Charlotte A. Roberts

Current Research, Methods and Developments

Burial Archaeology

Richard H. Steckel

Clark Spencer Larsen

Joerg Baten

Represents the largest recorded dataset based on human skeletal remains from archaeological sites across the continent of Europe.

Health, Diet, Work and Violence over Two Millennia

The Backbone of Europe

Jane E. Buikstra

Though apparently in decline during the first half of the 20th century, tuberculosis has reawakened in both developed and developing countries, particularly among susceptible populations with immunodeficiency disorders.

A Global View on a Reemerging Disease

The Bioarchaeology of Tuberculosis

John Hunter

Anthony Martin

The scope of this book is wide-ranging and includes methods of searching for and locating buried remains, their practical recovery, the decay of human and associated death scene materials, the analysis and identification.

An Introduction to Forensic Archaeology

Studies in Crime

Keith Manchester

This text shows how scientific and archaeological techniques can be used to identify the common illnesses and injuries from which humans suffered in antiquity. Charlotte Roberts and Keith Manchester study evidence gleaned from written records and works of art as well as from ancient human remains, and they combine a clinical interpretation of prevalent diseases with a graphic description of thier social, economic, and cultural consequences. This edition includes case studies from around the world and gives an account of the rapid technical advances that have dramatically increased our knowledge of illness in the distant past.

The Archaeology of Disease

Mary E. Lewis

Thirty-seven papers, from a conference held in Bradford in 1999, examine leprosy from all angles: as a historical disease overwhelmed by stigma and as a condition that is still prevalent in much of the world despite new medications. Contributors discuss the medical diagnosis and treatment of leprosy, its effects on the skeleton using archaeological and historical evidence, its occurrence in the archaeological record worldwide and detecting its traces in DNA. Case studies are taken from across the ancient, medieval and modern worlds, including the Near East, Roman Egypt, medieval England, Wales and Ireland, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Asia and the Pacific.

Archaeological, Historical, Paleopathological and Clinical Approaches : Proceedings of the International Congress on the Evolution and Paleoepidemiology of the Infectious Diseases 3 (ICEPID), University of Bradford, 26th-31st July 1999

Past and Present of Leprosy

This revised and updated 2nd edition of Professor Charlotte Robert's best-selling Practical Handbook provides the very latest guidance on all aspects of the recovery, handling and study of human remains. Professon Roberts is one of the UK's leading experts in bioarchaeology, and is internationally renowned in the field. It begins by asking why we should study human remains, and the ethical issues surrounding their recovery, analysis, curation and display, along with consideration of the current legal requirements for the excavation of such remains in the UK. How people were laid to rest at death is considered, as well as the effect of various factors on their preservation, including the environment. Further chapters give practical advice on the excavation, processing and conservation of human remains, and the recording of data such as age at death, sex, height, and pathological lesions. The author then discusses recent technological advances in the study of human remains, such as stable isotope and ancient DNA analyses. This book, with its extensive bibliography, is essential and fascinating reading for all practictioners and students of bioarchaeology and burial archaeology and is accessible for anyone with an interest in the study of human remains.

A Handbook

Human Remains in Archaeology

Using human skeletal remains, this volume traces health, workload and violence in the European population over the past 2,000 years. Health was surprisingly good for people who lived during the early Medieval Period. The Plague of Justinian of the sixth century was ultimately beneficial for health because the smaller population had relatively more resources that contributed to better living conditions. Increasing population density and inequality in the following centuries imposed an unhealthy diet - poor in protein - on the European population. With the onset of the Little Ice Age in the late Middle Ages, a further health decline ensued, which was not reversed until the nineteenth century. While some aspects of health declined, other attributes improved. During the early modern period, interpersonal violence (outside of warfare) declined possibly because stronger states and institutions were able to enforce compromise and cooperation. European health over the past two millennia was hence multifaceted in nature.

Charlotte A. Roberts

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