Radiological tooth/pulp ratio in canines and individual age estimation in a sample of adult neolithic skeletons from Italy

OBJECTIVES: The estimation of an individual's age at the time of death is one of the most important components in anthropological studies and is the basis for demographic studies on ancients. However, the different methods commonly used in anthropology for adult age estimation at death provide results with a high level of uncertainty. The consequence is the inability to develop demographic studies with a good degree of reliability. A non-destructive method currently available is the analysis of the apposition of secondary dentine on which Cameriere's method is based. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The purpose of this work was age estimation using Cameriere's method on a sample of 18 adult Neolithic skeletons from four sites in Southern Italy (Apulia): Carpignano, Masseria della Marina, Samari and Serra Cicora. The estimates derived from the study of mandibular and maxillary canines were compared with the age ranges obtained with commonly used anthropological indicators: fusion of cranial sutures, degree of tooth wear, remodelling of the pubic symphysis and the auricular surface of the ilium. The latter two provide intervals which encompass the ages estimated with Cameriere's method. RESULTS: The results show that the population was composed of individuals of advanced age, even beyond the age of 50, hardly distinguishable by other methods. DISCUSSION: This finding may support the hypothesis that individuals aged 50+ are rare in prehistoric skeletal samples due to the unreliability of classical anthropological methods, not only because they were actually rare in prehistoric populations, or absent for taphonomical reasons.