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The term bioarchaeology was first coined by British archaeologist Grahame Clark in 1972 as a reference to zooarchaeology, or the study of animal bones from archaeological sites. Redefined in 1977 by Jane Buikstra, bioarchaeology in the US now refers to the scientific study of human skeletal remains from archaeological sites, a discipline known elsewhere as osteoarchaeology or palaeo-osteology. In England and other European countries, however, bioarchaeology can still refer to any biological remains recovered and analyzed from archaeological sites but is more commonly known as environmental archaeology.

Bioarchaeology was largely born from the practices of New Archaeology, which developed in the US in the 1970s as a reaction to a mainly cultural-historical approach to understanding the past. Proponents of New Archaeology advocated using processual methods to test hypotheses about the interaction between culture and biology, or a biocultural approach.

Yet there are ethical issues with bioarchaeology that revolve around treatment and respect for the dead. Large-scale skeletal collections were first amassed in the US in the 19th century, largely from the remains of Native Americans. No permission was ever granted from surviving family for study and display. Recently, federal laws such as NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) have allowed Native Americans to regain control over the skeletal remains of their ancestors and associated artifacts in order to reassert their cultural identities. Thus, part of the problem that bioarchaeology faces in becoming a more integral part of anthropology in the US has to do with post-colonial and native revitalization issues.

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Bioarchaeology presentation went alarmingly well. What did I forget?
jebrothers (Elizabeth Brothers) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:18:23 -0000
Bioarchaeology presentation went alarmingly well. What did I forget?
The Bioarchaeology of Children: Perspectives from Biological and Forensic Anthropology (Cambridge S… - by Mary E. Lewis http://bit.ly/3Jx0P0
medical_book (New Medical Books) Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:14:21 -0000
The Bioarchaeology of Children: Perspectives from Biological and Forensic Anthropology (Cambridge S… - by Mary E. Lewis http://bit.ly/3Jx0P0
The Bioarchaeology of Children: Perspectives from Biological and Forensic Anthropology (Cambridge S… - by Mary E. Lewis http://bit.ly/3Poqai
technical_book (New Technical Books) Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:41:45 -0000
The Bioarchaeology of Children: Perspectives from Biological and Forensic Anthropology (Cambridge S… - by Mary E. Lewis http://bit.ly/3Poqai
The Bioarchaeology of Children: Perspectives from Biological and Forensic Anthropology (Cambridge S… - by Mary E. Lewis http://bit.ly/3E5P9u
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The Bioarchaeology of Children: Perspectives from Biological and Forensic Anthropology (Cambridge S… - by Mary E. Lewis http://bit.ly/3E5P9u
The Bioarchaeology of Children: Perspectives from Biological an... (Paperback) by Mary E. Lewis is out today http://merecal.com/1274v #books
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The Bioarchaeology of Children: Perspectives from Biological an... (Paperback) by Mary E. Lewis is out today http://merecal.com/1274v #books
The Bioarchaeology of Children: Perspectives from Biological an... (Paperback) by Mary E. Lewis is out today http://merecal.com/1274v #books
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The Bioarchaeology of Children: Perspectives from Biological an... (Paperback) by Mary E. Lewis is out today http://merecal.com/1274v #books

 
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