Of osteobiography

Osteobiography provides a rich basis for understanding the past, but its conceptual framework has not been outlined systematically.
Osteobiography reveals a different kind of history, the history of the body as a locus of appearance and social identity, work, health and experience.
Osteobiographies are developed by tacking between an individual's remains and the wider skeletal population to establish a contextualized life history.

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What legal implications are associated with osteobiography in forensic investigations?

Osteobiography in forensic investigations can impact legal proceedings through the interpretation of skeletal remains, potentially influencing determinations of identity, cause of death, or trauma. Expert testimony based on osteobiography must be scientifically valid and reliable to be admissible in court. Misinterpretation may lead to wrongful conviction or acquittal. Proper methodology and peer review are crucial to minimizing legal risks.

How is osteobiography used to establish the identity of unknown remains?

Osteobiography is used to establish the identity of unknown remains by analyzing skeletal features to provide information on age, sex, ancestry, stature, and unique characteristics or medical conditions. This information is compared with missing persons' reports or databases to help identify the deceased individual.

What ethical considerations should be taken into account when conducting an osteobiography?

Ethical considerations in osteobiography include ensuring respect for the de

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Pic: The beginning of writing an osteobiography always starts with what can be a lengthy process of note-taking.

I’ve stated the word “osteobiography” a few times in my blog posts. Recently it occurred to me that although I know what I’m talking about, others might not! So today I’ll give you a brief introduction to what an osteobiography is, and the process of writing one. First things first, it takes years of training and experience to learn how to analyze skeletal remains and write up osteobiographies. Osteoarchaeologists (bioarchaeologists interchangeably) have spent their time learning the necessary skills and knowledge, and gathering the important experience, to learn how to do this. That’s why we’re designated as “osteoarchaeologists”. Many archaeologists have a basic set of knowledge/recognition of human skeletal elements (we refer to individual bones as ‘elements’), but it’s always best to have an osteoarchaeologist handy to lend their specialized skills when skeletal remains are found. Ev

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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 May 26.

Published in final edited form as: Bioarchaeol Int. 2019;3(1):16–31. doi: 10.5744/bi.2019.1006

Abstract

What is osteobiography good for? The last generation of archaeologists fought to overcome the traditional assumption that archaeology is merely ancillary to history, a substitute to be used when written sources are defective; it is now widely acknowledged that material histories and textual histories tell equally valid and complementary stories about the past. Yet the traditional assumption hangs on implicitly in biography: osteobiography is used to fill the gaps in the textual record rather than as a primary source in its own right. In this article we compare the textual biographies and material biographies of two thirteenth-century townsfolk from medieval England—Robert Curteis, attested in legal records, and “Feature 958,” excavated archaeologically and studied osteobiographically. As the former shows, textual biographies of ordinary people mostly reveal a few traces of financial or legal transactions. Interpreting thes