95 posts · 44,191 views
Bones Don't Lie is a blog focusing on current news in mortuary archaeology and bioarchaeology. Written by a mortuary archaeology grad student, the blog primarily seeks to expand on news releases on current finds in bioarchaeology and mortuary archaeology. Other content includes summaries of current journal articles, reviews of methods and theories, as well as overviews of topics in the discipline.
Katy Meyers
95 posts
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- May 14, 2013
- 07:30 AM
- 48 views
Learning About Life From Death in Akhenaten’s Egypt
by Katy Meyers in Bones Don't Lie
The city of Amarna was a 17 year period of change and drama in Egypt’s ancient history. It was established as the capital city of Egypt in 1353 BC during the late 18th dynasty by Pharaoh Akhenaten. He founded the city on virgin land in order to be ”seat of the First Occasion, which he had made … Continue reading »... Read more »
Barry Kemp, Anna Stevens, Gretchen R. Dabbs, Melissa Zabecki, & Jerome C. Rose. (2013) Life, death and beyond in Akhenaten’s Egypt: excavating the South Tombs Cemetery at Amarna. Antiquity, 64-78. info:/
- May 7, 2013
- 06:41 AM
- 63 views
Plague of Justinian: The Older Brother of the Black Death
by Katy Meyers in Bones Don't Lie
The Black Death, or Bubonic Plague, was one of the most devastating pandemics to sweep through Europe. In only four years, this single disease wiped out half the population and set back the progress of the nations of Western Europe. Its rapid spread was attributed to fleas, who traveled throughout the countrysides and cities on … Continue reading »... Read more »
Harbeck, M., Seifert, L., Hänsch, S., Wagner, D., Birdsell, D., Parise, K., Wiechmann, I., Grupe, G., Thomas, A., Keim, P.... (2013) Yersinia pestis DNA from Skeletal Remains from the 6th Century AD Reveals Insights into Justinianic Plague. PLoS Pathogens, 9(5). DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003349
- May 2, 2013
- 12:12 PM
- 32 views
Starvation Cannibalism at Jamestown
by Katy Meyers in Bones Don't Lie
If you’ve read any news in the past day, you’ve seen reports regarding cannibalism in colonial Jamestown. It was known prior that the colonists had undergone a number of starvation years where they were forced to eat foods that they wouldn’t normally. The trash pits from the sites hold the remains of animals who aren’t … Continue reading »... Read more »
S. JONES, H. WALSH-HANEY, & R. QUINN. (2012) Kana Tamata or Feasts of Men: An Interdisciplinary Approach for Identifying Cannibalism in Prehistoric Fiji. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. info:/
- April 30, 2013
- 10:08 AM
- 57 views
Between Death and Burial
by Katy Meyers in Bones Don't Lie
There are many things that can happen to a body between death and burial. A good example of this process is Weekend at Bernie’s. Bernie Lomax is murdered within the first twenty minutes of the movie, but he remains an important character as Richard and Larry feign that he is alive in order to continue to … Continue reading »... Read more »
André, A., Leahy, R., & Rottier, S. (2013) Cremated Human Remains Deposited in Two Phases: Evidence from the Necropolis of the Tuileries Site (Lyon, France: 2nd Century AD). International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. DOI: 10.1002/oa.2317
- April 24, 2013
- 09:27 AM
- 68 views
Update on Badgers, Basketmakers, and Boats
by Katy Meyers in Bones Don't Lie
In archaeology, we are constantly getting updates on old material. When results are released, it isn’t always when the study itself is complete. Further, new methods or techniques may lead to re-analysis of older sites and remains, revealing new conclusions. Updates on old topics can cause increased debate, or end arguments completely depending on the … Continue reading »... Read more »
Geib, P., & Hurst, W. (2013) Should dates trump context? Evaluation of the Cave 7 skeletal assemblage radiocarbon dates. Journal of Archaeological Science, 40(6), 2754-2770. DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2013.01.034
Coltrain, J., Janetski, J., & Lewis, M. (2012) A re-assessment of Basketmaker II cave 7: massacre site or cemetery context. Journal of Archaeological Science, 39(7), 2220-2230. DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2012.02.018
Martin, R., Naftel, S., Macfie, S., Jones, K., & Nelson, A. (2013) Pb distribution in bones from the Franklin expedition: synchrotron X-ray fluorescence and laser ablation/mass spectroscopy. Applied Physics A, 111(1), 23-29. DOI: 10.1007/s00339-013-7579-5
- April 17, 2013
- 08:00 AM
- 66 views
Identifying Mass Graves: Modern and Historic
by Katy Meyers in Bones Don't Lie
A mass grave is a burial that includes multiple individuals within one grave. The term is often used for burials with three or more individuals, since burials less than that can be normal burial activity. Usually, the finding of a mass grave means that something specific occurred to cause this, since it is not a … Continue reading »... Read more »
Gowland, R., & Chamberlain, A. T. (2005) Detecting plague : palaeodemographic characterisation of a catastrophic death assemblage. Antiquity, 79(303), 146-157. info:/
Kjellstrom, A. (2005) A sixteenth-century warrior grave from Uppsala, Sweden: the Battle of Good Friday. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 15(1), 23-50. DOI: 10.1002/oa.746
- April 9, 2013
- 09:00 AM
- 98 views
Can you determine activity from human remains?
by Katy Meyers in Bones Don't Lie
If you watch the tv show Bones, you know that every once in a while Brennan will determine some activity that the deceased did based purely on their skeletal remains. For example, in the Pilot episode she determines that the deceased is a young woman who played tennis. The determination of the activity was based on … Continue reading »... Read more »
Villotte, S., & Knüsel, C. (2013) Understanding Entheseal Changes: Definition and Life Course Changes. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 23(2), 135-146. DOI: 10.1002/oa.2289
Cardoso, F., & Henderson, C. (2013) The Categorisation of Occupation in Identified Skeletal Collections: A Source of Bias?. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 23(2), 186-196. DOI: 10.1002/oa.2285
Henderson, C., Craps, D., Caffell, A., Millard, A., & Gowland, R. (2013) Occupational Mobility in 19th Century Rural England: The Interpretation of Entheseal Changes. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 23(2), 197-210. DOI: 10.1002/oa.2286
- April 5, 2013
- 07:48 AM
- 128 views
Taphonomy: What Happens To Bones After Burial?
by Katy Meyers in Bones Don't Lie
Last week I discussed a way of preserving bodies almost indefinitely in some cases: embalming. On the other side of this is decay, the process of bodily decline and biological breakdown of the flesh. If you’ve ever watched any of the forensics crime shows, you know that understanding decay and changes in the body can … Continue reading »... Read more »
Lieverse, A., Weber, A., & Goriunova, O. (2006) Human taphonomy at Khuzhir-Nuge XIV, Siberia: a new method for documenting skeletal condition. Journal of Archaeological Science, 33(8), 1141-1151. DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2005.12.001
- April 3, 2013
- 08:00 AM
- 99 views
Health and Wealth in 17th and 18th c. German Population
by Katy Meyers in Bones Don't Lie
In modern societies, perfect health and being in-shape are often associated with wealth. Those who have more money have better access to healthier food, ability to hire nutritionists, access to the best gyms and health related centers, and overall tend to be in better health than their poorer counterparts. In the past few years, studies have … Continue reading »... Read more »
Pētersone-Gordina, E., Gerhards, G., & Jakob, T. (2013) Nutrition-related health problems in a wealthy 17–18th century German community in Jelgava, Latvia. International Journal of Paleopathology. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2013.01.002
- March 26, 2013
- 07:24 AM
- 101 views
Sacrifice Based On Settlement and Subsistence
by Katy Meyers in Bones Don't Lie
Sacrifice is a delicate subject. It can be voluntary or forced, but interpreting who these people were without text can be extremely difficult. When any hint of sacrifice is found at an archaeological site, it is often sensationalized. Sacrifice is actually defined as the making of a sacred act, coming from the latin sacer for … Continue reading »... Read more »
Turner, B., Klaus, H., Livengood, S., Brown, L., Saldaña, F., & Wester, C. (2013) The variable roads to sacrifice: Isotopic investigations of human remains from Chotuna-Huaca de los Sacrificios, Lambayeque, Peru. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22238
- March 21, 2013
- 05:23 PM
- 136 views
Digitally Mapping Graveyards
by Katy Meyers in Bones Don't Lie
Over the past few weeks I have been working on mapping a cemetery in a Geographic Information System (GIS) as both part of a class and part of my own research. I received a number of question and comments on Twitter from readers asking how this was done and what exactly I was doing. What … Continue reading »... Read more »
Sayer, D., & Wienhold, M. (2012) A GIS-Investigation of Four Early Anglo-Saxon Cemeteries: Ripley's K-function Analysis of Spatial Groupings Amongst Graves. Social Science Computer Review, 31(1), 71-89. DOI: 10.1177/0894439312453276
Herrmann, Nicholas. (2002) GIS Applied to Bioarchaeology. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies, 64(1), 17-22. info:/
- March 19, 2013
- 06:35 PM
- 130 views
London’s Newest Plague Pit
by Katy Meyers in Bones Don't Lie
The Crossrail project is aimed at creating a 73 mile railway in southeast London. Concerns raised about the new fast and efficient railway was that it could destroy archaeological resources but also that the dig may reveal some ancient diseases. During the debate over passing the bill to begin construction, it was raised that various … Continue reading »... Read more »
Antoine D. (2008) The archaeology of "plague". Medical history. Supplement, 101-14. PMID: 18575084
Schuenemann VJ, Bos K, DeWitte S, Schmedes S, Jamieson J, Mittnik A, Forrest S, Coombes BK, Wood JW, Earn DJ.... (2011) Targeted enrichment of ancient pathogens yielding the pPCP1 plasmid of Yersinia pestis from victims of the Black Death. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108(38). PMID: 21876176
- February 26, 2013
- 07:00 AM
- 102 views
Pearly Whites and Golden Spoons: Teeth and Status
by Katy Meyers in Bones Don't Lie
In Western cultures, teeth can be a clear indication of status. Often the lower classes have poorer health care and decreased access to proper dental care. While orthodontic treatment is becoming more affordable, having crooked teeth was a potential indicator of lower status. Further, dental whitening and other processes to improve their can be costly … Continue reading »... Read more »
Cucina, A., & Tiesler, V. (2003) Dental caries and antemortem tooth loss in the Northern Peten area, Mexico: A biocultural perspective on social status differences among the Classic Maya. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 122(1), 1-10. DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.10267
Dawson, H., & Brown, K. (2013) Exploring the relationship between dental wear and status in late medieval subadults from England. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 150(3), 433-441. DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22221
- February 19, 2013
- 07:00 AM
- 187 views
Symbolic Skull Scrapings: Trephination in Hungary
by Katy Meyers in Bones Don't Lie
As discussed in an earlier post explaining the various types of this cranial modification, trephination occurs all around the world in a variety of time periods. Trephination is the removal of pieces of cranial bones from a living individual without penetrating into the soft tissue. Throughout history it has been done using a variety of tools, … Continue reading »... Read more »
Bereczki, Z., Molnár, E., Marcsik, A., & Pálfi, G. (2013) Rare Types of Trephination from Hungary Shed New Light on Possible Cross-cultural Connections in the Carpathian Basin. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. DOI: 10.1002/oa.2304
- February 12, 2013
- 07:39 AM
- 217 views
The Shivering Ship of Sailors with Scurvy
by Katy Meyers in Bones Don't Lie
In May 1845, Sir John Franklin of the Royal Navy, set out with two ships, the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, from England. Sir John was a naval officer with experience in failed polar expeditions. In 1818 he began a voyage to reach the North Pole, which failed. In 1819 and 1823, he made overland … Continue reading »... Read more »
Bayliss, R. (2002) Sir John Franklin's last arctic expedition: a medical disaster. JRSM, 95(3), 151-153. DOI: 10.1258/jrsm.95.3.151
Mays, S., Maat, G., & de Boer, H. (2013) Scurvy as a factor in the loss of the 1845 Franklin expedition to the Arctic: a reconsideration. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. DOI: 10.1002/oa.2305
- February 7, 2013
- 06:34 PM
- 93 views
New Morbid Terminology: Immurement
by Katy Meyers in Bones Don't Lie
“It was now midnight, and my task was drawing to a close. I had completed the eighth, the ninth and the tenth tier [of bricks]. I had finished a portion of the last and the eleventh; there remained but a single stone to be fitted and plastered in. I struggled with its weight; I placed … Continue reading »... Read more »
MacDonald, K. (2012) “The least of their inhabited villages are fortified”: the walled settlements of Segou. Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa, 47(3), 343-364. DOI: 10.1080/0067270X.2012.707478
- January 31, 2013
- 01:42 PM
- 136 views
Money and Mortality: Shifts in Commemoration due to Economic Change
by Katy Meyers in Bones Don't Lie
Money not only shapes the way that you live, it also can determine the manner of your death. From cemeteries we can infer social status and wealth based on the presence of exotic artifacts and more grave goods than other individuals. For example, the Viking boat burials that consist of entire ships being buried in … Continue reading »... Read more »
Mallios, S., & Caterino, D. (2011) Mortality, Money, and Commemoration: Social and Economic Factors in Southern California Grave-Marker Change During the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 15(3), 429-460. DOI: 10.1007/s10761-011-0152-z
- January 29, 2013
- 01:38 PM
- 120 views
Two Interesting Paleopathology Case Studies
by Katy Meyers in Bones Don't Lie
Paleopathology is the study of ancient diseases in human or animal remains. Usually this means analysis of the skeleton. Paleopathology is not a straightforward science. Many diseases do not even appear on bone, and when they do they can present very similar manifestations. For example, periostitis is a non-specific infection of the bone that causes … Continue reading »... Read more »
Armentano, N., Subirana, M., Isidro, A., Escala, O., & Malgosa, A. (2012) An ovarian teratoma of late Roman age. International Journal of Paleopathology, 2(4), 236-239. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2012.11.003
Cope, D., & Dupras, T. (2011) Osteogenesis imperfecta in the archeological record: An example from the Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt. International Journal of Paleopathology, 1(3-4), 188-199. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2012.02.001
- January 24, 2013
- 07:00 AM
- 137 views
Mobility and Mortality: Migration in a Black Death Cemetery
by Katy Meyers in Bones Don't Lie
The 14th century was a tumultuous time in Great Britain: there were severely erratic weather patterns including an usually warm period, which led to a famine from 1315-1322, the Scottish were fighting for their independence in 1298-1328 and again from 1332-1357, and the Hundred Year war was being waged against France from 1337-1453. All of … Continue reading »... Read more »
Kendall, E., Montgomery, J., Evans, J., Stantis, C., & Mueller, V. (2013) Mobility, mortality, and the middle ages: Identification of migrant individuals in a 14th century black death cemetery population. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 150(2), 210-222. DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22194
- January 22, 2013
- 08:29 AM
- 135 views
Violence in Neolithic Denmark and Sweden
by Katy Meyers in Bones Don't Lie
Understanding trends of violence in the past is important for interpretations of the character of past cultures, origins of warfare and relationships between (or within) groups. By looking at the total deceased population of a site during the same time period we can see patterns of violence associated with specific age, sex or social groups. Only … Continue reading »... Read more »
Fibiger L, Ahlström T, Bennike P, & Schulting RJ. (2013) Patterns of violence-related skull trauma in neolithic southern scandinavia. American journal of physical anthropology, 150(2), 190-202. PMID: 23184653
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