HWN Suggests

The Archaeology of Disease Documented in Skeletons

Everybody who reads this is probably familiar with the many excavations of skeletons from archaeological sites, as seen on television and reported in the news. What we can learn from studying skeletons is changing and increasing as new methods develop and we delve, for example, into the DNA of the organisms that cause different diseases. However, let us stop and think about why studying our ancestors’ remains are important to understanding our history.

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 Ancient Skeletons Give Clues to Modern Medical Mysteries

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Articles of Interest

Osteoarchaeology in historical context

Osteoarchaeology is a rich field for reconstructing past lives in that it can provide details on sex, age-at-death, stature, and pathology in conjunction with the cultural, social, and economic aspects of the person’s environment and burial conditions.

Bones of Contention

This series has an archaeological theme, looking in particular at those aspects of archaeology which deal with human remains.

Human Osteoarchaeology

Human osteoarchaeology is the scientific study of human skeletons excavated from archaeological sites. It can tell us about the health, lifestyle, diet, mortality and physique of people in the past. It may also be able to shed light on genetic relationships and movement of people. Techniques used by human osteoarchaeologists range from visual examination, through measurement of bones and teeth, to chemical and physical analyses.

Osteoarchaeology: The Truth in Our Bones

This course is about what we can learn from examining the human skeleton, and how we can use this knowledge to reconstruct the lives of people who lived in the past. In archaeology and anthropology, human skeletal remains can provide unique insights into the past and the present; insights that cannot be gained otherwise.

Six ways archaeologists can see disease in dead people

We know that illnesses have existed as long as there have been humans to get ill – but how do archaeologists identify disease in the past?

Resources

Human Osteoarchaeology Special Interest Group

Human Osteoarchaeology Special Interest Group represents the interests of professionals who work or have an interest in the area of osteoarchaeology and burial studies. We aim to promote standards and good practice for the excavation, treatment, conservation, analysis and curation of human remains and funerary archaeology from the historic environment.

International Journal of Osteoarchaeology

Our global scope is of interest to archaeologists, anthropologists, bone specialists and historians. Our aim is to publish studies that explore how human and animal remains can provide detailed and nuanced information about the behavior and ideology of past cultures. Palaeopathology studies of human and animal diseases are encouraged.