hal-05017770 Isobiography of the first farmers : effects of age-estimating referential and (…)

The use of isotopic sequence allowing a longitudinal life tracking of an individual (isobiography), by taking a series of isotope measurements on dentine sections and estimating the age of the individual at their formation, provides a means of tracing dietary and environmental variations during childhood. This approach is based on the use of standards for estimating the age at which teeth are formed. By using a dual mathematical model, linear and a generalised additive model, and by testing two standards commonly used in biological anthropology to estimate dental age, we have characterised the isobiography of 4 Neolithic individuals from France. Our study shows the importance of the choice of mathematical model and standard in age estimates. Depending on the choices made, there can be gaps of several years between the estimates, underscoring the difficulty and precautions that need to be taken when making inferences on social ages. The statistical processing protocol developed can be re-used or adapted for new studies.