Introduction

Recognizing that 20th-and 21st-century bioarchaeology rests on earlier foundations, Chapter 1 begins by considering selected 18th-and 19th-century examples, chosen because these studies of skeletal remains are keenly grounded in problem-oriented research. As restudy to validate the results of earlier research is essential in scientific inquiry, the curation histories of these collections and the Harvard Peabody holdings are traced to illustrate the highly variable strategies of that period. The most satisfying approaches emerge as those that described remains individually, keeping burial-specific information on grave lots and conserving records, remains, and objects within the same institution. Such strategies facilitate reexamination, as well as the exploration of new problem sets.