Bioarchaeology


"mortui vivos docent"
(the dead teach the living)


Devloped in the late 1970's, bioarcheaeology is the study of human remains excavated from archaeological contexts. As a discipline, bioarcheaeology has wholly revolutioned how we understand humans of the past. Information concerning how past humans lived that would otherwise would have been lost to time due to not being written down reveals itself through careful skeletal analysis. If possible, human remains from archaeological sites are analyzed to determine sex, age, stature, population demographics, and health.

Some of the methods bioarchaeologists use include the study of visible signs of infections and diseases on bones like porosities and new bone formation, arthritis, fractures and breaks, DNA analysis, cavities and abscesses in the teeth reflecting high-carb/high-sugar diets, stunting reflecting childhood malnutrition, bone geometric properties reflecting how active people were, microscopic scratches on tooth surfaces reflecting what people ate, trauma analysis to help asceratin the scale of inter/intra-personal violence in an area, and more.

The work of bioarchaeologists is not restricted to archaeological sites. In addition to being employed by universities and museums, many bioarchaeologists use their knowledge of the human skeleton to aid in the recovery and identifcation of human remains. For instance, bioarchaeologists have played a pivital in helping recover and identify victims of mass disasters; organizations such as DMORT and the DPAA have been created to serve such purposes. Those with a more forensic background may also use their expertise to aid in criminal investgiations. Known as forensic anthropologists, these experts may assist law enforcement in the analysis of more recent human remains (less than 50 years old) and helping determine what happened to the deceased at or around the time of their death, in addition to creating a biological profile to help in identifcation purposes.

Nor is the work of bioarchaeologists restricted to the analysis of homo sapiens. Paleoanthropologists or paleo-osteologists seek to understand the early development of anatomically modern humans, a process known as hominization, through the reconstruction of evolutionary kinship lines within the family Hominidae, working from biological evidence (such as petrified skeletal remains, bone fragments, footprints) and cultural evidence (such as stone tools, artifacts, and settlement localities).

For those who wish to pursue bioarcheaeology as career choice, one typically needs a masters or doctorate degree in archaeology or anthropology. Most universities offer courses in bioarchaeology at the undergraduate level in addition to traditional archaeology and biological anthropology courses to introduce students to the field. At the graduate level, some universities offer specialized programs in bioarchaeology. In addition to coursework, bioarchaeologists must complete a field school from an accredited institution. Although a general field school is sufficient, individuals interested in bioarchaeology are encouraged to enroll in a field school with a special focus on bioarchaeology. In addition, given the ethical concerns that come with handling human remains (and anthropology's problematic history of handling them), it is important that bioarchaeologists familiarize themselves with the laws and regulations that are in place regarding the handling of human remains, especially with laws concerning repatriation.
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Coded by: Anisha Viswanathan 🦴
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