title: Auricular surface aging: worse than expected? A test of the revised method on a documented historic skeletal assemblage.
abstract: This study presents results and recommendations arising from a blind test of the revised age estimation method for the auricular surface as proposed by Buckberry and Chamberlain ([2002] Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 119:321-329). Auricular surfaces of 167 individuals from St. Bride's, London, a documented skeletal assemblage spanning the late 17th to early 19th century, were analyzed for the following traits: transverse organization, surface texture appearance, macroporosity, microporosity, and morphological changes to the apex. Composite scores of trait expressions were found to generally correlate with age and to show a positive association with known chronological age (P < 0.01). However, when composite scores were combined to define auricular surface phases, which ultimately assign age estimations, only three distinct developmental stages, compared with seven suggested by Buckberry and Chamberlain ([2002] Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 119:321-329), could be identified and statistically supported, all showing a considerable degree of individual variation in age. The most well-defined stage in the St. Bride's assemblage was the new stage III, where the majority of individuals were older than 60 years, whereas middle-aged adults displayed a large variation in composite scores. These results provide little hope for a promising application of age-at-death estimation of auricular surface morphology traits with higher resolution, but rather suggest indications of broad stages of life.
authors.affiliation: Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading RG1 5NR, UK.
authors.forename: Ceri G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Falys
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schutkowski
authors.forename: Darlene A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Weston
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000365:Age Determination by Skeleton / Q000379:methods*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D000885:Anthropology, Physical / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007085:Ilium / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D016037:Single-Blind Method