6054478 This investigation was to understand anthropology techniques used in forensic and archaeological contexts from, findings of an assemblage of bones, located on January 24th 2022, when Mr Montana was digging under his floor. The assemblage uncovered nine bones: - Occipital (est. 18-25yrs) - Scapula (est. 22<yrs) - Thoracic Vertebra (est. 18-25yrs) - Carpal (est. 19>yrs) - Metacarpal (est. 18<yrs) - Os Coxa (est. 20<yrs) - Femur (est. 20<yrs) - Metatarsal (est. 19<yrs) - Non-human bone (est. age indeterminate) Analysis of all, but the carpal and non-human bone revealed that they were from individuals above adolescent age, which was indicated by the epiphyseal fusing development (Scheuer & Black, 2000) and right-sided, except for the metacarpal and femur. Only the os coxa was able to be used for sex estimation as it displayed traits of the sciatic notch receiving a score of 5 from sex estimation standards, suggesting male-like features (Buikstra & Ubelaker, 1994). Other bones did not have sufficient sex estimation characteristics, hence a conclusion as to their makeup was not established. Postmortem distinctions were found on all bones, most common being discolouration and exposed cancellous bone, but most prominently found on the thoracic vertebra with sharp breakages on the transverse and spinous process, as well as a smooth medial breakage of the metacarpal (Kayalioglu, T, 2009). Having only 1 type of bone each, allowed us to conclude that the minimum number of individuals was one, however, sizes and burial stimuli suggested more than one; as well as unnatural staining and drill holes suggesting educational use. Word Count: 250 References: - Buikstra, J. and Ubelaker, D. 1994. Standards for Data Collection from Human Skeletal Remains. Fayetteville: Arkansas. - Kayalioglu, G. (2009). Thoracic Vertebrae - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. [online] Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/veterinary-science-and-veterinary-medicine/thoracic-vertebra [Accessed 8 May 2023]. - Scheuer, L. and Black, S. 2000. Developmental Juvenile Osteology. San Diego: Academic Press.
