The Archaeology of Human Bones

The Archaeology of Human Bones
Author: Simon Mays
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 417
Release: 2002-06-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1134687923

The aim of this book is to provide an introduction to what can be learnt from the scientific study of human skeletal remains from archaeological sites.

Underground Archaeology

Underground Archaeology
Author: Marion Dowd
Publisher: Oxbow Books Limited
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781785703515

Presents new perspectives on the use and perception of caves at different times in the past, from the Early Mesolithic through to post-medieval time; reveals complex and varied funerary practices and rituals associated with cave burials; highlights the changing roles of caves as places for shelter, occupation, burial and ritual practices during the

Human Skeletal Remains

Human Skeletal Remains
Author: Douglas H. Ubelaker
Publisher: Aldine De Gruyter
Total Pages: 116
Release: 2008
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9780202362397

Many anthropologists and even some archeologists have asked, "Why excavate skeletons? What information can we gain to merit the disturbance of human interments?" Human Skeletal Remains answers such questions. Douglas H. Ubelaker demonstrates the range of data and interpretations potentially obtainable from human skeletal remains and shows how this information can contribute to the solution of various anthropological problems. It also describes and evaluates basic techniques of skeletal excavation and analysis. Human Skeletal Remains is divided into two sections. The first section reviews the techniques and information needed for excavating and describing skeletal remains and for achieving reliable estimates of stature, sex, and age at death. These chapters should improve the capacity of non-specialists to undertake skeletal excavation and preliminary analysis. The second section discusses additional kinds of information that can be gleaned from suitable samples by experienced skeletal biologists. The information in Human Skeletal Remains is a broad-scale overview and many aspects have been treated in greater detail by others elsewhere. References are provided in the text for the convenience of those interested in more information on specific topics. Technical terminology has been avoided where possible, but accurate recording and description cannot be accomplished without employing the names of individual bones and other skeletal landmarks. Terms most commonly needed for description are included in a glossary. While it is somewhat modest in its intentions, this analysis provides a clarity that extensive tomes cannot supply.

Repatriation and Erasing the Past

Repatriation and Erasing the Past
Author: Elizabeth Weiss
Publisher: University Press of Florida
Total Pages: 279
Release: 2020-08-18
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1683401859

Engaging a longstanding controversy important to archaeologists and indigenous communities, Repatriation and Erasing the Past takes a critical look at laws that mandate the return of human remains from museums and laboratories to ancestral burial grounds. Anthropologist Elizabeth Weiss and attorney James Springer offer scientific and legal perspectives on the way repatriation laws impact research. Weiss discusses how anthropologists draw conclusions about past peoples through their study of skeletons and mummies and argues that continued curation of human remains is important. Springer reviews American Indian law and how it helped to shape laws such as NAGPRA (the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act). He provides detailed analyses of cases including the Kennewick Man and the Havasupai genetics lawsuits. Together, Weiss and Springer critique repatriation laws and support the view that anthropologists should prioritize scientific research over other perspectives.

The Analysis of Burned Human Remains

The Analysis of Burned Human Remains
Author: Christopher W. Schmidt
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 313
Release: 2011-10-10
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 008055928X

This unique reference provides a primary source for osteologists and the medical/legal community for the understanding of burned bone remains in forensic or archaeological contexts. It describes in detail the changes in human bone and soft tissues as a body burns at both the chemical and gross levels and provides an overview of the current procedures in burned bone study. Case studies in forensic and archaeological settings aid those interested in the analysis of burned human bodies, from death scene investigators, to biological anthropologists looking at the recent or ancient dead. - Includes the diagnostic patterning of color changes that give insight to the severity of burning, the positioning of the body, and presence (or absence) of soft tissues during the burning event - Chapters on bones and teeth give step-by-step recommendations for how to study and recognize burned hard tissues

Forbidden Archeology

Forbidden Archeology
Author: Michael A. Cremo
Publisher: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
Total Pages: 968
Release: 1998
Genre: History
ISBN:

Over the centuries, researchers have found bones and artifacts proving that humans like us have existed for millions of years. Mainstream science, however, has supppressed these facts. Prejudices based on current scientific theory act as a knowledge filter, giving us a picture of prehistory that is largely incorrect.

Archaeological Human Remains

Archaeological Human Remains
Author: Barra O’Donnabhain
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 253
Release: 2014-06-10
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 3319063707

This volume addresses the directions that studies of archaeological human remains have taken in a number of different countries, where attitudes range from widespread support to prohibition. Overlooked in many previous publications, this diversity in attitudes is examined through a variety of lenses, including academic origins, national identities, supporting institutions, archaeological context and globalization. The volume situates this diversity of attitudes by examining past and current tendencies in studies of archaeologically-retrieved human remains across a range of geopolitical settings. In a context where methodological approaches have been increasingly standardized in recent decades, the volume poses the question if this standardization has led to a convergence in approaches to archaeological human remains or if significant differences remain between practitioners in different countries. The volume also explores the future trajectories of the study of skeletal remains in the different jurisdictions under scrutiny.

The Routledge Handbook of Archaeological Human Remains and Legislation

The Routledge Handbook of Archaeological Human Remains and Legislation
Author: Nicholas Marquez-Grant
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 786
Release: 2011-03-21
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1136879560

Methodologies and legislative frameworks regarding the archaeological excavation, retrieval, analysis, curation and potential reburial of human skeletal remains differ throughout the world. As work forces have become increasingly mobile and international research collaborations are steadily increasing, the need for a more comprehensive understanding of different national research traditions, methodologies and legislative structures within the academic and commercial sector of physical anthropology has arisen. The Routledge Handbook of Archaeological Human Remains and Legislation provides comprehensive information on the excavation of archaeological human remains and the law through 62 individual country contributions from Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America and Australasia. More specifically, the volume discusses the following: What is the current situation (including a brief history) of physical anthropology in the country? What happens on discovering human remains (who is notified, etc.)? What is the current legislation regarding the excavation of archaeological human skeletal remains? Is a license needed to excavate human remains? Is there any specific legislation regarding excavation in churchyards? Any specific legislation regarding war graves? Are physical anthropologists involved in the excavation process? Where is the cut-off point between forensic and archaeological human remains (e.g. 100 years, 50 years, 25 years...)? Can human remains be transported abroad for research purposes? What methods of anthropological analysis are mostly used in the country? Are there any methods created in that country which are population-specific? Are there particular ethical issues that need to be considered when excavating human remains, such as religious groups or tribal groups? In addition, an overview of landmark anthropological studies and important collections are provided where appropriate. The entries are contained by an introductory chapter by the editors which establish the objectives and structure of the book, setting it within a wider archaeological framework, and a conclusion which explores the current European and world-wide trends and perspectives in the study of archaeological human remains. The Routledge Handbook of Archaeological Human Remains and Legislation makes a timely, much-needed contribution to the field of physical anthropology and is unique as it combines information on the excavation of human remains and the legislation that guides it, alongside information on the current state of physical anthropology across several continents. It is an indispensible tool for archaeologists involved in the excavation of human remains around the world.

Found! Human Remains

Found! Human Remains
Author: Mark Skinner
Publisher: Burnaby, B.C. : Archaeology Press, Simon Fraser University
Total Pages: 192
Release: 1983-01-01
Genre: Anthropometry
ISBN: 9780864910356

Bone Rooms

Bone Rooms
Author: Samuel J. Redman
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 365
Release: 2016-03-14
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0674969731

A Smithsonian Book of the Year A Nature Book of the Year “Provides much-needed foundation of the relationship between museums and Native Americans.” —Smithsonian In 1864 a US Army doctor dug up the remains of a Dakota man who had been killed in Minnesota and sent the skeleton to a museum in Washington that was collecting human remains for research. In the “bone rooms” of the Smithsonian, a scientific revolution was unfolding that would change our understanding of the human body, race, and prehistory. Seeking evidence to support new theories of racial classification, collectors embarked on a global competition to recover the best specimens of skeletons, mummies, and fossils. As the study of these discoveries discredited racial theory, new ideas emerging in the budding field of anthropology displaced race as the main motive for building bone rooms. Today, as a new generation seeks to learn about the indigenous past, momentum is building to return objects of spiritual significance to native peoples. “A beautifully written, meticulously documented analysis of [this] little-known history.” —Brian Fagan, Current World Archeology “How did our museums become great storehouses of human remains? Bone Rooms chases answers...through shifting ideas about race, anatomy, anthropology, and archaeology and helps explain recent ethical standards for the collection and display of human dead.” —Ann Fabian, author of The Skull Collectors “Details the nascent views of racial science that evolved in U.S. natural history, anthropological, and medical museums...Redman effectively portrays the remarkable personalities behind [these debates]...pitting the prickly Aleš Hrdlička at the Smithsonian...against ally-turned-rival Franz Boas at the American Museum of Natural History.” —David Hurst Thomas, Nature