Theme:
1. Archaeologists and Archaeology Here and Now
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
Human Forensic Taphonomy – How Multidisciplinary Approaches Shed Light on Past Funerary Practices
Content:
Over the last decades, human taphonomy became an important research field within the study of funeral practices and burials of the past. For a better understanding of mortuary practices in history and prehistory, in-depth knowledge of the natural processes of cadaver decomposition is indispensable. There are various external factors, such as environmental and climatic conditions but also human behavior, which affect the rate of decomposition. The analyses of burnt and cremated human remains, for instant, involves great challenges. Other examples are human remains found in water but also conserved bodies due to volcanic activity, bogs or frozen remains that date thousands of years ago. Those are rare and outstanding archaeological findings that can provide valuable information about decomposition under rigorous conditions. On the other hand, the methodological approaches of forensic taphonomy, modern cases and experimental research should be taken into consideration to understand the impact and influence of various external factors. Forensic taphonomy is a cross-cutting approach, which uses the knowledge of several disciplines, such as for example forensic medicine, imaging, toxicology, biological anthropology, archaeothanatology, odontology, entomology, botany and environmental sciences.
The aim of the session is to bring together various scientific fields to gain insights on the influences of different external factors and natural environments on buried human remains and how this knowledge should be used for further historic and prehistoric interpretations.
Keywords:
Human Taphonomy, Funeral practices, Decomposition, Archaeology, Anthropology, Interdisciplinary Research
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
Main organiser:
Negahnaz Moghaddam (Switzerland) 1,2
Co-organisers:
Vincent Varlet (Switzerland) 1
Tatiana Shvedchikova (Russia) 3
Orsolya Mateovics-László (Hungary) 4
Affiliations:
1. Swiss Human Institute of Forensic Taphonomy, University Centre of Legal Medicine Lausanne-Geneva
2. Unit of Forensic Imaging and Anthropology, University Centre of Legal Medicine Lausanne-Geneva
3. -
4. Hungarian National Museum, Archaeological Heritage Directorate
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