The Science of Skeletons: Introduction to Bioarchaeology

15.03.2023
17:00 - 18:30
Jess Beck, University College Dublin

This lecture will offer an introduction to bioarchaeology, the analysis of human skeletons from archaeological sites. In the lecture, we will discuss how bioarchaeologists use scientific techniques to understand aspects of identity such as age and sex. We will also discuss how osteologists can investigate the lived experiences of disease, mobility, and trauma that are embodied in human skeletal remains. Our case studies will focus on Copper Age Iberia (c.3250–2200 BCE) and assess how bioarchaeologists are beginning to develop an understanding of social organization and inequality during this period by using evidence from mortuary archaeology and bioarchaeology.