There are three main elements in the procedure of anthropological investigation and the identification of exhumed human remains: race determination, sex determination and age determination at the time of death. The most difficult one to determine is the age. Patterns of aging are detected by direct observation and radiological examination. Simple methods can provide data about age at death for large number of individuals, but with less accuracy. More complex methods which require qualified and trained personnel can provide data about age for a smaller number of individuals, but with more accuracy. Using different age calculation methods for archaeological samples can raise the level of confidence and percentage of success in determining age. Analysis based on morphological methods can yield age estimation error margins of greater than 10 years, whereas precise methods such as aspartic acid racemization and radiocarbon analysis report accuracies of 3 and 1–2 years. 

Key words: Age estimation; Amino acid racemization; Radiocarbon analysis.