Suchergebnisse

This article explores the history of bioarchaeology from the beginning of the twentieth century, proxied by representation in publications as reported annually by the editors-in-chief of the American Journal of Physical/Biological Anthropology. Embedded within this history is the career trajectory of Jane E. Buikstra, who coined the term in relationship to the study of archaeologically recovered human remains in 1976.

Ritual Sacrifice in Ancient Peru. Elizabeth P. Benson and Anita G. Cook. eds. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2001. 211pp.

Recent criticism of paleodemographic methods (Bocquet‐Appel and Masset 1982) has centered on biases introduced by the nature of reference samples and the population‐specificity of techniques for estimating age in skeletal remains. This paper examines five key arguments concerning this bias and alleged imprecision from the perspective of life table analysis. The results of our simulation and statistical analyses indicate that the criticism leveled by Bocquet‐Appel and Masset is extreme. Imprecision in age indicators applied to older adults remains a problem, however, as does interobserver error.

This article explores forensic anthropological and bioarchaeological publishing patterns in the American Anthropologist (n.s.). Early contributions by Harris Hawthorne Wilder on both subjects are considered in detail, including previously unrecognized discussions of taphonomic variables. Articles on forensic anthropology in the American Anthropologist appear only during the first four decades of publication. While relatively well represented in early issues, bioarchaeological articles decrease in number over time. Comparative data from six other journals suggest that their presence has had a profound effect on the American Anthropologist. The impact of the "new" physical anthropology on publishing patterns in bioarchaeology is also assessed. [Keywords: forensic anthropology, funerary archaeology, paleodemography, paleopathology, taphonomy]