Accurately assessing age-at-death of adult human skeletons is fundamental in physical anthropology. The most generally accepted methods for estimating age involve analysis of the pubic bones. Two such methods--Chen et al. (2008) and Suchey-Brooks (1990)--were the focus of this study.The objective of this research was to evaluate the accuracy of the Chen et al. and Suchey-Brooks methods. The Chen et al. method was developed on a sample of Chinese Han males. This research utilized a known collection of modern pubic bones curated at the Forensic Science Center in Phoenix, Arizona. A sample of 296 left male pubic bones of European ancestry, between the ages of 18 and 70, was evaluated. Results indicated that there are no statistically significant differences between the two methods. On average the revised Chen et al. method slightly over-ages the specimens while the Suchey-Brooks method slightly under-ages. Both methods have an average error of approximately 9 years from individual's actual age. This research demonstrates that the Suchey-Brooks method is most accurate for aging young adults, while the revised Chen et al. method is most accurate for aging middle adults. Thus, the Chen et al. method is an important contribution to the field of physical anthropology for aging older adult skeletal remains. There are some limitations, such as subjectivity and the intricate scoring system, so the Chen et al. method should be applied cautiously until further research has been done in the United States.
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