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15th October 2005, 11:27 PM
well, it would be a start if we could get all members of our profession to view human remains as an important part of the record rather than as a category somewhere below bulk finds. We need someone with the time and funds to go and study a previously excavated collection of human remains that are sitting unstudied in some warehouse, to show what can be done with them. We need to inspire the heritage staff and public of the country in which the remains are being excavated to take control of the collections and who is allowed to conduct an excavation. I would suggest that as the EU expands, there should be some ethical and archaeological guidelines that cover excavations, not only of human remains, on a Europe wide basis. I think that if a lot of people in the countries where foreign-led excavations are taking place found out how they were undertaken and what happened to the collections, they would be deeply shocked and disgusted...
++ i spend my days rummaging around in dead people ++
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26th October 2005, 08:58 AM
The following message was sent to Contractors and Universities across the UK .. it told people about the major guidance documents now available... and a read reciept was requested.
Not many can say they did not know about these documents now.
The following message has been submitted to over 100 contractors and 117 educational institutions involved in archaeology. The purpose is to ensure that the widest audience has been reached for the documents pertaining to the treatment of human remains. I am aware that most of you will already have copies of the main guidance, but to ensure full coverage BAJR has sent everyone the same email.
The following 4 documents are now available on-line and regard the treatment, excavation, storage and recording of Human Remains.
to ensure that these guidelines have been fully disseminated, I have attached the links to these documents below.
If you are already using these guidelines please ignore, if you were not aware of them, please download for reference.
It would be interesting to know if you have had the opportunity to carry out work to these guidelines.
1) A Basic Overview for the Recovery of Human Remains from Sites Under Development
http://www.bajr.org/Documents/HumanRemainsGuide.pdf
2) New guidelines for the treatment of human remains excavated from Christian burial grounds in England
http://www.cofe.anglican.org/about/catha...idance.pdf
3) IFA Guidelines to the Standards for Recording Human Remains
http://www.archaeologists.net/modules/ic...emains.pdf
4) A Field Guide to the Excavation of Inhumated Human Remains
http://www.bajr.org/Documents/FieldGuide...emains.pdf
David Connolly
BAJR
Another day another WSI?
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26th October 2005, 08:07 PM
fantastic hosty, I bow down and kiss your feet
I have to sheepishly admit that I have never read some of those guidelines before. I knew they existed but I've not been able to get hold of them. I can't wait to see what responses you get. I hope that everyone starts to use them if they are not already, thought the Ossa one on excavation was perfect for non-specialists.
Thankyou hosty
++ i spend my days rummaging around in dead people ++
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26th October 2005, 10:11 PM
Now that`s the canines testicles Mr Hosty! What a star!Influential and King Arthur all in one week..........
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27th October 2005, 12:10 PM
In my excitement I printed them off, forgotting I'd already done one though..... ran out of Black and Magenta.... trip to Cartridge World and 25 quid down...
Life.
Today, Bradford. Tomorrow, well, Bradford probably.
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27th October 2005, 04:35 PM
[:I]
its what I am here for... why I am here... and why a lurve you all.
I could not do it without the people who help.
Another day another WSI?
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27th October 2005, 09:31 PM
but you actually did it, we just talked about it. Have you had any responses yet? and if you don't want to put them up here, could you email them to me, I am very interested to know what people are saying.
++ i spend my days rummaging around in dead people ++
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28th October 2005, 11:24 AM
I really like the field guide to excavation of human remains. I've excavated well over a hundred individuals so far and still learned a few things. (I've also had good osteo training)
I'd really like to see these become the definitive guides, but can't see it happening as long as units tender for excavating, lifting and recording 2 burials a day. (An extreme example) Even the better sites where a full day is allowed per burial make it probably the hardest work you can do in the field. I particularly hate rushing to lift skelly's at the end of a day after laboriously cleaning, planning, sampling etc. and it coming up in many more than 206 bits. Gutting.
I can only console myself that I'm doing a better job than the arch units that like to covertly clear parts of cemeteries with JCB's, which I've seen happen twice.
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28th October 2005, 12:48 PM
Quote:quote:Originally posted by mercenary
I really like the field guide to excavation of human remains. I've excavated well over a hundred individuals so far and still learned a few things. (I've also had good osteo training)
I'd really like to see these become the definitive guides, but can't see it happening as long as units tender for excavating, lifting and recording 2 burials a day. (An extreme example) Even the better sites where a full day is allowed per burial make it probably the hardest work you can do in the field. I particularly hate rushing to lift skelly's at the end of a day after laboriously cleaning, planning, sampling etc. and it coming up in many more than 206 bits. Gutting.
I can only console myself that I'm doing a better job than the arch units that like to covertly clear parts of cemeteries with JCB's, which I've seen happen twice.
Actually the OSSA guidelines given by bajr state that 2 skellies a day should be possible!! I too feel that this is a bit optimistic. I have been under pressure to do even more (as Mr Hosty might recall too
) and while you can salvage the larger bones and produce a stick-man sketch important details are lost or poorly recorded - digits, teeth, patellae, epiphyses, small finds, coffin fittings, grave edges etc etc. I plan for staff to do one per day, and that's with experienced people.
Mr Hosty - did said site ever get published?
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28th October 2005, 01:01 PM
Must have missed that bit. I don't believe it is possible, and certainly not to their stated standards, not if you have to remove any amount of grave fill and haven't trepanned the skull with the machine. I've never achieved it and I'm fast. I've seen inexperienced people take a week on one skelly.
