ARCH6126 Bioarchaeology of Human Remains

Module Overview

The first portion of the module comprises the learning of the basics of human osteology and palaeopathology. The second portion is more theoretically driven and integrates bioarchaeology with skeletal analysis, including topics such as age, gender, ethnicity and activity patterning. The module will start by detailing the skeletal anatomy of the human body. In this part of the module, you will learn detailed skeletal human bioarchaeology. In the later part of the module, you will start to implement more interpretative aspects, such as assigning age, sex and stature to skeletons. Aspects of health and disease, and the identification of palaleopathology, will be developed and considered. You will also study aspects of funerary archaeology and its integration with skeletal studies and taphonomy to develop archaeologies of death and burial.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

varying approaches to the analysis of human skeletal remains
the ethical issues surrounding working with human remains
the use of human skeletal remains as a resource for studying past variability in diet and subsistence, health and disease, social structure and organisation, and population history and migration

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

observe and visually identify human bones
evaluate and critique the methods and results of bioarchaeological analyses and studies
present information clearly and concisely

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

select appropriate means for recording and analysing data
evaluate and critique arguments and material
write clear and concise reports

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

identify and sort fragments of human bone
undertake and report basic osteological analysis of human skeletons

Syllabus

The module syllabus will typically include the following components: • The nature of bone & outline of the human skeleton: this will encompass briefly considering the construction of bone and the organisation of the human skeleton. • Skulls & axial skeleton: the skeletal anatomy of the head, vertebrae, pelvis, scapulae, clavicles and sternum • Limbs, long bones, hands and feet: skeletal anatomy of the arms and legs, distinguishing hands from feet • Teeth, dentitions and dental health: or… why you should remember to brush your teeth • Estimating age and sex: children, the differences between social, chronological and biological ages, and between sex and gender • Stature and body size: reconstructing adult height • Trauma, battlefields and bodies: breaking bones, weaponry and bodily protection • Palaeopathology, disease and infection, including study of syphilis, TB, and leprosy • Metrics, non-metrics, biodistance and ethnicity, including critique of whether race exists • Taphonomy, burial ritual and funerary archaeology: how can we get an identity from bioarchaeology? • Migration, mobility & chemical analyses (aDNA, isotopes): where do these people come from and what did they eat? • Ethics of working with human remains: what are the ethical considerations of study, curation and repatriation?

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include • Lecture detailing aspects of skeletal identification or methodology • Short student presentations on key bioarchaeology texts • Practical work developing bioarchaeological identification and analysis skills Learning activities include • Practical work • Summative bone fragment tests • Role play • Peer review of bone report in advance of submission

Type	Hours
Seminar	5
Wider reading or practice	50
Practical classes and workshops	32
Lecture	11
Completion of assessment task	52
Total study time	150

Resources & Reading list

Mays, S. (1993). The Archaeology of Human Bones.

Bass, W. (1987). Human Osteology.

Buikstra, J and Ubelaker, D. (1994). Standards for Data Collection from Human Skeletal Remains.

Katzenberg, M.A. and Saunders, S.R. (eds) (2008). Biological Anthropology of the Human Skeleton.

Hillson, S. (1997). Dental Anthropology.

Iscan, M.Y. and Kennedy, K.A.R. (eds.) (1989). Reconstruction of Life from the Skeleton.

Ortner, D. and Putschar, W. (1985). Identification of Pathological Conditions in Human Skeletal Remains.

White, T.D. & Folkens, P.A. (2005). The Human Bone Manual.

Buikstra, J. E. and Beck, L.A. (eds.) (2006). Bioarchaeology.

Brickley, M. and McKinley, J.I. (2004). Guidelines to the Standards for Recording Human Remains. IFA Paper. ,7 .

Roberts, C. and Manchester, K. (2010). The Archaeology of Disease.

White, T.D.; Black, M.T. and Folkens, P.A. (2012). Human Osteology.

Roberts, C. (2009). Human Remains in Archaeology: A Handbook.

Agarwal, S.C. and Glencross, B.A. (eds.) (2011). Social Bioarchaeology.

Larsen, C.S. (1997). Bioarchaeology.

Brothwell, D. (1987). Digging Up Bones.

Pinhasi, R. and Mays, S. (2008). Advances in Human Palaeopathology.

Assessment

Summative

Method	Percentage contribution
Bone tests	40%
Report	60%

Referral

Method	Percentage contribution
Report	100%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal