The most direct evidence we have concerning earlier human populations is the physical remains of the people themselves. This volume provides a pragmatic and up-to-date account of scientific analysis of human skeletal remains, and its application in tackling major historical and archaeological issues.

The Archaeology of Human Bones starts with a brief introduction to the anatomy, structure and development of bones and teeth. It analyses the biasing effects of decay and incomplete recovery on burial data from archaeological sites, and discusses what we may learn about ancient burial rituals from human remains. Subsequent chapters focus on the demographic analysis of ancient populations, normal skeletal variation, ancient disease and injury, the chemical analysis of bone, the study of ancient DNA, and the study of cremated remains. Examples are taken from archaeological studies around the world.

The Archaeology of Human Bones is a well-illustrated textbook for students of archaeology, explaining current scientific methods—technical jargon kept to a minimum—alongside critical discussion of their strengths and weaknesses.

The author

Simon Mays is a Human Skeletal Biologist in the Ancient Monuments Laboratory, English Heritage.