| Forensic Archaeology |
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Forensic archaeology is the application of a combination of Archaeological techniques and Forensic Science , typically in Law Enforcement . Forensic archaeologists are employed by police to excavate gravesites and reconstruct events that took place prior to the burial of the victim or victims. Excavating a grave under archaeological conditions can provide valuable evidence on the time and circumstances of burial, the manner of death, and the tools and techniques used for Interment . Associated disciplines can aid in the fine detail from such excavations, for example the analysis of pollen, plant remains and ash from within a grave by a forensic botanist may allow the reconstruction of the environment a victim has been in prior to their burial in the grave. APPLICATIONS Forensic archaeologist participate in both the location and excavation of buried remains, recovering human remains, personal effects, weapons, stolen goods, and other potential evidence of the crime or mishap. Forensic archaeology has developed alongside disciplines including archaeological object conservation, as a knowledge of the chemical and biological processes involved in the degradation of materials (known as Taphonomy ) is required for both forensic archaeology and archaeological conservation. The forensic archaeologist studies and predicts the survival of items buried within the ground in order to explain the pattern of evidence found, whereas the archaeological conservator studies the same processes in order to stop them further destroying archaeological artifacts. Study of the degradation processes of a human body after death correlates to the survival of associated items and trace evidence (e.g. fingerprints, hairs, DNA, paint flakes, etc.) useful to law enforcement or other authorities. METHODS Forensic archaeologists use several technologies to help locate buried objects, including Geophysical Prospection , Aerial Photography , Satellite Imagery , and surveying. When dealing with human remains the traditional disciplines associated with archaeology can also be of benefit to an investigation and the study of osteoarchaeology (the archaeological study of the skeleton). This has led, in the UK, to the adoption of the US field of study of forensic anthropology, which uses the human skeletal remains to help determine the age, sex, height, manner of death etc. of an individual. The addition of techniques from Palaeopathology (the study of human skeletal remains to understand the health of individuals in the past) to forensic anthropology has allowed the examination of injuries prior to (anti-mortem), around (peri-mortem), and after (post-mortem), the time of death of a victim as well as helping identify individuals from their medical records. Prior to the development of forensic archaeology in the mid 1990s, it was more common for police to dig out a grave hurriedly in pursuit of the body without looking more closely at its Archaeological Context . The use of 1m grids often lead to a confused evidential record with items found in the soil from a grave being associated with several grid numbers instead of labeling the grave soil & body (a context number) and associating items found in the grave (evidence) with that label. As well as being used in individual criminal cases, forensic archaeologists have been employed by international organizations like the UN to excavate War Crime or Genocide graves at several sites in the former Yugoslavia , Rwanda and Iraq . There is also a role in the developing area of Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) where archaeological approaches to large disaster scenes may help with both the correct identification of bodies or body parts and also any later police or other authorities investigation (e.g. terrorist attacks or in plane crashes). SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS US Universities with courses or expertise in forensic archaeology. UK Universities with courses or expertise in forensic archaeology.
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