Download Forensic Taphonomy A synopsis – by Vi Shaffer Overall Definition

Forensic Taphonomy
A synopsis – by Vi Shaffer
Overall Definition: The anthropological study of death assemblages and disassemblages after death.
Broader Definition: Taphonomy originally proposed as a term meaning the study of death assemblages
or “laws of burial”. Expanded definitions include to encompass the study of the “accumulation and
modification of osteological assemblages, from a site formation perspective; focusing on reconstructing
the life history of a fossil from the time of death to the time of recovery – including all aspects of the
passage of organisms from the biosphere to the lithosphere.
These broad definitions presume a multidisciplinary approach: biological, cultural and geological.
However, in practice, taphonomists have tended to come from the sister disciplines of paleontology and
archaeology, as well as paleoanthropology with the primary goals including: reconstructing paleoenvironments; determining which factors cause differential destruction or attrition of bone;
understanding selective transport of remains and discriminating human from nonhuman agents of bone
modification.
Anthropologists are also concerned with soft tissue changes, including decomposition rates and
patterns, disarticulation, dispersion of body parts and modification of both soft tissue and bone. (Thus,
the overall definition and as it relates to disassemblage).
Key goals which underlie forensic investigations, overlap extensively those of taphonomy. They
include: estimating the time and circumstances since death; distinguishing postmortem conditions
which may serve to confound human identification and determination of the cause and manner of
death; and identifying factors which relate to the survival of human remains and other evidence.
In the book “Forensic Taphonomy” the term “taphonomy” refers to the use of taphonomic models,
approaches and analysis in forensic contexts to estimate the time since death, reconstruct the
circumstances before and after deposition, physical, and discriminate the products of human behavior
from those created by the earth’s biological, physical, chemical and geological subsystems.
Areas of taphonomy applicable to forensic anthropology: Reconstruction of scene (scene interpretation)
– i.e. is the site where the death occurred or is it a secondary location: studies of transport and dispersal,
bone modification (external and internal bone structure, fracture patterns and differentiation of human
and nonhuman agents and many other alterations of bone such as cuts, scratches, polish, flakes,
punctures, desiccation and discoloration) and if it occurred from perimortem trauma or scavenging and
diagenesis (any chemical, physical, or biological change undergone by a sediment after its initial
deposition and during and after its lithification exclusive of surface alteration (weathering) and
metamorphism). Estimating time of death by frequent use of other organisms’ biological patterns to
construct timetable models. Understanding the growth patterns of plants can assist in both absolute and
relative dating features within the scene.
Areas of Forensic Anthropology applicable to taphonomy: Discovering the many independent variables
involved in the postmortem interval, involves a thorough understanding of certain processes results.
These include: what happens to flesh and bone in different environmental contexts; which
modifications are the result of human vs. nonhuman agents or environmental factors; patterns of
modification of certain scavengers, patterns of fluvial (refers to all topics related to flowing water.
Fluvial usually refers to rivers, streams and sometimes thorough flow, overland flow, and percolation.
Fluvial may also refer to glaciers and oceans, though these are usually known as glacial, oceanic and
coastal.) or other types of aqueous dispersion, patterns resulting from natural disasters and patterns of
immediate postmortem transport.
References
Forensic Taphonomy – The Postmortem Fate of Human Remains
Edited by Haglund and Sorg 1996
The Human Bone Manual by White and Folkens 2005
Advances in Forensic Taphonomy
Edited by Haglund and Sorg 2002
Vi Shaffer Palo Pinto County, Texas 2007