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 Avcılar in İstanbul,

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.