Osteoarchaeological Investigations of Metopic Suture in the Late Roman Period in Spradon

Abstract

The ancient city of Spradon, which is located in the Ispartakule area of the district of Avcilar in Istanbul, dates back to the Late Roman period. A total of 90 individuals, including 58 in graves, were found at the excavation site. Osteoarchaeological investigation concerning skull morphology has been focused on metopic suture. Of the 6 metopic suture examples seen in the roman society of Spradon, 5 were observed in young adults, while 1 belonged to a senior adult. A metopic suture was observed in 5 of the 38 females (13.2%) and in 1 of the 31 males (3.2%). The metopic suture rate in the ancient city of Spradon was calculated as 8.7%, and rates were found to be similar with other Roman period populations in Anatolia. When the comparison is made on Old Anatolian Populations, metopic suture is seen especially in coastal regions of Anatolia in geographical sense. In addition, there is less metopic suture in the internal regions. Statistical Analysis supports this hypothesis.