The Bioarchaeology of Children Perspectives from Biological and Forensic Anthropology

About this book

This book is the first to be entirely devoted to the study of children's skeletons from archaeological and forensic contexts. It provides an extensive review of the osteological methods and theoretical concepts of their analysis. Non-adult skeletons provide a wealth of information on the physical and social life of the child from their growth, diet and age at death, to factors that expose them to trauma and disease at different stages of their lives. This book covers the factors that affect non-adult skeletal preservation; the assessment of their age, sex and ancestry; growth and development; infant and child mortality including infanticide; weaning ages and disease of dietary deficiency; skeletal pathology; personal identification and exposure to trauma from birth injuries, accidents and child abuse; providing new insights for graduates and postgraduates in osteology, palaeopathology and forensic anthropology.

Contents

1. The bioarchaeology of children; 2. Fragile bones and shallow graves; 3. Age, sex and ancestry; 4. Growth and development; 5. Difficult births, precarious lives; 6. Little waifs: weaning and dietary stress; 7. Non-adult skeletal pathology; 8. Trauma in the child; 9. Future directions; References.

Customer Reviews

Biography

Mary E. Lewis is a lecturer at the University of Reading and has taught palaeopathology and forensic anthropology to undergraduate and postgraduate students for over ten years. Mary is also an advisor to the police and is currently a registered Forensic Anthropologist for Ministry of Defence.