ABSTRACT
The acquisition of human skeletal remains curated at the Museum of London has an integral connection with commercial archaeology that has advanced over the last 50 years, participating in developing ethical guidelines and collaborative research strategies. The deposition process of skeletal remains to the museum has been through a partnership with commercial archaeology, creating the significant archive it is today. The scale of the skeletal collection is substantial and continues to grow, requiring a review to update the process for acquisition of new collections, the resources needed for maintaining conservation, research access and continuing involvement for ethical standards. The archaeologically derived skeletal collections are an exceptional stratified collection of human remains from one city through time, being a collection that is dynamic with a fundamental advantage of contextual information from the archaeological records. The skeletal archive is both an extraordinary final resting place for the dead, many of whom the socially deprived and a repository, enabling the privilege of learning directly from the study of these people and share their life story. These people provide not only fascinating insights to mortality in the past and London over its often-turbulent history but a unique opportunity for reflecting upon the present day.
