The Value of Archaeological Human Remains
Skeletal remains constitute the most direct evidence to enable the reconstruction of biology, health, diet, social structure, violence and trauma within past populations. When integrated with historical and archaeological information, osteological analysis can provide a more thorough understanding of the lifeways of ancient individuals and populations. Traditional methods of studying human remains include visual inspection and metrical analysis, while more modern applications, such as medical imaging, are now providing additional tools for the study of archaeological and fossil specimens.
Bioarchaeology involves incorporating the analysis of human remains with the cultural and socioeconomic context to provide valuable insights into the health, diet and socioeconomic environments of past populations. As opposed to artefacts and structural evidence, human remains are unique in the archaeological record because they directly represent the lifeways of the past.
Both the burial context and treatment of the remains tell us about changing concepts and customs around death, identity and community. Skeletal development and pathology reveals information about the environments of past populations and how variations in cultural practices and socioeconomic environments impacted their health. We can utilise skeletal evidence to elucidate disease, nutrition, childhood health and development, inequality and interpersonal violence. We can also explore major events such as epidemics, famines and warfare, and changing social attitudes to status, biological sex, disease and disability.
History and Development of Bioarchaeology
Bioarchaeology or osteoarchaeology developed as a specific discipline in the latter half of the 20th century. Research into archaeological human remains had certainly taken place prior to this, however, the field really began to grow from the 1970s onwards. In the UK, the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology (BABAO) was founded in 1998 and their first annual conference was held the following year.
By 2000, six universities in the UK offered post-graduate courses in bioarchaeology, a number which has now more than doubled. Both the University of Edinburgh and University of Aberdeen currently offer postgraduate bioarchaeology degrees and conduct research in the area. Collections of archaeological human remains are curated at National Museums Scotland, the universities of Edinburgh and Aberdeen, and local museums across Scotland.
The past two decades have seen an expansion of the field both in terms of number of researchers and deeper explorations of a variety of research topics. Bioarchaeologists draw on clinical and biological research into growth, health and disease to better understand the patterns and pathological lesions seen in archaeological human remains. In turn, bioarchaeology contributes to a clinical understanding of living populations by providing insights into the development and impact of disease, inequality and environmental pressures in the past.
In recent years, bioarchaeological researchers have increasingly explored the nuances of skeletal development and pathology and how different aspects of this can intersect with social and cultural contexts (Buikstra et al 2022). Researchers have explored early life stress and its impact on health status across the lifespan (DeWitte et al 2025, Gowland 2015, Miszkiewicz 2015, Newman and Gowland 2017). Investigations into the intersections of identity, socioeconomic status and health have also been completed in recent years (Marklein and Crews 2022, Walter and DeWitte 2017, Yaussy 2019). The wider implications of nutritional stress improving identification and accurate interpretation of pathology and (Brickley 2018, Brickley and Morgan 2023, Davies-Barrett et al 2019), the impact of epidemics have been key targets of research (see Brickley et al 2014, Snoddy et al 2016, DeWitte and Slavin 2013, DeWitte 2018, Godde et al 2020). Researchers are also seeking a better understanding of how the biology of growth, development and ageing intersects with disease and skeletal pathology (Lewis 2016, Newman et al 2023, Shapland et al 2015).
Discussions around ethics have often prioritised exploring topics such as decolonisation and repatriation. However, ethical curation and analysis of all human remains has also been a key area of focus and one which National Museums Scotland is leading the way on in Scotland with the Scottish Archaeological Human Remains Collections Project. Much of this research has previously focussed on collections from England or overseas. However, given the increasing volume of Scottish archaeological human remains available for research, there is ample opportunity to explore these topics in a Scottish context and gain a far deeper understanding of Scotland’s past populations.
