Abstract

LUNA, Leandro; ARANDA, Claudia; FLENSBORG, Gustavo  and  SUBY, Jorge. Desafíos en la estimación de la edad de muerte de individuos no adultos en restos humanos de cazadores recolectores de Tierra del Fuego (Argentina). Intersecciones antropol. [online]. 2022, vol.23, suppl.1, pp.95-108. ISSN 1850-373X.  http://dx.doi.org/https://doi.org/10.37176/iea.23.especial1.2022.712.

Age-at-death estimation of archaeological and forensic human remains is one of the main challenges that must be faced before other analyses can be carried out. Although the results are usually more accurate in non-adult individuals than in adults, inconsistencies can sometimes be observed between the data obtained from the recording of different elements, as well as during the application of various methodological proposals. The aim of this paper is to discuss the variations identified in the estimates of the ages-at-death of seven non-adult individuals from Tierra del Fuego. Different methods that evaluate the sequence of tooth eruption and the maximum length of the long bones, were used. The results indicate ages-at-death between 38 weeks of gestation and 9 years-old, with variations between 0 and 5,25 years. The most appreciable differences were observed when comparing the maximum length of the long bones with dental eruption; the first tends to estimate younger ages than the second, mainly in individuals older than three years. The complexity involved in the process of non-adult age-at-death estimation is highlighted, which imply that the identification of the most appropriate methodologies must be prioritized in order to obtain adequate results.

Keywords : Dental eruption; Long bone length; Growth and development; Southern Patagonia; Hunter-gatherers.