Section 1:
In this Section you will learn to
Identify the Relevance of Skeletal Material to Analysis
What is the focus of analysis in forensic anthropology vs skeletal biology?
Forensic Case Skeletal Biology Case
- Focus on individual
- Focus on population
- Some soft tissue remains (cartilage or mummified tissue)
- Outer cortex of bone worn (scraped off)
- No bone breakage; if breakage - "new" clean edges
- Bone fracturing (postmortem); broken bone margins are worn
- Disease - not seen in patterns
- Disease - seen in patterns within the group being studied
- No dental wear
- Dental wear
- Trauma - different for each individual
- Trauma- patterns; ancient trepination, footbinding
- Manner and timing of death: surface death scene, clandestine grave (makeshift grave), cemetery burial exhumation (unearthing a buried individual to examine the bones), and remains found in water
- Archaeological cemetery remains reveal many trends, patterns, past lifeways, biocultural reconstruction
The key difference in skeletal analysis in forensic cases vs. skeletal biology cases is the focus. The skeletal material analyzed in forensic cases focuses on the individual, whereas the population is the focus in skeletal biology cases.
