Recovery, Analysis, and Identification of Commingled Human Remains

Recovery, Analysis, and Identification of Commingled Human Remains
Author: Bradley J. Adams
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 377
Release: 2008-02-23
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1597453161

Commingling of human remains presents an added challenge to all phases of the forensic process. This book brings together tools from diverse sources within forensic science to offer a set of comprehensive approaches to handling commingled remains. It details the recovery of commingled remains in the field, the use of triage in the assessment of commingling, various analytical techniques for sorting and determining the number of individuals, the role of DNA in the overall process, ethical considerations, and data management. In addition, the book includes case examples that illustrate techniques found to be successful and those that proved problematic.

Commingled Human Remains

Commingled Human Remains
Author: Bradley Adams
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 553
Release: 2014-06-04
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 012405918X

Commingled human remains are encountered in situations ranging from prehistoric ossuaries to recent mass fatality incidents. Commingled Human Remains: Methods in Recovery, Analysis, and Identification brings together tools from diverse sources within the forensic science community to offer a set of comprehensive approaches to resolving issues associated with commingled remains. This edition focuses on forensic situations, although some examples from prehistoric contexts are also addressed. Commingling of bones and other body parts is a major obstacle to individual identification that must be addressed before other forensic determinations or research can proceed. Regardless of the cause for the commingling (transportation disaster, terrorist attack, natural disaster, genocide, etc.) it is critical that the proper experts are involved and that the proper techniques are employed to achieve the greatest success in making identifications. Resolution of commingling nearly always requires consideration of multiple lines of evidence that cross the disciplinary lines of modern forensic science. The use of archaeology, DNA, and forensic anthropology are several areas that are critical in this process and these are core topics presented in this book. Even a relatively "simple mass fatality event can become very complicated once body fragmentation and commingling occur. Expectations associated with all phases of the process from recovery of remains to their final identification and release to next of kin must be managed appropriately. - A powerful resource for those working in the forensic sciences who need to plan for and/or address the complex challenges associated with commingled and fragmentary human remains - Written by an international group of the foremost forensic scientists presenting their research and candid experiences of dealing with commingled human remains, offering recommendations and providing "lessons learned" which can be invaluable to others who find themselves facing similar challenges - Contains chapters on remains recovery, laboratory analysis, case studies, and broader topics such as mass fatality management and ethical considerations

Theoretical Approaches to Analysis and Interpretation of Commingled Human Remains

Theoretical Approaches to Analysis and Interpretation of Commingled Human Remains
Author: Anna J. Osterholtz
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 262
Release: 2015-11-05
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 3319225545

This volume centers on the application of social theory to commingled remains with special focus on the cultural processes that create the assemblages as a way to better understand issues of meaning, social structure and interaction, and lived experience in the past. The importance of the application of theoretical frameworks to bioarchaeology in general has been recognized, but commingled and fragmentary assemblages require an increased theoretical focus. Too often these assemblages are still relegated to appendices; they are analytical puzzles that need the interpretive power offered by social theory. Theoretical Approaches to Analysis and Interpretation of Commingled Human Remains provides case studies that illustrate how an appropriate theoretical model can be used with commingled and fragmentary remains to add to overall site and population level interpretations of past and present peoples. Specifically, the contributions show a blending and melding of different social theories, highlighting the broad interpretive power of social theory. Contributors are drawn from both the Old and New World. Temporally, time periods from the Neolithic to historic periods are present, further widening the audience for the volume.

Commingled and Disarticulated Human Remains

Commingled and Disarticulated Human Remains
Author: Anna J. Osterholtz
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2013-08-15
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1461475600

​Commingled and Disarticulated Human Remains:Working Toward Improved Theory, Method, and Data brings together research that provides innovative methodologies for the analysis of commingled human remains. It has temporal and spatial breadth, with case studies coming from pre-state to historic periods, as well as from both the New and Old World. Highlights of this volume include: standardizes methods and presents best practices in the field using a case study approach demonstrates how data gathered from commingled human remains can be incorporated into the overall interpretation of a site explores best way to formulate population size, using commingled remains Field archaeologists, bioarchaeologists, academic anthropologists, forensic anthropologists, zoo archaeologists, and students of anthropology and archaeology will find this to be an invaluable resource.

Towards a Social Bioarchaeology of the Mycenaean Period

Towards a Social Bioarchaeology of the Mycenaean Period
Author: Ioanna Moutafi
Publisher: Oxbow Books
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2021-06-30
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 178925485X

This book investigates the complex relationship between funerary treatment and wider social dynamics through a contextual analysis of human skeletal remains and associated mortuary data from Voudeni, an important Mycenaean (1400-1050 BC) chamber tomb cemetery in Achaea, Greece. Voudeni is one of the most significant sites of Achaea, thoroughly investigated under the direction of the former Ephor of Antiquities, Dr Lazaros Kolonas. Over 60 chamber tombs have been excavated (Late Helladic IIB to IIIC periods), yielding an unprecedented wealth of biocultural information. This study explores the post-mortem treatment of the body, through a novel interpretive approach that transcends unproductive cross-disciplinary divisions. This biosocial approach integrates traditional archaeology, current reflections in mortuary archaeological theory and cutting-edge bioarchaeological methods, primarily focused on funerary taphonomy and archaeothanatology of commingled skeletal assemblages. The author proposes that the most effective route to explore the social dimensions of mortuary data is through an emic understanding of historically situated actions and experiences, both of the living actors, the mourners, and of the dead themselves. Human skeletal remains are used as the primary strand of evidence, both as the object of the acts of the living and the subject of their own lived experiences. The topic is explored in successive stages: a) theoretical and methodological framework, b) detailed taphonomic analysis and osteological results of 20 tombs, c) multivariate analysis of bio-cultural data across socio-temporal parameters (with special emphasis on the distinction between the palatial LHIIIA-B and the transitional post-palatial LHIIIC period), and d) final synthesis, aiming to questions pertaining to changing social conditions in Achaea and key issues of current Mycenaean mortuary research. These include: tomb re-use; form, diversity, sequence and frequency of mortuary activities; mortality profiles; differential inclusion, visibility and funerary treatment of different groups/identities; changes in treatment of the dead body, reflecting shifts in notions of the self and social relationships. The results shed new light to social developments in Mycenaean Achaea, showing that the complex interaction between changing social conditions and mortuary practice is often reflected in subtle, yet meaningful, shifts of emphasis in the post-mortem treatment of bodies and bones, rather than in blatant radical changes.

Forensic Anthropology

Forensic Anthropology
Author: Angi M. Christensen
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 522
Release: 2019-07-19
Genre: Law
ISBN: 0128157356

Forensic anthropology has seen a recent expansion in depth and scope as well as increased attention from the media and the legal system. This constantly evolving science requires a comprehensive introductory text that approaches forensic anthropology as a modern discipline, with attention to theory as well as recent advances in research, technology, and challenges in the field. Forensic Anthropology: Current Methods and Practice, 2nd edition approaches forensic anthropology using current practices and case studies drawn from the varied experiences, backgrounds, and practices of working forensic anthropologists. This text guides the reader through all aspects of human remains recovery and forensic anthropological analysis. It presents principles at a level that is appropriate for those new to the field, while at the same time incorporating evolutionary, biomechanical, and other theoretical foundations for the features and phenomena encountered in forensic anthropological casework. Attention is focused on the most recent and scientifically valid applications commonly employed by working forensic anthropologists. Readers will learn about innovative techniques in the discipline, and aspiring practitioners will be prepared by understanding the necessary background needed to work in the field today. Instructors and students will find Forensic Anthropology: Current Methods and Practice, 2nd edition comprehensive, practical, and relevant to the modern discipline of forensic anthropology. - Focuses on current methods, advances in research and technology, and recent challenges in the science of forensic anthropology - Addresses issues of international relevance such as the role of forensic anthropology in mass disaster response and human rights investigations - Includes chapter summaries, topic-oriented case studies, keywords, and reflective questions to increase active student learning

Handbook of Forensic Anthropology and Archaeology

Handbook of Forensic Anthropology and Archaeology
Author: Soren Blau
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 739
Release: 2016-07-28
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1315528924

With contributions from 70 experienced practitioners from around the world, this second edition of the authoritative Handbook of Forensic Archaeology and Anthropology provides a solid foundation in both the practical and ethical components of forensic work. The book weaves together the discipline’s historical development; current field methods for analyzing crime, natural disasters, and human atrocities; an array of laboratory techniques; key case studies involving legal, professional, and ethical issues; and ideas about the future of forensic work--all from a global perspective. This fully revised second edition expands the geographic representation of the first edition by including chapters from practitioners in South Africa and Colombia, and adds exciting new chapters on the International Commission on Missing Persons and on forensic work being done to identify victims of the Battle of Fromelles during World War I. The Handbook of Forensic Anthropology and Archaeology provides an updated perspective of the disciplines of forensic archaeology and anthropology.

Handbook of Forensic Anthropology and Archaeology

Handbook of Forensic Anthropology and Archaeology
Author: Joshua Blau
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 600
Release: 2016-06-03
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1315427753

Over the last 10 years interest in the disciplines of forensic anthropology and archaeology has exploded. In order to provide archaeologists and their students with a reliable understanding of these disciplines, this authoritative volume draws contributions from fifty experienced practitioners from around the world to offer a solid foundation in both the practical and ethical components of forensic work. Over 40 chapters weave together historical development, current field methods in analyzing crime, natural disasters and human atrocities, an array of laboratory techniques, key case studies, legal, professional, and ethical issues, and promising future directions, all from a global perspective. This volume will be the benchmark for the understanding of anthropological and archaeological forensics for years to come.

Missing Persons

Missing Persons
Author: Derek Congram
Publisher: Canadian Scholars’ Press
Total Pages: 370
Release: 2016-08-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1551309300

The work of finding and identifying missing persons is complex and requires the expertise of many people, such as historians hunting through archives, biological anthropologists reconstructing skeletons, and psychologists preparing investigators to interview families of the disappeared. Uniting the voices of 22 experts from around the world, Derek Congram’s collection of original papers centres its attention on those who are engaged in the location, identification, and repatriation of missing persons. The contributors to this timely volume represent multiple disciplines and various fields, including academia, government, and civil service, but are connected by a shared conviction that accounting for the missing is vital for a just society. The chapters concentrate on victims of physical or structural violence, including armed conflict, repressive regimes, criminal behaviour, and racist and colonial policies towards Indigenous persons and minority populations. Some contexts are familiar—morgues, mass graves, and battlefields—while others are surprising, such as schoolyards and a museum in Canada. Although the circumstances of the disappearances vary greatly, Missing Persons illustrates the connections between these disparate contexts. Multidisciplinary in scope, this edited collection is a valuable comparative resource for students, academics, and practitioners in forensic anthropology, anthropological/archaeological ethics, forensic psychology, criminal justice, and human rights.

Introduction to Forensic Anthropology

Introduction to Forensic Anthropology
Author: Steven N. Byers
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 977
Release: 2023-07-14
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1000868915

Introduction to Forensic Anthropology provides comprehensive coverage of key methods and issues in forensic anthropology. Using terminology and best practices recommended by the Scientific Working Group for Forensic Anthropology (SWGANTH) and the Anthropology Consensus Body of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI/ACB), it introduces students to all the major topics in the field, with material ranging from the attribution of ancestry and sex, to various forms of bone trauma, to identification through radiography. This fully updated, sixth edition incorporates new and improved methods, new data and worked examples from North America and across the globe. It also includes a new discussion on probabilities and centiles, increased emphasis on quantification of error rates of both old and new methods, an updated ancestry chapter, and updated URLs with free software to calculate various characteristics. This is a self-contained textbook that is ideal for a lower-division college-level class for non-majors and majors alike. This accessible and engaging text offers an array of features to support teaching and learning, including: boxed case studies extensive figures and photographs chapter summaries and student exercises a glossary of terms additional reading lists critical resources hands-on application for students when used with accompanying lab manual further instructor and student resources via a companion website.