Gourt > Science > Social Sciences > Archaeology > Topics > Bioarchaeology
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.
More on [ Bioarchaeology ]
Population :: Human
Biological Anthropology :: Anthropology
Forensic Anthropology :: Biological Anthropology
@portableant applying to skeletal and dental bioarchaeology and maybe the general archaeology masters as well. i really like bones + burials
kittienthecity (Lauran Kellam) Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:38:20 -0000
@portableant applying to skeletal and dental bioarchaeology and maybe the general archaeology masters as well. i really like bones + burials
is nerding it up with her Bones dvd and Bioarchaeology slide show notes. Four more years of this and I will finally be Dr. Goodman.
Bones_girl (Taryn Goodman) Tue, 05 Jan 2010 04:23:18 -0000
is nerding it up with her Bones dvd and Bioarchaeology slide show notes. Four more years of this and I will finally be Dr. Goodman.
Ancient DNA May be Misleading Scientists - From News in Science. Ancient DNA in skeletons has a tendency to show damage in a particular region resulting in misleading genetic data and mistaken conclusions about the origin of the skeleton British scientists said.
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New Scientist: Ancient Ancestors had Tummy Bug Too - The stomach-infesting bacterium Helicobacter pylori has been living in humans for at least 11,000 years - much longer than previously thought, say US researchers.
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Paleopatologia - Pisa University Division of Paleopathology sponsored board of articles and forum on the study of disease from prehistory to contemporary age.
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South Dakota Paleopathology - A paleopathology online database including material from the W.H. Over Collection of the University of South Dakota and the Crow Creek Massacre totaling over 400 images with descriptions.
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