
Human Osteology, Taphonomy, and Forensic Recovery of Human Remains
September 18 - September 22

Human Osteology, Taphonomy, & Forensic Recovery of Human Remains
The role of the forensic anthropologist in the medico-legal system is to assist investigators with the identification of deceased individuals, particularly those in advanced stages of decomposition and those who have skeletonized. Forensic anthropologists specialize in the detailed archaeological recovery of human remains from a variety of contexts, conduct biological and forensic analyses of human remains, and have expert training in detecting patterns of trauma, postmortem alteration of remains, and estimating the time since death. Since forensic anthropology employs the principles of anthropology to analyze legal problems involving human osteological material, it is an applied science that embraces both anthropological and forensic studies.
Workshop Objectives: Attendees of this hands-on workshop will learn proper search and recovery methods used to locate, document, and recover human remains. Improper recovery techniques, however well intentioned, have the potential to destroy or leave behind valuable information that may compromise the investigation or hinder the identification process.