ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Page Count: 7

Comparison of Macroscopic Cranial Methods of Age Estimation Applied to Skeletons from the Terry Collection
Ubelaker, DH
Curator, Department of Anthropology, and chief mathematical statistician, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, DC

Hayek, L-AC
Curator, Department of Anthropology, and chief mathematical statistician, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, DC

Galera, V
Titular professor, Science Faculty, Alcalá University, Alcalá de Henares,

(Received 29 April 1996; accepted 6 February 1998)

Abstract

A total of 963 skeletons (408 Whites and 555 Blacks) from the Terry Collection were studied to examine macroscopic cranial methods of age estimation. The methods of Acsádi and Nemeskéri, Masset, Baker and Meindl and Lovejoy were applied to every skull. The results indicate that the most accurate techniques in this application were those that consider endocranial suture closure. The methods of Acsádi and Nemeskéri and Masset were the most accurate in all the subsamples (by population, sex, sex within population and in total), although the relative accuracy could vary in application to other populations.

Keywords:
forensic science, forensic anthropology, physical anthropology, Terry Collection, cranial age estimation, macroscopic methods

Paper ID: JFS14337J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS14337J
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