FORENSIC
ANTHROPOLOGY
WHAT IS IT?
WHAT DOES A FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGIST DO?
HOW DOES ONE BECOME A FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGIST?
Forensic Anthropology
Defined as “the field of study that deals with the analysis of human
skeletal remains resulting from unexplained deaths.”
Often done in a legal context
An applied science
ANTHROPOLOGY
Study of humans – holistic view
5 subdisciplines:
1. Biological, or physical anthropology
2. Archaeology
3. Cultural anthropology
4. Linguistics
5. Applied anthropology
What do forensic
anthropologists do?
CONSULTING: PART-TIME
MEDICAL EXAMINER’S OFFICE: FULL-TIME
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT: DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Consulting Cases
Goal: Biological Profile
Includes:
1. General Description
2. Sex of decedent
3. Age of decedent
4. Ancestry of decedent
5. Stature of decedent
6. Assessment of trauma (ante-, peri-, post mortem)
7. Pathologies noted
Osteology: study of skeletal remains
Each bone studied INDIVIDUALLY
Frontal
Maxilla
Parietal
Osteology
Human bone –vs- Animal bone
Macroscopic differences
Microscopic differences
Macroscopic differences
Greater Trocanter
Head
Lesser Trocanter
Medail and Lateral
epicondyles
(patellar side)
Baboon femur
Human femur
Microscopic differences
This is a microphoto is human bone use to id human
remains from other mammals. The round features are
secondary osteons photographed using polarizing light.
Microscopic differences
Human bone thin section
Dinosaur bone thin section
Osteology
Parts of bone important to know
Ridges
Projections
Grooves
Openings (foramina)
Osteology
Teeth also studied
Deciduous –vs- Permanent
Osteology
Radiographs
Information derived from
skeletal remains
SEX of decedent
Hip bone
Skull
Pubic face
Sciatic notch
Pelvic Girdle – Male vs. Female
Female
(Fibrocartilage)
Male
Determining Age At Death
Infant Skull or Not?
Teeth
Have deciduous teeth fallen out?
Have wisdom teeth erupted?
Epiphyses
An epiphysis is a region
of bone growth found at
the ends of bone shafts.
These regions are not
fused to the rest of the
bone shaft during the
ages of grwoth.
Once growth has
ceased, they fuse with
the shaft. Usually after
the age of 17.
Fused = adult
Unfused epiphyseal plate = juvenile (under age 17)
Fused Epiphysis
Older
Even Older
Determining Ancestry
More info from skeletal remains
ANCESTRY of decedent
Difficult determination to make
Facial bones most important
Nasal aperture
Teeth
Interorbital space
Mandible
Negroid/African Skull
Mongoloid/Asian Skull
Caucasian/European Skull
Aboriginal/Australian Skull
Determining Stature
Stature estimate
Measure long bone(s) available
Plug in value to a formula
Range established for stature of decedent
5’ 2” – 5’ 5”
Determining Cause of Death or
Other Injuries
Other info…
TRAUMA and PATHOLOGIES
Antemortem – before death
Postmortem – after death
Perimortem – at death or
around time of death
Perimortem Injuries
Iron age period male with perimortem sword
wound to the skull.
Injury occurred at or around the time of death and may
have even caused the death
Antemortem Injuries
Injuries that occurred during
the decedent's lifetime – they
appear healed.
Antemortem Injuries
Postmortem Changes
The Inca Battlefield Mystery
• www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/inca/grav-nf.html
Rediscovering Pompeiani
• Giuseppe Fiorelli took charge of the excavations in 1860.
During early excavations of the site, occasional voids in
the ash layer had been found that contained human
remains.
• It was Fiorelli who realized these were spaces left by the
decomposed bodies and so devised the technique of
injecting plaster into them to perfectly recreate the forms
of Vesuvius's victims.
• What resulted were highly accurate and eerie forms of
the doomed Pompeiani who failed to escape, in their last
moment of life, with the expression of terror often quite
clearly visible.
• This technique is still in use today, with resin now used
instead of plaster because it is more durable.
THE END