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Advances in Documentation of Commingled and Fragmentary Remains

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 March 2019

Anna J. Osterholtz Open the ORCID record for Anna J. Osterholtz [Opens in a new window]
Anna J. Osterholtz*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, Mississippi State University, P.O. Box AR, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA (aosterholtz@anthro.msstate.edu)
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Abstract

Commingled and fragmentary remains are found in numerous contexts worldwide. These assemblages typically require large scale, long term study to fully extract and contextualize meaningful data. However, when uncovered in CRM and foreign settings where remains cannot leave their country of origin, there is a need for quick, reliable data collection. Presented here is a recording system for use in field- and research-based laboratory settings. Utilizing visual forms and a minimal set of observations for skeletal elements from the cranium to the foot, the database facilitates data collection of fragment identification, age at death and sex estimation, dental observations, trauma recording, and taphonomic observations. A data dictionary is also provided, with definitions and value lists used in the database itself. The database has been used in field labs throughout the old world and by numerous researchers who have modified it to meet their own research needs. By presenting a minimal standard of data in a highly adaptable database, the recording system described here provides consistent baseline data in a user-friendly, quick-access format

Restos óseos mezclados y en estado fragmentario se encuentran en numerosos contextos en todo el mundo. Estos conjuntos típicamente requieren estudios a gran escala y de largo plazo para completamente extraer y contextualizar los datos significativos. Sin embargo, cuando se descubren durante actividades de gestión de recursos culturales o en contextos internacionales donde los restos no pueden salir de su país de origen, se necesita una manera confiable y rápida de recolectar datos. En este articulo presentamos un sistema de registro que puede emplearse en laboratorios de campo o de investigación. Utilizando formas visuales y un conjunto mínimo de observaciones para los elementos esqueléticos desde el cráneo hasta el pie, esta base de datos facilita la recopilación de información sobre identificación de fragmentos, estimación del sexo y de la edad al momento de la muerte, observaciones dentales, registro de trauma y observaciones tafonómicas. También se proporciona un diccionario de datos con definiciones y listas de valores usados en la base de datos. La base de datos ha sido usada en laboratorios de campo en todo el mundo y por numerosos investigadores quienes la han modificado para satisfacer sus propias necesidades de investigación. Al presentar un estándar mínimo de datos en una base de datos altamente adaptable, el sistema de registro descrito aquí provee datos de referencia consistentes en un formato fácil de usar y de rápido acceso.

Keywords

data managementrecording methodsbioarchaeologycommingled remainsfragmentary remainsdatabasepathologytraumatic lesionsgestión de datosmétodos de registrobioarqueologíarestos mezcladosrestos fragmentadosbase de datospatologíalesiones traumáticas
Type
How to Series
Information
Advances in Archaeological Practice , Volume 7 , Special Issue 1: The Practice and Ethics of Skeletal Conservation , February 2019 , pp. 77 - 86
Copyright
Copyright 2019 © Society for American Archaeology 

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References

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