Academic Bibliography

 Search 200 years of publications by Ghent University researchers.
Advanced search
Add to list
  1. Search results
  2. The invisible ‘elderly’ : estimating ...

The invisible ‘elderly’ : estimating mature age-at-death in burnt adult human remains using the Falys-Prangle method

Barbara Veselka, Marta Hlad, Dawnie Wolfe Steadman, Rica Annaert, Giacomo Capuzzo, Sarah Dalle, Guy De Mulder (UGent) , Charlotte Sabaux, Kevin Salesse and Christophe Snoeck
(2021) 27th EAA Annual Meeting (Kiel Virtual, 2021) : Abstract Book. p.642-642
Author
Organization
Abstract
The Falys-Prangle method assesses age-related morphological changes to the sternal clavicle end (SCE), enabling the observation of mature adults from the 5th decade onwards in unburnt human skeletal remains. The aim of this study is to investigate the applicability of the Falys-Prangle method on burnt human remains. This is achieved by evaluating 52 SCE of 40 cremated individuals (out of 86) from the William M. Bass collection of the Forensic Anthropology Center (Knoxville, Tennessee) of known age-at-death and sex. Surface topography, porosity, and osteophyte formation are evaluated, after which the calculated composite score is associated with the corresponding age range as described by Falys and Prangle. The method is also applied on an archaeological case study from Oudenburg, Belgium, dating to the Roman period. The assessed age ranges strongly agree with the true age ranges (α = 0.828), suggesting the Falys-Prangle method to be applicable on burnt human remains. The case study from Oudenburg yields markedly improved age-at-death estimates, significantly enhancing our understanding of the age distribution within this community. Information on age-at-death is key in the construction of biological profiles of past individuals. The mature adult is often invisible in the archaeological record since most macroscopic age estimation methods do not distinguish beyond 46+ years old. Our study stresses the usefulness of a large-scale application of the Falys-Prangle method, which will increase the visibility of mature adults, especially in archaeological burnt human skeletal collections, where such information is, at present, extremely difficult to obtain.

Citation

Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:

MLA
Veselka, Barbara, et al. “The Invisible ’elderly’ : Estimating Mature Age-at-Death in Burnt Adult Human Remains Using the Falys-Prangle Method.” 27th EAA Annual Meeting (Kiel Virtual, 2021) : Abstract Book, European Association of Archaeologists, 2021, pp. 642–642.
APA
Veselka, B., Hlad, M., Wolfe Steadman, D., Annaert, R., Capuzzo, G., Dalle, S., … Snoeck, C. (2021). The invisible ’elderly’ : estimating mature age-at-death in burnt adult human remains using the Falys-Prangle method. 27th EAA Annual Meeting (Kiel Virtual, 2021) : Abstract Book, 642–642. European Association of Archaeologists.
Chicago author-date
Veselka, Barbara, Marta Hlad, Dawnie Wolfe Steadman, Rica Annaert, Giacomo Capuzzo, Sarah Dalle, Guy De Mulder, Charlotte Sabaux, Kevin Salesse, and Christophe Snoeck. 2021. “The Invisible ’elderly’ : Estimating Mature Age-at-Death in Burnt Adult Human Remains Using the Falys-Prangle Method.” In 27th EAA Annual Meeting (Kiel Virtual, 2021) : Abstract Book, 642–642. European Association of Archaeologists.
Chicago author-date (all authors)
Veselka, Barbara, Marta Hlad, Dawnie Wolfe Steadman, Rica Annaert, Giacomo Capuzzo, Sarah Dalle, Guy De Mulder, Charlotte Sabaux, Kevin Salesse, and Christophe Snoeck. 2021. “The Invisible ’elderly’ : Estimating Mature Age-at-Death in Burnt Adult Human Remains Using the Falys-Prangle Method.” In 27th EAA Annual Meeting (Kiel Virtual, 2021) : Abstract Book, 642–642. European Association of Archaeologists.
Vancouver
1.
Veselka B, Hlad M, Wolfe Steadman D, Annaert R, Capuzzo G, Dalle S, et al. The invisible ’elderly’ : estimating mature age-at-death in burnt adult human remains using the Falys-Prangle method. In: 27th EAA Annual Meeting (Kiel Virtual, 2021) : Abstract Book. European Association of Archaeologists; 2021. p. 642–642.
IEEE
[1]
B. Veselka et al., “The invisible ’elderly’ : estimating mature age-at-death in burnt adult human remains using the Falys-Prangle method,” in 27th EAA Annual Meeting (Kiel Virtual, 2021) : Abstract Book, Online (Kiel, Germany), 2021, pp. 642–642.
@inproceedings{01HTHSWGJS6FV1F5FM8D9BE2R9,
  abstract     = {{The Falys-Prangle method assesses age-related morphological changes to the sternal clavicle end (SCE), enabling the observation of mature adults from the 5th decade onwards in unburnt human skeletal remains. The aim of this study is to investigate the applicability of the Falys-Prangle method on burnt human remains. This is achieved by evaluating 52 SCE of 40 cremated individuals (out of 86) from the William M. Bass collection of the Forensic Anthropology Center (Knoxville, Tennessee) of known age-at-death and sex. Surface topography, porosity, and osteophyte formation are evaluated, after which the calculated composite score is associated with the corresponding age range as described by Falys and Prangle. The method is also applied on an archaeological case study from Oudenburg, Belgium, dating to the Roman period. The assessed age ranges strongly agree with the true age ranges (α = 0.828), suggesting the Falys-Prangle method to be applicable on burnt human remains. The case study from Oudenburg yields markedly improved age-at-death estimates, significantly enhancing our understanding of the age distribution within this community. Information on age-at-death is key in the construction of biological profiles of past individuals. The mature adult is often invisible in the archaeological record since most macroscopic age estimation methods do not distinguish beyond 46+ years old. Our study stresses the usefulness of a large-scale application of the Falys-Prangle method, which will increase the visibility of mature adults, especially in archaeological burnt human skeletal collections, where such information is, at present, extremely difficult to obtain.}},
  author       = {{Veselka, Barbara and Hlad, Marta and Wolfe Steadman, Dawnie and Annaert, Rica and Capuzzo, Giacomo and Dalle, Sarah and De Mulder, Guy and Sabaux, Charlotte and Salesse, Kevin and Snoeck, Christophe}},
  booktitle    = {{27th EAA Annual Meeting (Kiel Virtual, 2021) : Abstract Book}},
  isbn         = {{9788090727083}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  location     = {{Online (Kiel, Germany)}},
  pages        = {{642--642}},
  publisher    = {{European Association of Archaeologists}},
  title        = {{The invisible ‘elderly’ : estimating mature age-at-death in burnt adult human remains using the Falys-Prangle method}},
  url          = {{https://www.e-a-a.org/eaa2021}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}