Osteology of Infants And Children

Texas A&M University Anthropology Series

by Brenda J. Baker, Tosha L. Dupras, Matthew W. Tocheri

Most archaeologists and bioarchaeologists receive little or no training in the recognition of skeletal remains of fetuses, infants, and children. Yet many research sites may contain such materials. Without a framework for identifying the bones or the excavation techniques suited to their recovery, archaeologists may often overlook subadult skeletal remains or even confuse them with animal bones.

The Osteology of Infants and Children fills the need for a field and lab manual on this important topic and provides a supplemental textbook for human osteology courses. Focusing on juvenile skeletons, their recovery and identification, and siding in both field and lab settings, the volume provides basic descriptions and careful illustrations of each skeletal element at varying stages of development, along with sections on differentiation from other bones and siding tips.

The book offers detailed treatment of the skull and teeth, including the cranial vault and facial bones, and examines the infracranial vertebrae, pelvis, chest, shoulders, arms, hands, legs, and feet. A quick reference guide explains age estimation and identification templates.

The illustrations are enhanced by photographs from two recent archaeology projects in Egypt, at Abydos and Dakhleh Oasis. The extensive collection of fetal and child remains from these sites provides new reference material unavailable in previous publications, making this manual an unparalleled resource in the field of physical anthropology.

Genres: Anthropology, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published July 19, 2005

Reviews

[Sian Halcrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource for the identification of infant and child human remains with illustrations of the bones. A must have for students in the field and much more affordable than other texts of the same nature.

[Xochiquetzalli · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a wonderful book for those of us working with bones belonging to children, infants and other non-adults. Unlike other books, this one goes into more detail concerning the development of each individual bone and how they interacte with others. The pictures are marvelous (I've yet to find a book with photographs of juvenile bones) and extremely helpful. The only thing I can think of that can profit from improvement would be charts (such as the ones in Black and Scheur, 2000) to help determine age at death.
Without a doubt, this book is a must-have for any person (or osteological lab) working with non-adults. Easy enough to understand for beginners, and detailed enough for people with more experience.

[Roseanna]

good reference for juvanile remains.