![]() Unfortunately, in contrast to the shaft fragments of long bones which often come complete with nutrient foramina, muscle attachment sites or characteristic cross-sectional dimensions, shaft fragments of ribs are relatively homogenous. The length and dimensions of ribs rarely allow for great preservation, so when you find them in archaeological contexts they tend to be extremely fragmentary. Forensic anthropologists are a different breed.]īUT I DIGRESS. Later that day Hugh Berryman told us that he taught himself to identify, seriate and side ribs with his eyes closed in the darkness beneath his desk, so that he could pass his DABFA exam. The lesson here is that even when it comes to osteology, you have to choose your methods based on the materials at hand and your analytical goals. ![]() I was momentarily taken aback until I realized that they more frequently handle relatively complete individuals, in situations where commingling is not an issue. I asked the forensic anthropologists teaching the course how they identified the fourth rib and most of them said that they seriated the whole set in order to do so. This sounds promising, until you realize that ribs from prehistoric contexts often look like this: ![]() Isçan and colleagues provide one of the best-known methods for doing so, but using it requires you to identify the sternal end of the fourth rib. [Sidebar: I took a week-long forensic anthropology overview course once (the 25th year of this), and I was astonished at the extent to which forensic specialists rely on the ribs for estimating age. I’ll begin by admitting that ribs are some of my least favorite bones to deal with.
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