1. Forensic Taphonomy

Question 1

What does a medico-legal investigation involve?

Answer 1

Cause and manner of death
Individual’s biological and social identity
Time of death

Question 2

What is the role of the forensic anthropologist in medico-legal investigations?

Answer 2

Discriminate postmortem changes from perimortem trauma or antemortem characteristics/trauma

Question 3

Define taphonomy

Answer 3

Study of the processes by which organic remains pass from the biosphere into the lithosphere

Question 4

What does a palaeontologist do?

Answer 4

Explain fossilisation and preservation in the geological record
Look at the whole time period: life-death-preservation

Question 5

What are the 2 stages of taphonomy?

Answer 5

Biostratinomy - occurs between the death of an organism and its final burial
Diagenesis - occurs between final burial and recovery

Question 6

What occurs during biostratinomy?

Answer 6

Disarticulation, dispersal, accumulation, fossilisation and mechanical alteration

Question 7

Disarticulation

Answer 7

Occurs when decomposition causes the loss of soft tissue so bones are no longer held together

Question 8

Dispersal

Answer 8

Separation of bones by natural events incl. water, scavenging etc

Question 9

Accumulation

Answer 9

Occurs when there is a gathering of this same organic matter in one place caused by scavenging or humans

Question 10

Fossilisation

Answer 10

Mineral rich water permeates organic material creating a fossil

Question 11

Mechanical alteration

Answer 11

Processes that physically alter the remains e.g. freeze/thaw, burial, transport etc

Question 12

What questions were raised from the Green River Murders (Gary Ridgeway 1980-2001)?

Answer 12

Distinguishing marks of scavenging from other marks on bone
Disarticulation patterns
Scavenger modification of soft tissue

Question 13

What has a rise in taphonomy in forensic investigation caused?

Answer 13

Forensic anthropologist has greater scene presence and has helped to interpret evidence beyond biological parameters

Question 14

What are the cross overs between traditional taphonomy and forensic taphonomy?

Answer 14

Determination of factors which cause destruction or damage to bone
Understanding how remains can move/change/be altered over time
Recognising and understanding human vs non-human causes of bone modification

Question 15

What are the biggest differences between traditional taphonomy and forensic taphonomy?

Answer 15

Due to time line - forensic investigation is also interested in soft tissue

• changes
• decomposition
• modification
• disarticulation
• dispersal
• accumulations

Question 16

What does Gifford (1981) say taphonomy should give us?

Answer 16

1 - scientifically grounded estimates of postmortem interval based on decomposition factors, entomological evidence, chemical methods, associated physical evidence modification

2 - reconstructions of the original position and orientation of the body

3 - characterisations of the role played by human intervention on the remains by “stripping away” all other “natural” agents affecting them

Question 17

Why taphonomy so complex?

Answer 17

Large number of factors have to be taken into account at each scene and their interactions with eachother and the body
Each factor witll change over time and the influence of each factor will change according to the state of the body
Must have an understanding of the sequence and appearance of different factor and their relationships with eachother

Question 18

How are the complex factors grouped?

Answer 18

Environmental factors = external variables (climate - abiotic, organic - biotic)
Individual factors = those the subject themselves bring to decomposition process
Cultural factors = human mortuary activities, embalming, trauma caused by assailant

= 3 way interaction of remains, victim and environment

Question 19

Why do we need an understanding of taphonomy?

Answer 19

Time since death
Differentiating primary and secondary deposition sites
Correct interpretation of bone markings
Maximise recovery of remains
Explain positioning/damage as human/non-human

Question 20

What are the 4 time periods taphonomy is interested in?

Answer 20

1 - antemortem period - just prior to death/deposition
2 - perimortem period - around time of death/deposition
3 - postmortem period - deposition to recovery
4 - post recovery period - recovery to analysis

Question 21

What questions must be asked to interpret the scene?

Answer 21

Has the scene changed?
Is it the same as where death occurred? (primary deposition)
Is it different from where death occurred? (secondary deposition)
What was the scene like when the body was deposited?
Has the presence of the body made any difference to the scene?

Question 22

What needs to be considered when a body is on the surface?

Answer 22

type of surface
urban/rural
water
vegetation
animals
time of year
time since deposition

Question 23

What needs to be considered when a body is in water?

Answer 23

salt/fresh
tidal/still
depth
temperature
machinery
water creatures

Question 24

What needs to be considered when a body is buried?

Answer 24

soil
depth
point of deposition
vegetation
machinery
drainage
land use
animals
time of year

Question 25

What needs to be considered when remains are moved?

Answer 25

Movement on surface/water or in burial environment?
When did it occur?
Why did it occur?
Who caused it?
What does this mean for recovery?

Question 26

What needs to be considered when bone is damaged?

Answer 26

Must be able to recognise normal bone morphology
Understand damage caused by animals - which animals can damage bone and how?
Understand damage caused by environment/weathering/burial environments
What difference has the environment made to analysis of the damage?

Question 27

What about the body itself must be taken into account?

Answer 27

Size
Age
Clothing/wrapping
Injuries
Deposition
Movement

Question 28

What are some research areas among forensic taphonomy?

Answer 28

Grave deposits
Decomposition and transport in water
Mass graves
Mass disaster taphonomy
Degradation of clothing
Fatal fires
Pig scavenging
Environmental effects

Question 29

What are some problems with taphonomic research?

Answer 29

Inclination to presume no soft tissue
N=1
Reconstructed over long time periods
Minimal human interventions
Localised
Impossible to 'control' factors
Use of human analogues
Act of researching itself causes changes to the environment

Question 30

How did bon Bertalanffy (1949) define equifinality?

Answer 30

“reaching the same final state from different initial states” in an open system, one capable of “exchanging materials with its environment”

e.g. reaching the same final state from different initial conditions and in different ways