Methodological validation and inter-site analysis in Late Bronze and Early Iron Age cremations using tooth cementum...

Area of Science:

• Bioarchaeology
• Paleopathology
• Forensic Anthropology

Background:

• Estimating age at death in archaeological populations is challenging due to poor skeletal preservation, especially in cremated remains.
• Tooth cementum annulation counts (TCAc), based on incremental lines of Salter (ILS), present a potential alternative for age estimation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility, microstructural preservation, and internal consistency of TCAc in cremated archaeological teeth.
• To assess the methodological applicability of TCAc for age estimation in bioarchaeological contexts.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 62 tooth roots from eight Lusatian Urnfield culture cemeteries (Late Bronze/Early Iron Age, southwestern Poland).
• Preparation of undecalcified transverse sections for examining Incremental Lines of Salter (ILS).
• Complementary analysis of ILS width (ILSw) and acellular extrinsic fibre cementum thickness to ILSw ratio (AEFCt/ILSw).

Main Results:

• Good intra- and inter-observer repeatability was found for ILSc (Incremental Lines of Salter counts).
• Both AEFCt and ILSc showed significant age-related increases (p < 0.01).
• Combined TCAc and AEFCt/ILSw estimates provided narrower age ranges compared to morphological methods alone.
• ILSw varied significantly between cemeteries (p < 0.001), suggesting environmental or life-history influences.

Conclusions:

• TCAc demonstrates practical potential for application to cremated archaeological human remains.
• Further research comparing TCAc with known-age collections is needed to refine interpretative standards.
• The study highlights the utility of microstructural dental analysis in bioarchaeology.