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Metamorphosis at the sternal extremity of the rib has already been established as a reliable indicator of age at death by Iscan's phase method introduced in 1985. The purpose of this paper is to apply rib phase standards to an Indian sample to test if the progression of morphological changes follows the same age sequence. The rib sample shows that an accurate estimation of age can be made by direct examination of the bone itself. The sample consisted of 63 ribs of known age, sex, and race. The ribs were assigned to one of nine phases (0 through 8) based on changes noted at the costochondral junction. These included the formation of a pit, its depth and shape, configuration of the walls and rim surrounding it, and the overall texture and quality of the bone. Statistical analysis revealed that the features chosen to delineate the phases are valid predictors of age. This study has shown that the sternal rib can provide an accurate estimation of age in females spanning a mean age of 14 to 85 years. IntroductionAt present, age determination by metamorphosis of the sternal end of fourth rib is considered one of the most reliable sites for the assessment of age at death in the adult skeleton 1 . Although earlier research noted generalized age changes radiologically 2 , and in several cases by direct observation of the bony rib 3,4 , these works did not lead to the development of a systematic age assessment method. Iscan's rib phase method has shown the sternal end of a IV rib is a reliable indicator of age at death in the adult skeleton 5,6 . These authors found that the sternal end of the rib shows age-related metamorphosis throughout life and they described these morphological changes under nine phases based on a sample documented for age, sex and race. Following publication of sex-specific rib phase standards, Iscan and associates 5-8 tested the effectiveness of this method and found little inter-observer error and consistent reliability to within one phase of actual age. In the next decade, many others conducted tests of the rib phase and, again, their results confirmed the accuracy of this technique 9-16 . In 1987, Iscan and colleagues reported significant differences in the aging process of the ribs in whites and blacks 17 . Interestingly, the morphology of the phases is easily recognizable over time from the people of today back through historic cemetery samples, and even Neanderthals, as well as in diverse geographic regions 11,[13][14][15]18,19 .

The determination of age remains as an important tool towards establishment of identity of an individual. The Iscan's phase method for the estimation of adult age at death from the sternal extremity of the fourth rib was introduced in 1983. Over the years, numerous tests have confirmed the reliability of this technique on varied samples. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to apply rib phase standards to an Indian sample to test if the progression of morphological changes follow the same age sequence. This study introduces the sternal end of the rib as a site for age estimation by direct observation. The sample consisted of 101 male ribs of verified age, sex, and race. The ribs were assigned to one of nine phases (0 through 8) based on changes noted at the costochondral junction. These included the formation of a pit, its depth and shape, configuration of the walls and rim surrounding it, and the overall texture and quality of the bone. It was revealed that the mean ages per phase were nearly identical in both Indians and American whites.

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