engleski

Bones of contention? The treatment and curation of archaeological human remains – current issues and practices

With human body surrounded by, and saturated with, various cultural meanings and connotations, it is perhaps not surprising that the excavation and treatment of archaeological human remains is a subject which continues to be debated. The issues which are often raised here range from the more “practical” ones, such as the types of boxes used in curation of human remains or the recommended ways of packing them, to the more ethical or even emotional ones, such as the repatriation of excavated remains to their descendants, or whether is it appropriate to display human bones in museums. This thesis explores such issues and aims at presenting them from different perspectives, which is done through three case studies representing various approaches to the subject: the Republic of Ireland, Croatia and the United States of America. This also serves as the basis for a discussion investigating such matters as the clashes between communities or social groups in terms of the “control” over the deceased, or exploring the possible answers to the difficult question of “Who owns the past?”. The thesis also includes a practical element, which is based on the examination of a skeletal collection held in University College Dublin. This assemblage comes from a series of excavations carried out in Ireland, on Omey Island (Co. Galway), in the early 1990s. The analysis includes an evaluation of the current storage conditions, as well as the bones themselves, and a subsequent preparation of the remains for long-term curation.

Human remains; archaeology; curation; treatment; legislation; Omey Island

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