Biological Anthropology of the Human Skeleton

"This book is virtually required reading for biological anthropologists and will be a useful, up-to-date primer on osteological analyses for a wider audience." -The Quarterly Review of Biology, March 2009"... a comprehensive guide to the ever-changing discipline of physical anthropology... provides an in depth introduction to human skeletal biology. The structure of the book makes it easy for the reader to follow the progression of the field of human skeletal biology." -PaleoAnthropology, 2009 IssueThe First Edition of Biological Anthropology of the Human Skeleton is the market-leading reference and textbook on the scientific analysis of human skeletal remains recovered from archaeological sites. Now, featuring scores of new or thoroughly revised content, this Second Edition provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of the topic available.Like the previous edition, this Second Edition is organized into five parts with contributing chapters written by experts in the field of human skeletal biology: Part One covers theory and application; Part Two discusses morphological analyses of bone, teeth, and age changes; Part Three reviews prehistoric health and disease; Part Four examines chemical and genetic analysis of hard tissues; and Part Five closes with coverage of quantitative methods and population studies. Each chapter includes a review of recent studies, descriptions of analytical techniques and underlying assumptions, theory, methodological advances, and speculation about future research.New or thoroughly revised content includes:Techniques in the analysis of human skeletal and dental remainsExtensive coverage of new technologies, including modern morphometric techniquesAdvances in the field of forensic anthropologyEnhanced discussion of ethical terms regarding the study of aboriginal peoples' remains where those people are no longer the dominant cultureThis book serves as an indispensable research guide to biological anthropologists, osteologists, paleoanthropologists, and archaeologists. Now with a stronger focus on teaching complex material to students, this revised edition provides enhanced case studies and discussions for future directions, making it an invaluable textbook for advanced undergraduates and graduate students in biological anthropology and forensic anthropology programs.

M. ANNE KATZENBERG, received her Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Toronto in 1983. She holds a university professorship at the University of Calgary(Department of Archaeology). Her research interests include diet and health in past peoples, and in particular, she explores the various applications of stable isotope analysis to reconstructing paleodiet, paleodemography, and ecology. She serves on the editorial board of the Yearbook of Physical Anthropology and is the vice-president of the Paleopathology Association. In 2003, she was elected to the Royal Society of Canada. She serves as a consultant in forensic anthropology for the Medical Examiner of Alberta (southern division). Recent publications include “Identification of historical human skeletal remains: a case study using skeletal and dental age, history and DNA” International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2005, with G. Oetelaar, J. Oetelaar, C. Fitzgerald, D. Yang, and S.R. Saunders, and “Skeletal Biology: Great Lakes Area,” Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 3, 2006, edited by D.H. Ubelaker. She is co-editor, with Stanley Ambrose of Close to the Bone: Biogeochemical Approaches to Paleodietary Analyses in Archaeology (Plenum Press, 2001).

SHELLEY R. SAUNDERS, received her Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Toronto in 1977. She is currently a professor in the Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, and the director of the McMaster Anthropology Hard Tissue and Light Microscopy Laboratory. Her research covers microscopic and macroscopic human dental and skeletal growth and development, dental pathology, and methods of sex and age estimation from teeth and bones. She holds a Canada Research Chair in Human Disease and Population Origins and is the founder of the McMaster Ancient DNA Centre. She is also North American editor of the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology and was elected to the Royal Society of Canada in 2001. Recent publications include the coauthored article, “Health of infants in an Imperial Roman skeletal sample: perspective from dental microstructure,” American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2006, and “Sexual dimorphism of the dental tissues in human permanent mandibular canines and first premolars,” American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2007, with A.H.W. Chan, B. Kahlon, H.F. Kluge, and C.M. FitzGerald.