ABSTRACT
Rib seriation has not been used to identify individual human skeletal remains in Koreans. Accurate rib seriation is important for determining rib number and for establishing an individual's age at death. The aim of this study was to use a previously published quantitative method to correctly predict rib sequencing in Koreans. We used complete rib sets of 54 individuals and measured three variables: AFTAL (articular facet of the tubercle-toangle length), HAFL (head-to-articular facet length), and SCTCH (superior costo-transverse crest height). AFTAL and SCTCH were more useful than HAFL for predicting rib seriation, and AFTAL produced the simplest equation for determining sex. In the ranking, the cumulative percentage of AFTAL was 79% with an error of 0, and the range of seriation error was +/-4. Compared to other studies using European measures, AFTAL showed greater accuracy of rib seriation in this study of Korean ribs. In fact, both AFTAL and AFTAL with SCTCH accurately predicted rib 4 in 94% of cases. AFTAL was the most accurate, and use of both SCTCH and AFTAL yielded better results than either alone. Thus, the high accuracy and predictive ability showed that this method is useful for measuring rib seriation in Koreans.