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Considering Conservation of Human Skeletal Remains in Archaeological Contexts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 March 2019

Carolyn Freiwald  and
Katherine A. Miller Wolf Open the ORCID record for Katherine A. Miller Wolf [Opens in a new window]
Carolyn Freiwald*
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Mississippi, 544 Lamar, 615 Grove Loop, University, MS, 38677, USA
Katherine A. Miller Wolf
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Geography, Indiana University East, Tom Raper Hall, Richmond, IN, 47374, USA
*
(crfreiwa@olemiss.edu, corresponding author)
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Abstract

The articles in this issue present bioarchaeological case studies from across the globe, including North and Central America, East Asia, Europe, and the Near East. Some bioarchaeology projects are new and others are decades old, but common challenges emerge as researchers apply conservation standards to real situations in the field: a lack of training or resources for long-term curation of human remains, the lag between excavation and analysis of remains, and environmental challenges that include melting permafrost, tropical storms, and a variety of pests such as molds, fungi, bats, snakes, and insects. The studies also address ethical considerations about the use of digital images of human remains, molecular and isotopic methods that require the destruction of human tissue samples, the ability of fast-paced cultural resource management (CRM) projects to address the needs of descendant communities, and the responsibility that we have to the people we study. Techniques for addressing these challenges include new computer programs, more advanced photographic software, and research on the effects of conservation techniques that provide new “standards” for bioarchaeologists. We highlight the importance of each contribution and discuss the future of conservation in bioarchaeology.

Los estudios en esta edición presentan estudios bioarqueológicos de todo el mundo, incluyendo Mesoamérica, los Estados Unidos, Europa, y China y Mongolia. Aunque algunos proyectos de bioarqueología son nuevos y otros tienen décadas de antigüedad, desafíos comunes surgen a medida que los investigadores aplican los estándares de conservación a situaciones reales en el campo: falta de capacitación o de recursos para la conservación a largo plazo y de alta calidad de restos humanos; el desfase entre la excavación y el análisis de los restos; y desafíos ambientales que incluyen derretimiento del permafrost, tormentas tropicales y una variedad de plagas como moho, hongos, murciélagos, serpientes e insectos. Los estudios también abordan consideraciones éticas cruciales sobre el uso de imágenes de restos humanos, avances moleculares y de isótopos que requieren cada vez más la destrucción de muestras de tejido humano, la capacidad de proyectos de rescate de recursos culturales (CRM) de ritmo rápido para abordar adecuadamente las necesidades de las comunidades descendientes, y la responsabilidad básica que tiene un osteólogo para con las personas que está estudiando. Las técnicas para abordar estos desafíos incluyen nuevos programas informáticos, software fotográfico más avanzado e investigación sobre los efectos de las técnicas de conservación que pueden proporcionar nuevos “estándares” para los bioarqueólogos. Destacamos la importancia de cada contribución en el contexto de la literatura desde perspectivas museológicas, arqueológicas y éticas. Finalizamos con algunas reflexiones sobre el futuro de la conservación en contextos bioarqueológicos.

Keywords

Curationbioarchaeologyphotogrammetryburialosteologyconservationethicscuraciónbioarqueologíafotogrametríaentierrososteologíaconservaciónética
Type
Articles
Information
Advances in Archaeological Practice , Volume 7 , Special Issue 1: The Practice and Ethics of Skeletal Conservation , February 2019 , pp. 3 - 9
Copyright
Copyright 2019 © Society for American Archaeology 

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Footnotes

1

Both authors contributed equally to the manuscript.

References

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