Fragmentation: the zonation method applied to fragmented human remains from archaeological and forensic contexts
Knüsel, Christopher J.; Outram, Alan K
Date: 1 April 2004
Article
Journal
Environmental Archaeology
Publisher
Oxbow Books for the Association for Environmental Archaeology
Publisher DOI
Abstract
Scattered and commingled human and animal remains are commonly encountered on archaeological
sites, and this contextual relationship begs the question of whether human and animals were treated in a
similar manner before burial. The recording system presented here provides a means by which to confront
problems of equifinality - that ...
Scattered and commingled human and animal remains are commonly encountered on archaeological
sites, and this contextual relationship begs the question of whether human and animals were treated in a
similar manner before burial. The recording system presented here provides a means by which to confront
problems of equifinality - that is, when taphonomic alterations create apparently similar patterns and,
therefore, confuse behavioural inferences drawn from them. This method hinges on a standardised
representation of the zones on human skeletal elements that allow comparison with those described by
Dobney and Rielly (1988) for animal remains. It is anticipated that the anatomical descriptions in
combination with the zone drawings presented will aid others to apply the method generally across
skeletal assemblages of any date. This system could also be used to aid the curation of museum collections
and as a complement to forensic recovery.
Archaeology and History
Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
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