ARCH31010 Human Osteoarchaeology

Academic Year 2024/2025

Knowledge of human osteology is key for fields such as archaeology, biological anthropology, forensic anthropology, anatomy, and medicine. This course introduces students to human skeletal anatomy and the field of osteoarchaeology, the study of human skeletal remains from archaeological sites. The first half of the course provides an introduction to skeletal anatomy for anthropologists and archaeologists and covers the entire human skeleton, with sections on growth, development, and pathology. The skeletal anatomy of select fauna will be used to demonstrate the functional morphology of each bone. This second half of the course introduces students to the basic methods of human skeletal analysis, including assessing the age, sex, health, and stature of an individual using their bones. Overall, the module will highlight how osteoarchaeology can aid archaeologists in reconstructing key aspects of past lives—including identity and lived experiences of diet, trauma, and mobility—and contribute to our understanding of what it means to be human, in both the past and the present.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of this module, students should be able to:
• Identify individual bones and recognise key skeletal features
• Distinguish human and non-human bones
• Estimate age, sex, stature, and Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI) from human remains
• Understand how osteoarchaeology can illuminate the identity and lived experiences of people in the past

Indicative Module Content:

Week 1: Anatomical Terminology, Bone Biology, and Ethics + The Skull
Week 2: The Skull + Teeth
Week 3: The Spine and Chest + The Shoulder Girdle
Week 4: The Arm and Forearm + The Wrist
Week 5: The Hand and Fingers + The Pelvic Girdle
Week 6: Open Review
Week 7: The Thigh and Leg + The Ankle and Foot
Week 9: Growth, Development, and Pathology + Estimating Subadult Age
Week 10: Estimating Adult Age + Assessing Sex
Week 11: Comparative Functional Anatomy + Taphonomy, Trauma, MNI, and Stature
Week 12: Open Review

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

12
Laboratories

24
Specified Learning Activities

34
Autonomous Student Learning

130
Total

200
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures
Osteology labs 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): Bone Notebook: You will sketch skeletal elements and features from multiple perspectives, including notes on identification and siding tricks; notebook will also be used for review before assessments. Week 11 Graded No

30

 No
Practical Skills Assessment: Osteology Assessment 1: In-class assessment that will include hands-on identification/assessment of skeletal elements and anatomical features, plus short-answer questions. Week 6 Graded No

35

 No
Practical Skills Assessment: Osteology Assessment 2: In-class assessment that will include hands-on identification/assessment of skeletal elements and anatomical features, plus short-answer questions Week 12 Graded No

35

 No

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

The required textbook is:

Steele, D.G., & Bramblett, C.A. (1988). The anatomy and biology of the human skeleton. Texas A&M University Press.

Additional readings will be posted on the module Brightspace.