Estimating Age and Sex from the Skeleton, a Paleopathological Perspective

A test of Suchey–Brooks (pubic symphysis) and Buckberry–Chamberlain (auricular surface) methods on an identified Spanish sample: paleodemographic implications

“…Paleodemographic studies have the potential to provide important information regarding past population dynamics (Hoppa and Vaupel, 2002). Although a diagnosis of the age and sex are vital in this respect, paleodemographic analysis of osteological remains suffers from a number of limitations, especially when we consider it at a population level Masset, 1982, 1985;Hoppa and Vaupel, 2002;Konigsberg and Frankenberg, 1992;Milner and Boldsen, 2012;Milner et al, 2008;Wood et al, 1992). One of the most important of those limitations is the validity of age estimation techniques, which has been largely questioned Masset, 1982, 1985;Hoppa and Vaupel, 2002;Konigsberg and Frankenberg, 1992).…”

A Study on the Asymmetry of the Human Left and Right Pubic Symphyseal Surfaces Using High‐Definition Data Capture and Computational Shape Methods

“…In forensic literature, accuracy can be defined in two ways: (i) the distance between an estimated value and true value ; or (ii) the ability of a prediction interval/range to capture the true value . On the other hand, precision can indicate two different properties of a method: (i) the repeatability of a method between‐/within‐observer at different times regardless of the distance between the estimated value and the true value ; or (ii) the width of a predicted interval/range . In this study, accuracy and precision follow the former definitions and, therefore, signify the distance between the age‐estimate and documented chronological age and the repeatability of age estimation methods, respectively, when the methods are applied to an age indicator exhibiting varying degrees of bilateral asymmetry.…”

“…Therefore, the accuracy and precision with which age‐at‐death can be inferred, has the potential to directly affect whether the decedent is positively identified. In forensic literature, accuracy can be defined in two ways: (i) the distance between an estimated value and true value ; or (ii) the ability of a prediction interval/range to capture the true value . On the other hand, precision can indicate two different properties of a method: (i) the repeatability of a method between‐/within‐observer at different times regardless of the distance between the estimated value and the true value ; or (ii) the width of a predicted interval/range .…”

Skeletal Analysis: Investigating Senescence in Ancient Nubia

“…Another issue that surrounds aging the adult skeleton involves the lack of population-specific aging techniques. Many methods were developed using skeletal collections of European, African American, and Native American descent (Milner & Boldsen, 2012). When these techniques are applied to populations outside of the aforementioned demographics, ages may be biased due to genetic variation and cultural practices.…”