engleski

Human cremated remains: forms for analysis and data collection

Cremation as a burial practice was present in different time periods and geographic regions since the prehistory. In certain periods it was standard or dominant way for disposal of the deceased. Despite the large number of cremation burials in the archaeological record, analyses of human skeletal remains have been somewhat neglected. Human remains from archaeological context offer unique insights about life, health and diseases of our ancestors. Essential part of this research is the systematic data collection, which is the basis for all further analyses and comparisons. Here we propose a set of forms created specifically for anthropological analysis of cremated bones. The set consists of four forms: (1) macroscopic characteristics of the bones, (2) skeletal inventory, (3) dental inventory, (4) demographic and palaeopathological information. Use of these forms is the initial step in the analysis of biological features of the individual. In addition, they also provide otherwise unobtainable information about burial practices of the community. Standardized data collection is a prerequisite for successful comparisons between samples from various sites, especially those analysed by different scientists. We hope that the proposed forms will be applied more widely in the future analyses of human cremated remains.

cremation burials; human skeletal remains; anthropological analysis; data collection; forms

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