ABSTRACT
Before we can identify how bone microstructure is used to make a determination regarding whether material is osseous in nature or if it is human in origin, it is important that we review a few of the key processes of human bone formation and maintenance in more detail. Formation and maintenance of bone occurs by the processes of modeling and remodeling during growth and development. Modeling is the term used to describe the shaping of bones by osteoblasts and osteoclasts working on diœerent areas of the bone. In modeling, osteoblasts and osteoclasts work independently to change bone size and shape (for a detailed discussion of bone cells and the processes of endochondral and intramembranous bone formation, refer to Chapter 4). ‹is process occurs at a fairly rapid rate until skeletal maturity, when the rate decreases signi cantly. Modeling is necessary because longitudinal growth alone will not produce a bone of the correct size and shape. Modeling
Bone Modeling and Remodeling 381 Determination of Human or Nonhuman Using Histomorphology 384 Demographic Uses of Bone Histology 387 Bioarchaeological and Paleopathological Uses of Bone Histology 390 Bone Histomorphology Used to Identify Postmortem Taphonomy 392 Future of Bone Histology within Physical Anthropology 392 References 393
can be either resorptive or formative, that is, it can remove bone in a particular area or add bone to a particular region. For example, modeling at the metaphyses reduces the bone diameter in order to create a diaphysis. ‹is occurs when osteoclasts work on the periosteal surface of the metaphysis to trim the sha„ down to the appropriate size. Modeling can also occur at the diaphysis to increase diameter of the bone or change the curvature of the bone. Long bone sha„s increase in diameter by osteoblasts slowly adding bone to the periosteal surface while osteoclasts remove bone on the endosteal surface.
