Abstract: Age estimation has been an important part of forensic anthropology. Currently, the main method is the identification of skeletal age, however this method is expensive. Here, the examiner analyzes photographs of different ages as a way to find a new approach to skeletal age identification. The face is divided into three zones: upper, middle and lower thirds of the face. For each third, the examiner observes and measures a number of characteristics. Twelve indices are selected, including eight based on measurements and four on observations. Biocular width, intercanthal width, transverse forehead rhytids and brow ridges are selected to describe the upper third of the face. Physiognomic upper facial height, zygomatic spacing, bizygomatic width, nose width and alar groove are selected to describe the middle third of the face. Mandibular length, mandibular angle width, labial width and ornamental groove are selected to describe the lower third of the face. Every anatomical characteristic is divided by different order of magnitude in order to calculate the frequency of different combination of numbers indicating different parts of the face. On the upper third, the highest frequency combination are 2311, 3311, 2311, 1321 and 1333; the middle third of the face have the highest frequency combination of 1111, 2311, 2111, 1212 and 3232; and the lower third show the highest frequency combinations of 1111, 1111, 2211, 2331 and 3332.

Key words: Forensic anthropology; Morphology; Anthropometry; Han Chinese; Age