AA3811 - Introduction to Human Osteoarchaeology
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3 July - 17 July 2027
What can human bones reveal about the lives of people who lived centuries ago? In this two-week intensive course, you'll get hands-on experience in the field of human osteoarchaeology, learning how to examine and interpret skeletal remains to uncover clues about past lives, health and societies.
Combining daily lectures with practical laboratory work at the Centre for Archaeology, Technology and History, you'll have the opportunity to work directly with real human skeletal remains and develop foundational skills used by professional archaeologists. Through practical sessions, you'll learn to identify and distinguish human bones, estimate biological sex, age-at-death and stature, and recognise evidence of disease, injury and other bone pathologies. You'll also explore how bones grow, remodel and respond to different conditions, gaining an understanding of both the possibilities and limitations of interpreting skeletal evidence.
Beyond the laboratory, you'll explore archaeological case studies of burial practices in Britain, from the late Roman to the late Medieval period. Through these examples, you'll consider how skeletal evidence and changing funerary traditions can reveal fascinating insights into past beliefs, lifestyles and population demographics.
Ideal for those interested in archaeology, anthropology and the science of the human past, this course offers a unique opportunity to develop practical skills while exploring the stories that human remains can reveal. You'll gain a new perspective on how we investigate past lives and societies, develop an appreciation of the insights that skeletal evidence can offer, and discover the ways in which archaeology helps us understand our shared human history.
