AGE AT DEATH ESTIMATION FROM THE SACRAL SIDE OF THE SACROILIAC JOINT
This thesis presents a new method of age estimation in adult human skeletal remains based on age related degenerative changes of the sacral side of the sacro iliac joint. It is inspired by the existing method of aging based on age related degenerative changes of the iliac side of the sacro iliac joint developed by Lovejoy et al. (1985). This new method uses a ten-year-wide incremental scale of age estimation. The development and testing of this method was done using the Documented Collection from the University of New Mexico's Maxwell Museum of Anthropology. Results suggest that utilizing sacral deterioration to estimate an individual's standing as an old or young adult is more reliable than placing them into one of the ten-year-wide increments.
aging, auricular surface, bioarchaeology, forensic anthropology, sacroiliac joint, sacrum, SI joint, skeletal remains
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations