Studying at York
Practical Skills: Human and Animal Bones - ARC00072I
- Department: Archaeology
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: I
- Academic year of delivery: 2024-25
- See module specification for other years: 2023-24
Module summary
This module provides an introduction to the analysis of human and animal bones from archaeological contexts. You will receive practical training and hands-on experience in the key skills involved in identification and analysis both of human skeletal remains and of zooarchaeological specimens – including the study of age, sex, and body size – and will gain confidence in identifying and diagnosing the seven types of pathologies affecting the skeletal system. Classes combine lectures and practical content and take place in the PalaeoHub labs, making use of our extensive teaching collections of human and animal remains.
Related modules
A directed option - students must pick a Practical Skills module and have a choice of which to take (one in Semester 1 and one in Semester 2). Student can not take Practical Skills: Human and Animal Bones in both Semesters.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 1 2024-25 |
| B | Semester 2 2024-25 |
Module aims
The Practical Skills modules seek to introduce you to a range of skills in various diverse areas of archaeological practice and are designed to allow you to gain experience in a 'hands-on' manner.
This specific module aims:
- To provide students with practical training and laboratory experience in identifying, ageing, and sexing archaeological human and animal remains.
- To introduce students to the study of palaeopathology, particularly in human remains.
- To introduce students to the potential and limitations of human and animal bone analyses within archaeology.
Module learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate an awareness of the skeletal anatomy of humans and the most common domestic mammals
- Demonstrate a practical understanding of how to assess age, sex and describe and diangose some pathological lesions of human and animal remains
- Demonstrate an ability to measure human and animal bones following established protocols, and calculate living height for humans.
- Apply the methods and techniques they have learned to explain the contributions that human and animal osteology can make within archaeology.
Module content
Following an introduction to the potential of human and animal osteology within archaeology, the first half of the module will focus on skeletal anatomy and the identification of the main bones and teeth of humans and the five most common domestic mammals. We will then move on to introduce the key methods of analysis of human and animal remains, including sex determination, assessment of age-at-death, metrical analysis, finishing on the recognition of pathologies and their importance within human osteology in particular.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Closed/in-person Exam (Centrally scheduled) | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Closed/in-person Exam (Centrally scheduled) | 100 |
Module feedback
Formative: written feedback from module leaders
Summative: written feedback within the University's turnaround policy
Indicative reading
O’Connor, T. 2000. The Archaeology of Animal Bones. Stroud: Sutton.
White, T., Black, M., Folkens P. 2012. Human Osteology. Amsterdam: Academic Press
Buikstra, J. 2019. Ortner’s Identification of Pathological Conditions in Human Skeletal Remains, Buikstra, J. (Ed) London: Academic Press