Osteobiographies

The Discovery, Interpretation and Repatriation of Human Remains

Susan Pfeiffer

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN:
  9780128238806
• eBook ISBN:
  9780128238813
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Biology
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Osteobiographies: 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

Table of contents

• Cover
• Front Matter
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• List of Illustrations
• List of Tables
• Chapter 1 : Osteobiography: A way to see past lives
• Chapter 2 : Rest in peace
• Chapter 3 : Framework for Osteobiographies: Lower Great Lakes
• Chapter 4 : Mobile people making a go of it
• Chapter 5 : We enter the afterlife together
• Chapter 6 : Collaboration and repatriation
• Chapter 7 : Framework for osteobiographies: Eastern and Southern Africa
• Chapter 8 : Lake Turkana: An intriguing osteobiography
• Chapter 9 : Southern African foragers: Geographical and historical context
• Chapter 10 : Southern African foragers: Life histories of past communities
• Chapter 11 : Interpersonal violence among Southern African foragers
• Chapter 12 : Repatriation in an African context
• Chapter 13 : Bones and objects of contention
• Index
• A