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A Preliminary Assessment of Age at Death Determination Using the Nuclear Weapons Testing 14C Activity of Dentine and Enamel

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Gordon T Cook ,
Elaine Dunbar ,
Sue M Black  and
Sheng Xu
Gordon T Cook
Affiliation:
1Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, Scottish Enterprise Technology Park, Rankine Avenue, East Kilbride G75 OQF, Scotland
Elaine Dunbar
Affiliation:
1Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, Scottish Enterprise Technology Park, Rankine Avenue, East Kilbride G75 OQF, Scotland
Sue M Black
Affiliation:
2Anatomy and Forensic Anthropology, College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, Scotland
Sheng Xu
Affiliation:
1Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, Scottish Enterprise Technology Park, Rankine Avenue, East Kilbride G75 OQF, Scotland
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Abstract

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Calibration (using CALIBomb) of radiocarbon measurements made on the enamel of human teeth from people born during the nuclear era typically produce 2 possible age ranges that potentially reflect the period of tooth formation. These ranges correspond to periods before and after the 1963 atmospheric 14C maximum. Further measurements made on the collagen component of the combined dentine and cementum from the roots of the same teeth enable the appropriate age range to be selected. Using this range and the formation times for individual teeth, we estimated the year of birth of the individuals and compared these to the known dates of birth. The results were relatively accurate and confirmed those of a previous study by another research group. The present study demonstrates that it is possible to produce a good estimate of the year of birth from a single tooth.

Type
Articles
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 48 , Issue 3 , 2006 , pp. 305 - 313
Copyright
Copyright © The Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

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