This reference, now in its second edition, is a comprehensive guide that focuses on the practical aspects of excavating and recovering human remains, as well as any associated evidence, from crime scenes. It highlights the protocols and techniques that are used to successfully survey, map, recover, document, collect, and transport evidence. New add

Differences between estimated dental and skeletal ages can provide a gauge of an individual's growth status, which more broadly reflects an individual's health status. This case study provides a summary of the skeletal growth status in a dentally aged 2.0-2.5-year-old (Burial 519) victim of chronic physical abuse from the Kellis 2 cemetery (cal AD 100-450), Egypt. Absolute size of postcranial elements in Burial 519 is generally more similar to a dentally aged 1.5-1.9-year-old cohort than to an age-matched cohort. Growth deficits are least in the skull and greatest in the leg supporting previous studies demonstrating that these regions may be less sensitive and more sensitive, respectively, to environmental stressors. Within the postcranial skeleton, growth deficits are least in the clavicle which may have methodological implications for the skeletal ageing of children. This case study provides an opportunity to examine broader biocultural sources of adversity on skeletal growth in early life.

Examination of the cemetery at ‘Ain Tirghi in eastern Dakhleh from 1982/3 was undertaken in an effort to understand the demographic profile of the oasis; 58 tombs with multiple burials were excavated and around 870 human remains collected for study by a team of bioarchaeologists (Hope 2019a, 277). It was realised, however, that the tombs had not only been plundered, but had been used over a considerable time frame, and consequently the sample was unsuitable for the proposed study (Hope 2019a, 277). The survey and subsequent excavations at Ismant al-Kharab, which revealed an occupancy of around 400 years, indicated that its cemeteries might be fit for the purpose, and in 1991 a tentative exploration of both the Kellis 1 and Kellis 2 cemeteries was undertaken. An examination of Kellis 2 (K2) showed that it was densely filled with pit graves, and some mud-brick structures were also noted (Birrell 1999, 38; Sheldrick 2008, 137); the study of the human remains from this cemetery by the bioarchaeological team has proved to be extremely fruitful and has fulfilled all expectations (Chapter 15). The pit graves are uniformly oriented east–west, and all bodies excavated were placed in the graves with their heads to the west. This is typical of Christian burial practice.

The study of infants and children in antiquity has traditionally been approached through textual, iconographic, or other documentary or archaeological sources for information about their lives and experiences in the past. Another route of enquiry is through the analyses of children's burials and bodies to shed light on their mortuary treatment, and also to examine their lives and ultimately their deaths through the interpretation of their skeletal and dental remains. This chapter provides an overview of the bioarchaeological research being conducted on the fetuses, infants, and children excavated from the Kellis 2 cemetery (c. 100–400 AD), Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt.

Hair has become an invaluable resource in forensic, clinical, and bioarchaeological research. The unique interaction between the growing hair fiber, the hair follicle, and the endocrine system inundates the growing hair fiber with an incremental record of many of the discreet physiological processes of the body. A novel study by Webb et al. (2010) demonstrated that endogenous records of cortisol, the “stress hormone”, are capable of being extracted from archaeological human hair through a modified enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique, thus providing insight into the “invisible” stress experiences of an individual that would otherwise not be detectable through skeletal analysis. This study seeks to apply this technique to archaeological hair from 10 individuals from the Kellis 2 cemetery, Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt to evaluate patterns of cortisol production and to determine whether endogenous patterns of secretion are detectable for the steroid reproductive hormones estradiol and testosterone. All three hormones were identified in each individual within the sample, and analyses revealed that preservation was favorable. Incremental patterning of each hormone appears to reflect endogenous hormone secretion in life. Values for cortisol, estradiol in pre-menopausal females, and testosterone extracted from samples fall within reference values taken from archaeological and clinical research, though estradiol values for males and postmenopausal females exceeded projected reference values. The results of this study demonstrate that steroid reproductive hormones can be preserved in archaeological human hair, and that these hormones can be analyzed to create additional lines of inquiry into bioarcheological studies of ancient health and fertility.

Infancy and childhood have long been recognized as critical periods of increased physiological stress, morbidity, and mortality, and they have therefore been the focus of much research in bioarchaeological investigations in recent years. The Kellis 2 cemetery (c. 100–360 AD) in the Dakhleh Oasis of Egypt provides a unique opportunity to reconstruct the lives, experiences, and deaths of infants and children using a multi-modal approach. This chapter emphasizes the necessity of addressing issues of children’s lives and mortality directly through analyses of their physical remains. In addition, melding analyses of the body with the mortuary treatment, the prevalence of skeletal stress indicators and disease, the data on nutrition and diet, and the patterns of seasonal mortality allows for a more nuanced interpretation of childhood experiences in antiquity.

OBJECTIVES:This study investigates growth patterns in the scapula and clavicle in a cross-sectional juvenile skeletal sample ranging from 20 weeks gestation to 8.5 years of age from the Kellis 2 cemetery, Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt. The primary goal is to quantify growth patterns and growth velocities in the scapula and clavicle to better understand the development of the pectoral girdle.METHODS:A series of low-order polynomial regression models was used to examine growth curves in clavicle diaphyseal length, scapular height, and scapular width. Incremental growth and relative percent increase were examined among successive age groups as a proxy measure of growth velocity. Scapular body proportions were assessed with the scapular index and compared across age groups using a Kruskal-Wallis test with post-hoc tests.RESULTS:A third-order polynomial best describes growth in clavicle diaphyseal length and scapular height, and a second-order polynomial best describes growth in scapular width. Growth velocity patterns are similar among clavicle diaphyseal length, scapular height, and scapular width particularly from birth until the end of early childhood. Clavicle diaphyseal length decelerates during middle childhood while scapular height and width accelerate during this time. With increasing age, the scapular body proportionately increases more in height than in width. The relatively narrow scapular body characteristic of adult scapulae is first evident during early childhood.CONCLUSIONS:Changes in scapular body shape during ontogeny may be a reflection of the greater alterations taking place in the integrated morphology of the pectoral girdle during the biomechanical shift from crawling to bipedalism. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 28:636-645, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.