ABSTRACT
This chapter demonstrates a widely used approach to the interpretation of epiphyseal fusion data contains a serious flaw in its logic. Differential destruction of unfused specimens relative to fused ones is the most serious difficulty, while the selection of fused specimens for the manufacture of bone tools is another potential distorting factor. The moment of fusion may not be the same in live animals as it is in archaeological material, since if X-rays are used they will cease to show a gap between the shaft and the epiphysis long before fusion is complete. If the epiphysis is assumed to fuse at between 18 and 24 months, then the conventional deduction would be that 40" of the sheep. The use of epiphyseal fusion data would appear to vindicate the use of tooth eruption and wear is a better method of estimating the age-structure of a population of dead animals.
