The Analysis of Burned Human Remains
- 2nd Edition - June 1, 2015
- Imprint: Academic Press
- Editors: Christopher W. Schmidt, Steven A. Symes
- Language: English
- Hardback ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 8 0 0 4 5 1 - 7
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 8 0 0 5 2 1 - 7
The Analysis of Burned Human Remains, Second Edition, provides a primary source for osteologists and the medical/legal community for the understanding of burned bone remains in for… Read more
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Request a sales quoteThe Analysis of Burned Human Remains, Second Edition, provides a primary source for osteologists and the medical/legal community for the understanding of burned bone remains in forensic or archaeological contexts. It describes in detail the changes in human bone and soft tissues as a body burns at both the chemical and gross levels and provides an overview of the current procedures in burned bone study. Case studies in forensic and archaeological settings aid those interested in the analysis of burned human bodies, from death scene investigators to biological anthropologists.
- A timely state-of-the-art analyses of burned bone studies for bioarchaeologists and forensic anthropologists
- Covers the diagnostic patterning of color changes, the positioning of the body, and presence (or absence of soft tissues during the burning event
- Chapters on bones and teeth give step-by-step recommendations for hot to study and recognize burned hard tissues
- New chapters include improved analyses of thermally induced impacts on bone microstructure, development, and appearance; they also cover sites from a greater geographic range adding Alaska, Italy, Jordan, Mexico, and Southeast Asia
Advanced undergrad, graduate students and professionals in archeology, forensic anthropology, and cultural anthropology.
- List of Contributors
- Preface
- Chapter 1. Fire and Bodies
- A Fire Primer
- Room Fires
- Effects
- Case Studies
- Conclusions
- References
- Chapter 2. Patterned Thermal Destruction in a Forensic Setting
- Introduction to Burned Bone Research
- Research Approaches: Same Problem, Different Perspectives
- Forensic Practice and Perspective
- Forensic Implications: Problems and Goals
- Summary
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Chapter 3. Burned Human Teeth
- Introduction
- Purpose and Caveats
- Field Recovery
- Field Procedures
- Laboratory Procedures
- Thermally Induced Changes in Colour, Texture and Size
- Enamel
- Roots
- Microscopy
- Dental Restorations and Orthodontics
- Materials and Devices
- Thermal Properties
- Case Study: Baumeister Homicides
- Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Chapter 4. Analysis of Human Cremains
- Introduction
- Cremation Process
- Methods Used to Analyse Cremains
- Chemical Methods
- Forensic Case Study Using ICP-MS
- Conclusions
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Chapter 5. Thermally Induced Changes
- Introduction
- Bone Charring and Its Effect on the Isotopic Composition of Bone Organic Material
- Controlled Heating Experiments to Evaluate Isotopic Changes in Charred Bones
- Evaluating Prehistoric Cremations
- Results
- Discussion
- Conclusions
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Chapter 6. Bone Colour
- Introduction
- Burned Bone Research
- Bone Colour
- Colour Models
- Walker-Noe 15GD56
- Walker-Noe 15GD56 Cremains
- Results
- Discussion
- Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Chapter 7. Heat-Related Changes in Tooth Color
- Introduction
- Materials and Method
- Results
- Discussion
- Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Chapter 8. Herculaneum
- Background
- Objective
- Materials
- Methods
- Results
- Fractures
- Taphonomy
- Maximum Temperature and Tissue Shielding
- Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Chapter 9. Investigations on Pre-Roman and Roman Cremation Remains
- Introduction
- Skeletal Remains
- Methodological Aspects
- Anthropological Investigation
- Concluding Remarks
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Chapter 10. In the Heat of the Pyre
- Introduction
- The Cremation Process
- Cremation in Roman Britain
- Variations in Oxidation
- Conclusions
- Acknowledgement
- References
- Chapter 11. Fire as a Cultural Taphonomic Agent
- Introduction
- Methods
- Results
- Conclusion
- References
- Chapter 12. Putting Together the Pieces: Reconstructing Mortuary Practices from Commingled Ossuary Cremains
- Introduction
- Background
- Methods of Analysis
- Results
- Mortuary Behaviour Reconstructed
- References
- Chapter 13. A Taphonomic Analysis of Human Cremains from the Fox Hollow Farm Serial Homicide Site
- Introduction
- The Study Sample
- Scoring Methods
- Results
- Summary and Conclusions
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Chapter 14. Early Archaic Cremations from Southern Indiana
- Introduction
- Osteology
- Mortuary Treatment
- Discussion
- Conclusion
- References
- Chapter 15. Towards an Archaeology of Cremation
- Introduction
- The Perception of Cremation
- Themes in the Archaeology of Cremation
- Theoretical Approaches for the Archaeology of Cremation
- Case Study: A Late Iron-Age Cremation Cemetery Near Westhampnett, Sussex
- Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Chapter 16. An 11,500-Year-Old Human Cremation from Eastern Beringia (Central Alaska)
- Introduction
- Findings
- Discussion
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Chapter 17. Italian Iron Age Cremations
- Introduction
- Materials and Methods
- Results and Discussion
- Conclusions
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Chapter 18. The Analysis of Heat-Induced Crystallinity Change in Bone
- Introduction
- Heat-Induced Changes in Bone Crystallinity
- Methods of Measuring Heat-Induced Crystallinity Change
- Interpreting Heat-Induced Crystallinity Changes
- Conclusions
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Chapter 19. Death and Community Identity in the Trincheras Cremation Cemetery, Sonora, Mexico
- Introduction
- The Urn-Field Cremation Cemetery
- Analysis
- Cremation as a Funerary Custom
- Cremation and the Cerro De Trincheras
- Death and the Landscape
- Conclusions
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Chapter 20. Formation Times in Thermally Altered Enamel
- Introduction
- Aim
- Materials and Methods
- Results
- Discussion
- Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Chapter 21. Influence of Heating Regimes on Dimensional and Colorimetric Changes of Teeth
- Introduction
- Material and Methods
- Results
- Discussion
- Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Chapter 22. The Use of Ethnographic Information in Cremation Studies: A Southeast Asian Example
- Introduction
- An Overview of Ethnoarchaeology
- How Can We Apply Historically Informed Ethnoarchaeology to the Bioarchaeological Determination of Funeral Practices?
- Case Study: Lan Xang Cremations in Vientiane, Laos
- How Does the Evidence from the Archaeological Remains of Lan Xang Cremations Correlate with the Ethnographic and Historic Records?
- Can We Call This Approach Ethnobioarchaeology?
- Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Chapter 23. Bone Color Changes in a Burned Burial Structure from Early Bronze Age Bab adh-Dhra’, Jordan
- Background
- Materials and Methods
- Results
- Discussion
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Index
- Edition: 2
- Published: June 1, 2015
- Imprint: Academic Press
- No. of pages: 448
- Language: English
- Hardback ISBN: 9780128004517
- eBook ISBN: 9780128005217
CS
Christopher W. Schmidt
Affiliations and expertise
University of Indianapolis, Department of Anthropology, IN, USASS
Steven A. Symes
A U.S. forensic anthropologist best known for his expertise in interpreting trauma to bone and a leading authority on saw and knife mark analysis. With 30 years of experience, he has assisted federal, state, local, and international authorities in the identification and analysis of human remains. A sought-after consultant in criminal cases, Dr. Symes has been qualified as an expert for both the prosecution and defense, testifying specifically on forensic tool mark and fracture pattern interpretation in bone, as well as blunt force, ballistic, burned and healing trauma in bone. Certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology and recently retired from the Board of Directors, Dr. Symes has lectured, consulted or testified on trauma cases, among them high-profile human rights cases, in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Peru, El Salvador, Indonesia, Kosovo, South Africa and Europe. In addition, he has authored more than 50 publications and delivered over 100 papers, lectures and workshops on a variety of forensic anthropology topics. He is co-editor of The Analysis of Burned Human Remains, Second Edition published by Elsevier / Academic Press.
Affiliations and expertise
Mercyhurst College, Department of Anthropology, Erie, PA, USARead The Analysis of Burned Human Remains on ScienceDirect