Human skeletons

a​‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍​ 2000 word essay on What can archaeologists learn from studying human skeletons? What can this tell us about past people and their societies? must be peer-reviewed references only 14 and above key readings included Osteology Mays, S. The Archaeology of Human Bones. London: Taylor & Francis Group Roberts, C.A., 2009. Human remains in archaeology: a handbook. York: Council for British Archaeology Roberts, C., 2013. The bioarchaeology of health and well-being: its contribution to understanding the past. The Oxford Handbook of the archaeology of death and burial, pp.1-24. Identity: Diaz-Andreu, M. and Lucy, S. (eds) 2005. The Archaeology of Identity. London: Taylor & Francis Group. Introduction Start with a general statement on the importance of human skeletons for understanding past societies… State of research / science: so much new research in the past 20 years… isotope.. • Information about the individual – age, sex, diet, height,… health problems… • Society: dietary habits; health care (operations, etc.); ritual habits (e.g., funerary process; manipulation of the skeletal remains; causes of death: ritualised – ritual killing,…) • Identity! The question of using skeletal remains to identify someone’s identity leads us to serious problems: • What is identity? o Personal identity, ethnic identity, group identity (local community, gender-related and age-related identities…). • Identify problems! o … • Controversies in scholarship • • What do you want to demonstrate in your essay? • And how are you going to go about…? • Mention “• The archaeology of the body” somewhere in the essay… • Engage critically with modern scholarship. • Analytical, not descriptive • LADY OF YORK, Roman-period York, perhaps 4th c. o Age and sex: okay… might be good solid evidence ?there’s always a margin of error (if we make this statement we need a reference). o Isotope analysis: ? Authors conclude that she probably came from North Africa, but isotope analysis: she might have grown up in western Medit​‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍​erranean or west coast of Britain! o Craniometric analysis ? skull ? Again, authors conclude: African origin ? ‘black’ ? Lots of problems: • 1) it presume a concept of different human ‘races’ that can be recognised by a human skull - • 2) comparative evidence : humans from the 19th & 20th c. • 3) It’s a technique which the NAZIS promoted: the Nazis 1933-45 measured humans skulls across the world, in Nepal, etc. • 4) do these authors confuse RACE with ETHNICITY! o Ethnicity is more culturally constituted.. o Grave goods: ? Ivory object ? African origin… Essential: Roberts, C.A., 2009. Human remains in archaeology: a handbook. York: Council for British Archaeology. https://new.archaeologyuk.org/practical-handbooks Roberts, C., 2013. The bioarchaeology of health and well-being: its contribution to understanding the past. The Oxford handbook of the archaeology of death and burial, pp.1-24. Available at: https://www-oxfordhandbooks-com.ezproxy4.lib.le.ac.uk/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199569069.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199569069-e-6 CHECK BOOK REVIEWS!!! Some of JO APPLEBY’s papers: Appleby, J. (2018). Ageing and the Body in Archaeology. Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 28(1), 145-163. doi:10.1017/S0959774317000610 https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/cambridge-archaeological-journal/article/abs/ageing-and-the-body-in-archaeology/E06216933198DA4D132AD474AE35A0DF • Appleby, J., Rutty, G. N., Hainsworth, S. V., Woosnam-Savage, R. C., Morgan, B., Brough, A., Earp, R., Robinson, C., King, T.E., Morris, M and Buckley, R. (2015). Perimortem trauma in King Richard III: a skeletal analysis. The Lancet, 385(9964), 17-23. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60804-7 • Appleby, J. E. P., Mitchell, P. D., Robinson, C., Brough, A., Rutty, G., Harris, R., . . . Morgan, B. (2014). The Scoliosis of Richard III, last Plantagenet King of England. Diagnosis and clinical significance.. The Lancet. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60762-5 • Lamb, A. L., Evans, J. E., Buckley, R., & Appleby, J. (2014). Multi-isotope analysis demonstrates significant lifestyle changes in King R​‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍​ichard III. Journal of Archaeological Science, 50, 559-565. doi:10.1016/j.jas.2014.06.021