ABSTRACT
A solid knowledge of human osteology is vital for the forensic anthropologist. Although forensic archaeologists may not have an expert knowledge of human skeletal anatomy, they should have a working knowledge so that they can distinguish the differences between human and nonhuman bone and also recognize human juvenile remains. We recognize that most field investigators, whether homicide detectives or crime scene personnel, will not have this specialized knowledge. The reason for including a section of human bone illustrations is not so the reader will become an expert in human osteology. This section is designed to help the reader create scene maps in which bones are illustrated and to provide help in understanding the terminology used in medical examiner, coroner, and forensic anthropology reports on skeletal material. This chapter is not meant to be used as a field guide for bone identification. The authors caution that the final identification of all skeletal material should be handled by the forensic anthropologist or medical examiner. Information such as sex, age at death, ancestry (that is, race), stature, pathology, and trauma should be determined by a forensic anthropologist; and therefore that information is not included in this book.
