Archaeology Flashcards
What is archaeology?
The study of the past through the systematic recovery and analysis of material culture
What are the main uses of archaeology?
Forensic
Humanitarian
Archaeological
What are the main applications of forensic archaeology?
Criminal case work
War crimes and genocide
Mass disasters
What is forensic archaeology?
The location and recovery of evidence from forensic contexts using methods based on standard archaeological procedures
What does forensic archaeology include?
- locating human remains
- maximising recovery
- assessing spatial and temporal relationships relative to death, burial or dispersal
- differentiating ante, peri and post mortem movement and modifications
- interpreting site formation from the scene context
Why is excavation a “one off”?
Crime scene is destroyed once evidence is collected
What is the law of association?
Objects in the same layer were deposited at the same time
What is the law of superposition?
Layers are deposited youngest upon oldest
What are the 3 main factors of the nature of burial?
- burial type: primary/secondary, disturbed/undisturbed, individual/multiple, inhumation/cremation
X
-body position: extended/semi extended/flexed - orientation: prone/supine
What are other factors included in the nature of burial?
- size, shape and location of grave
- 3D location of body within the grave
- evidence a body was removed
What do forensic archaeologists look for?
- nature of burial
- taphonomic condition
What are the main taphonomic conditions?
- fleshed remains (putrefaction and saponification)
- mummified remains
- skeletonised remains
- cremation
- negative impressions
- silhouettes
What are the types of mummification?
- frozen
- bog body: preserved in water logged conditions, skin and hair often survive
- desiccated mummy: desert mummification by dehydration
Which 2 main factors affect preservation?
- Burial environment
2. Grave contents
What are the components of burial environment affecting preservation?
- sunlight
- soil pH
- moisture
- flora and fauna
What are the factors of grave contents that affect preservation?
- number of bodies in a grave
- wrappings
- trauma
Burial environment: sunlight
Remains exposed on the surface do not survive well
Burial environment: soil pH
- high pH= good preservation
- low pH= poor preservation
Burial environment: moisture
- helps preserve organic remains
- anaerobic environment
Burial environment: flora and fauna
- roots sap nutrients from bone
- microorganisms and insects digest organic material
- scavengers dismember and consume remains
Grave contents: number of bodies
- densely packed bodies preserve better than single bodies
Grave contents: wrappings
- clothing, carpets, plastic bags create a micro environment that preserves bodies longer
Grave contents: trauma
- open wounds allow faster decomposition
What is the biggest factor affecting preservation?
Time
Christian cemeteries
- on back
- body aligned east west
- Roman Catholic: head to the west
- Protestant: head to the east
Islamic cemeteries
- on right side
- facing Mecca
- no burial goods
What are types of evidence used to determine a primary scene?
- presence of weapon in situ
- presence of shell casings
- presence of bullet track in soil
What is evidence of a secondary burial location?
- physical evidence removed from the primary scene (eg carpet used to carry body, glass)
- grass, soil or other debris is often brought with the body
What are some signs that a body has been moved?
- decomposition means that body parts are often left behind
- small personal items or ballistics often slip down below the level of the body and may be left behind
- body fluids seep into the ground and may be detected long after a body has been moved
