. closed) as an age estimation stimulated the pursuit of Meindl and Lovejoy's suggestion (Meindl and Lovejoy [1985] Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 68:57-66) for large scale analysis. The extent of the sagittal suture closure was assessed in 3,636 skulls from the Hamann-Todd and Terry collections. The debate over whether cranial suture ossification represents a pathologic or an age-predictable pathologic process also stimulated a comparison with age and two stress markers, hyperostosis frontalis interna and tuberculosis. Sagittal suture closure was found to be age-independent and sexually biased. The wide confidence intervals (for age) appear to preclude meaningful application of suture status for age determination. No correlation was found with the tested biological stressors.

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References

1994Standards for Data Collection from Human Skeletal Remains 1985Ectocranial suture closure: A revised method for the determination of skeletal age at death based on the lateral‐anterior sutures 1957SKELETAL AGE CHANGES IN YOUNG AMERICAN MALES ANALYSED FROM THE STANDPOINT OF AGE IDENTIFICATION 1989Cranial injuries as evidence of violence in prehistoric southern California 1924Endocranial suture closure. Its progress and age relationship. Part I.—Adult males of white stock 1925Cranial suture closure. Its progress and age relationship. Part II.—Ectocranial closure in adult males of white stock

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