ABSTRACT
While numerous law enforcement personnel and crime scene investigators are trained in processing crime scenes, a forensic anthropologist is most needed when skeletonized (or partially skeletonized) human remains are discovered-and they are especially useful when skeletal remains and evidence are incorporated into the natural environment. In these situations, the term forensic archaeology is o„entimes used. For many of these crime scenes, skeletal remains and associated material evidence get “buried” by the natural environment, such as under soil, shrubs, grasses, and leaves. In some cases, this occurs naturally (e.g., if a lone hiker dies in the woods and is not discovered until many years later). In other cases, the remains and evidence are covered up on purpose (e.g., where
Introduction: General Principles 99 In the Past 101 Controlled Deconstruction 102 Scene Documentation: Protecting the Scene Integrity 102 Processing the Crime Scene 105 Understanding Site Formation 109 Mapping 110 Excavation and Recovery 113 Evidence Management 117 Review Questions 120 References 120
a perpetrator is attempting to conceal a crime). In all cases, however, the incorporation of skeletal remains and material evidence into the natural environment constitutes the archaeological record. ‹at record of natural and cultural events, captured above and below ground in a single location, can be very dynamic because, as the years pass, the record can be transformed by the addition and subtraction of information. ‹us, the archaeological record is fragile and, when data need to be extracted from the archaeological record, a forensic archaeologist is best suited for the task. ‹ere are fundamental diœerences between traditional archaeology and forensic archaeology in that traditional archaeology examines the archaeological record of a site (such as an ancient village) for research-driven motives, whereas in forensic archaeology, the anthropologist is focused on collecting data from the archaeological record for medicolegal reasons. However, to collect such data correctly, the forensic anthropologist must employ some of the same methods and techniques used in traditional archaeology. Forensic archaeology simply refers to the application of traditional research-oriented excavation techniques and methods to modern forensic sites and crime scenes.
