PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY

The laboratory of Physical Anthropology together with those of Archaeozoology and Palaeobotany is part of the so called bioarchaeological disciplines that focus on human, animal and plant remains coming from archaeological contexts.The study of human skeletal remains (other types of remains are much rarer to deal with) allows us to collect data on sex, age, physical features, stress indicators and markers, skeletal and dental pathologies of a single subject or of a whole human group who lived in the past and allows the comparison among skeletal series. Fundamental issues are also those related to the burial archaeology on the field (burial typology, types of deposition, taphonomical data, evaluation of the topographical and chronological extension of the burial places, their intensity and continuity of use, relationships with settlement areas or other places, internal organization and variations in time) in order to train professional figures capable to intervene during and after the excavation of human skeletal remains from cemeteries and necropolises.

This course allows to acquire a basic knowledge of human osteology and anatomy useful to the study and description of human skeletal remains in physical anthropology. Lessons are always followed by practical seminars on human bone materials and casts in order to evaluate and solve the human/non human, complete/fragmented, left /right problems and all the methodologies commonly employed in this field to sex and age the remains. Students should be able to fill laboratory sheets recording metrical, morphometrical, morphological and discontinuous traits, markers of occupational stress and skeletal and dental pathologies. Case studies will be presented during lectures.

none- Those required by the degree

Programme of the course
The study of human bone materials
1- Human osteology, deciduous and permanent dentition
2- Sex and age determination
3- Physical features, stature estimation
4- Measurements and Indices
5- Paleopathology
6- Markers of occupational stress and discontinuos traits
7- Ethical issues
The excavation of burials
1-Taphonomy of human remains
2- Burial archaeology and the archaeology of death
3-Field recording
4- Case studies

Lecture notes, slides and didactic material given by the lecturer (mandatory)
reference books (non mandatory and available in the Library):
F. Mallegni e M. Rubini (a cura di), 1994. Recupero dei materiali scheletrici in archeologia. CISU, Roma.
F. Mallegni e B. Lippi (a cura di) 2009. Non Omnis Moriar. CISU, Roma.
A reading list will be suggested during the course.

written final text with open questions

Lessons
Training classes on human bone samples
Tutorials on methodological casts for sex and age determination
Seminars on measurements and indices in anthropology

Italian

written