Osteobiographies
The Discovery, Interpretation and Repatriation of Human Remains
- 1st Edition - November 18, 2021
- Imprint: Academic Press
- Author: Susan Pfeiffer
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 8 2 3 8 8 0 - 6
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 8 2 3 8 8 1 - 3
Osteobiographies: The Discovery, Interpretation and Repatriation of Human Remains contextualizes repatriation, or the transfer of authority for human skeletal remains from the… Read more
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Request a sales quoteOsteobiographies: The Discovery, Interpretation and Repatriation of Human Remains contextualizes repatriation, or the transfer of authority for human skeletal remains from the perspective of bioarchaelogists and evolutionary biologists. It approaches repatriation from a global perspective, touching upon the most well-known Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) legislation of the United States, while also covering Canada and African countries. The book focuses on the stories behind human skeletons, analyzing their biological factors to determine evolution patterns. Sections present an overview of anatomy, genomics, and stable isotopes from dietary and environmental factors, and how to identify these in skeletal remains.
The book then goes on to discuss European-origin, North American, and African paleopathology, ancient DNA links, and cultural issues and implications around repatriation. It concludes with case studies to show how information from archaeologically derived skeletons is vital to understanding human evolution and provide respectful histories behind the remains.
- Offers novel research and perspectives on the importance of skeletal remains on a global scale
- Identifies and distinguishes how genomics, biological factors and burial methods can be used to track human evolution through bones
- Addresses cultural differences over the human remains movement and repatriation, specifically between Europe and Africa
Bioarchaeologists, evolutionary biologists, and anthropologists. Undergraduate or graduate students in evolutionary biology, anthropology, and archaeology fields
- Cover image
- Title page
- Table of Contents
- Copyright
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Chapter 1: Osteobiography: A way to see past lives
- Abstract
- What is a bioarchaeologist?
- What is an osteobiography?
- The tools of the trade
- Terms, labels and designations
- References
- Chapter 2: Rest in peace
- Abstract
- Prospect Hill
- Snake Hill
- Historic graves in broader context
- References
- Chapter 3: Framework for Osteobiographies: Lower Great Lakes
- Abstract
- Prologue
- History's story line
- Archaeology's story line
- The contemporary context
- Summary
- References
- Chapter 4: Mobile people making a go of it
- Abstract
- Prologue
- So little to go on
- The Hind Site
- A child's distinctive skeleton
- Looking back at the Hind Site
- References
- Chapter 5: We enter the afterlife together
- Abstract
- Prologue
- Background to the story
- The excavation of ossuaries
- Ossuary osteobiographies
- Evidence of a disease that wasn't supposed to be there
- Ossuary communities: Collective osteobiographies
- Concluding remarks
- References
- Chapter 6: Collaboration and repatriation
- Abstract
- Prologue
- Construction of a collaborative framework
- Preliminary steps
- Meanwhile, other developments
- Preparing for repatriation
- Repatriation and after
- Things to not do
- References
- Chapter 7: Framework for osteobiographies: Eastern and Southern Africa
- Abstract
- Prologue
- The lure of Africa
- Modern humans: What role for Africa?
- Osteobiographies of past Africans
- References
- Chapter 8: Lake Turkana: An intriguing osteobiography
- Abstract
- Prologue
- The Lake Turkana Basin
- The pillar sites
- The still incomplete picture
- References
- Chapter 9: Southern African foragers: Geographical and historical context
- Abstract
- Prologue
- The remarkable shrinking forager
- A large number of small people
- References
- Chapter 10: Southern African foragers: Life histories of past communities
- Abstract
- Approaching the question of body size
- Summary
- References
- Chapter 11: Interpersonal violence among Southern African foragers
- Abstract
- Prologue
- Interpretive approaches to violent acts in the distant past
- The skeletal evidence
- What to make of it all?
- Bearing witness
- References
- Chapter 12: Repatriation in an African context
- Abstract
- Prologue
- Unnamed persons
- Named persons
- References
- Chapter 13: Bones and objects of contention
- Abstract
- Prologue
- The world of objects
- The world of bones
- Legacy collections
- Beyond museums
- The way forward
- References
- Index
- Edition: 1
- Published: November 18, 2021
- Imprint: Academic Press
- No. of pages: 228
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN: 9780128238806
- eBook ISBN: 9780128238813
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Susan Pfeiffer
Dr. Susan K. Pfeiffer is a Professor Emerita in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Toronto. She received her Ph.D. at the University of Toronto, developing her thesis on the skeletal biology of archaic populations of the Great Lakes Region. Dr. Pfeiffer is also a Research Professor at the Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology at George Washington University, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and part of the Community of Experts for the European Science Foundation. She has published numerous book chapters and journal articles on skeletal biology, evolution, histology, and human remain archaeology.
Affiliations and expertise
Professor Emerita, Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, CanadaRead Osteobiographies on ScienceDirect