Examination and identification of a Danish 17th-century nobleman, Laurids Ebbesen : A multidisciplinary study

Skeletal remains from a crypt in Aarhus Cathedral, where an 87-year-old Danish nobleman, Laurids Ebbesen, was thought to have been buried in 1696 were examined by a multidisciplinary team of investigators. Examination of clothing revealed a burial cap, indicating that he had been a nobleman. Using transition analysis of various bones, the age was estimated at around 82 years (95% confidence interval: 70-92 years). The gender was male. The cranium showed an old, healed fracture in the left temporal region and there was arthritic damage of the vertebral column. In the chapel there were four statues of Laurids Ebbesen (and his three wives). Superimoposition of photographs of Ebbesen's head from the figures onto X-ray and computed tomography images of the skull confirmed that the cranium and the skeleton could have been that of Laurids Ebbesen. Thus, the involvement of a number of disciplines resulted in accurate dating of the burial; determination of the age, gender, an social status of the deceased individual; exclusion of other possible individuals; and comparison of the skull with an image of the deceased.