The Bioarchaeology of Individuals

“Illustrates[s] how the study of individuals complements population-level analysis, and enhances understanding of what life was like for earlier populations. The essays offer glimpses into the lives of individuals who lived and died at different times, and represent a variety of geographic and cultural settings from around the world. Recommended.”—Choice

 

“This very readable book presents detail on how the science employed in bioarchaeology allows information to be revealed about the lives and deaths of people of the past.”—Journal of Anthropological Research

 

“Demonstrates a new framework for exploring the tension between social structure and individual agency; dynamic and static; process and event; science, interpretation, and representation.”—American Journal of Physical Anthropology

 

“Offers ‘osteobiographies’ that are vividly illustrated with descriptions of associated finds, new scientific data and broader contextual information.”—Antiquity

 

Focusing on various individuals who walked the earth between 3200 BC and the nineteenth century, the essays in this book examine the lives of nomads, warriors, artisans, farmers, and healers, whose remains were excavated from archaeological sites. This is a book about people—not just bones.

Ann L.W. Stodder is a research associate in anthropology at the Field Museum. Ann M. Palkovich is associate professor emerita of anthropology at George Mason University.