What Do Bones Tell Us? The Study of Human Skeletons from the Perspective of Forensic Anthropology

Authors

• Brigida Corrieri
• Nicholas Márquez-Grant

Source

• Published in Science Progress (1933-), Volume 98, No. 4 (2015), Pages 391-402
• Publisher: Sage Publications, Ltd.

Key Concepts

Contexts of Human Remains

• Human remains can be found in various contexts such as:
  • Archaeological burial sites (individual or mass graves)
  • Museums and universities (anatomical collections)
  • Churches (as relics in ossuaries)
  • Medico-legal or police cases (fire scenes, natural disasters, clandestine graves, open areas like woodlands)

Types of Human Remains

• Complete skeletons
• Parts of bones or teeth
• Hair
• Mummified remains

Physical Anthropology

• Involves studying human skeletal remains to:
  • Reconstruct the past
  • Understand human variation
  • Provide information about deceased individuals such as:
    • Age at death
    • Sex
    • Ancestry
    • Stature
    • Pathological conditions
    • Traumatic injuries

Forensic Anthropology

• A branch of physical anthropology
• Focuses on remains from medico-legal or police cases

Additional Information

• Journal Information: Science Progress publishes articles on diverse and meaningful scientific topics.
• Publisher Information: SAGE Publications produces academic and professional materials.
• Rights & Usage: Terms and conditions apply for use of the JSTOR Collection item.

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