Excavating a More Recent Past: WWI Mass Grave
When excavating historic sites, we gain access to a level of highly informative data- text. Excavating prehistory means that we only have the archaeological remains to tell us who these […]
Category Archives: Mortuary Sites
On Food and Funerals in the Middle Neolithic
I’ve talked before about the close relationship between food and funerals, specifically in relationship to what Anthony Bourdain has taught me about the importance of food within cultures. The food […]
Beetles, Bones and Burial Practices
If you’ve ever seen a crime scene investigation show, you know that bugs can be an amazing source of evidence. Throughout the show Bones, it is the primary job of […]
St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick was born in 387 CE in Great Britain, not Ireland, and he was considered a pagan for the early years of his life. When he was 16, he […]
Ring-Fenced Burials from Roman Colchester
Sometimes, when we discover burials through archaeological excavation we don’t find markers or above ground indicators that the burial was located there. The cemetery is found because of construction, agriculture, […]
Have Archaeologists Found Cleopatra’s Half-Sister?
Finding the bones of celebrity skeletons is a popular pursuit among some archaeologists, and has been for centuries. The remains of King Arthur were written to have been recovered in […]
Weapon Trauma in Medieval Ireland
Myths and legends of Medieval Ireland describe this era as one of violence and conflict. The tales of Fionn mac Cumhaill and King Arthur describe roaming warbands and battles with […]
Bioarchaeological view of Transition to Agriculture in USA
Agriculture represents a drastic change in the evolution of complex human societies. Archaeological data collected regarding this period attests to a wide ranging adaptive responses including changes in sociopolitical structures, […]
Excavating the Funerary Bundles of Ancón
The MSU Anthropology department hosted a brown bag featuring Amy Krull, an up and coming scholar in mortuary archaeology from Wayne State University on September 14th. Her presentation was titled […]
Bones, Teeth and Climate Change in Japan
As we have seen from other recent articles, it is important to look at changes in environment when addressing changes in population and culture in the past. A re-examination of […]
Bones Don't Lie 