Exam 2 Flashcards
What is forensic anthropology?
Scientific discipline applying methods of archaeology and biological/physical anthropology to the collection and analysis of legal evidence
What kinds of cases can forensic anthropologists help with?
Terrorist attacks, natural disasters, crime against humanity, plane crashes
How can forensic anthropologists help in the search for remains?
Surface finds, subsurface burials, burnt remains, bodies in a compromised state of any sort
What role does archaeology play in forensic anthropology?
?**
What kinds of information can forensic anthropologists get from the bones?
Age, sex, ancestry/race, stature (height), health info, activity indicators
What do we look for to tell the sex of an individual from the bones?
Skull & pelvis
What do we look for to tell the age?
Teeth
Compare techniques for aging subadults (kids) and adults
?**
Can we figure out how tall a person was just from their bones? How?
Yes, by measuring the thigh bone
Can we tell what kind of diseases a person had from the bones? How?
Yes, if you’ve been sick for more than a few months then you can see it in the bones
How can forensic anthropologists help in studying trauma?
Can help in cases of abuse and neglect
What is the postmortem interval?
Time since death
Can injuries a person received during his/her lifetime actually be useful to a forensic anthropologist? How?
Yes, it can help identify them
Is it possible to tell the difference between the trauma caused by a knife, and a saw, or a gun? How?
A gun shot is considered blunt force trauma, and a knife caused a sharp force trauma. A gun shot causes cracking and a saw eats the bone and creates bone dust
How is sex (being male or female) biological?
It’s your DNA
How is gender (being man or woman) cultural?
When it comes to gender the society defines your role
Are the terms sex and gender equally interchangeable? Why or why not?
No because males or females can be considered the opposite gender than their sex
What is the Cheyenne “two spirit”? How did they dress? What role did the “two spirit” or “berdache” serve in the Cheyenne community?
Two spirit is the third gender in Cheyenne culture. A male would find out on their vision quest that they were two spirit. They would dress as women, speak of themselves as women, and be taken on as a second wife. Ceremonial roles, especially in times of transition- birth, marriage, death.