ANTH 3450 - Bioarchaeology

Goals: To explore how the study of human skeletal remains and the collaboration of biological anthropologists and archaeologists, using a regional population approach, have enhanced our knowledge of the bio-cultural adaptation of humans.

Content: Bones are eloquent voices from the past. From the single skeleton of the Iceman Otzi to the preserved remains at Vesuvius or the remains of Finnish immigrants in northern Minnesota, human skeletal remains have much to reveal about the past. Problem oriented research topics include the peopling of North America, the biological consequences of the shift to agriculture, the effects of contact and European colonization on populations of the Americas, and the origin and expression of warfare. Methodological approaches include mortuary archaeology, paleodemography, paleopathology, dietary reconstruction, biodistance, biomechanics, and bone chemistry. The ethical and legal factors affecting the study of human remains are also considered.

Taught: Alternate years.

Prerequisite: ANTH 1160. ANTH 3440 is strongly recommended.

Credits: 4 credits