Age estimation of archaeological remains using amino acid racemization in dental enamel

A comparison of morphological, biochemical, and known ages‐at‐death

Datos Bibliográficos

ID8320629
AutoresRebecca Griffin (0000-0003-4521-948X, University of Liverpool, autor de correspondencia), R C Griffin, A T Chamberlain (0000-0001-6009-537X), A Chamberlain (0000-0003-1517-6538, University of Sheffield), G Hotz (Natural History Museum of Basel), Kirsty Penkman (0000-0002-6226-9799, University of York), K E H Penkman, M J Collins (0000-0003-4226-5501, University of York)
Año2009
Volumen140
Número2
Páginas244-252
Fecha de publicación2009-10-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAmerican Journal of Physical Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0002-9483 • E-ISSN: 1096-8644
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ajpa.21058
PMID19358293
OpenAlexW2126648435
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas28

The poor accuracy of most current methods for estimating age‐at‐death in adult human skeletal remains is among the key problems facing palaeodemography. In forensic science, this problem has been solved for unburnt remains by the development of a chemical method for age estimation, using amino acid racemization in collagen extracted from dentine. Previous application of racemization methods to archaeological material has proven problematic. This study presents the application to archaeological human remains of a new age estimation method utilizing amino acid racemization in a potentially closed system—the dental enamel. The amino acid composition and extent of racemization in enamel from two Medieval cemeteries (Newcastle Blackgate and Grantham, England) and from a documented age‐at‐death sample from a 19th century cemetery (Spitalfriedhof St Johann, Switzerland) were determined. Alterations in the amino acid composition were detected in all populations, indicating that diagenetic change had taken place. However, in the Medieval populations, these changes did not appear to have substantially affected the relationship between racemization and age‐at‐death, with a strong relationship being retained between aspartic acid racemization and the morphological age estimates. In contrast, there was a poor relationship between racemization and age in the post‐medieval documented age‐at‐death population from Switzerland. This appears to be due to leaching of amino acids post‐mortem, indicating that enamel is not functioning as a perfectly closed system. Isolation of amino acids from a fraction of enamel which is less susceptible to leaching may improve the success of amino acid racemization for archaeological age estimation. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc

Amino acid · Dental enamel · Diagenesis · Enamel paint · Mineralogy · Racemization · Stereochemistry · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Biochemistry · Chemistry · Dentistry · Forensic and Genetic Research · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Medicine