By Brenda J. Baker, Tosha L. Dupras and Matthew W. Tocheri
Illustrations by Sandra M. Wheeler
cloth / 978-1-58544-428-1 / $50.00


Most archaeologists and bioarchaeologists receive little or no training in the recognition of skeletal remains of fetuses, infants, and children. Yet many research sites may contain such materials. Without a framework for identifying the bones or the excavation techniques suited to their recovery, archaeologists may often overlook subadult skeletal remains or even confuse them with animal bones.

The Osteology of Infants and Children fills the need for a field and lab manual on this important topic and provides a supplemental textbook for human osteology courses. Focusing on juvenile skeletons, their recovery and identification, and siding in both field and lab settings, the volume provides basic descriptions and careful illustrations of each skeletal element at varying stages of development, along with sections on differentiation from other bones and siding tips.

The book offers detailed treatment of the skull and teeth, including the cranial vault and facial bones, and examines the infracranial skeleton: vertebrae, pelvis, chest, shoulders, arms, hands, legs, and feet. A quick reference guide explains age estimation and identification templates.

The illustrations are enhanced by photographs from two recent archaeology projects in Egypt, at Abydos and Dakhleh Oasis. The extensive collection of fetal and child remains from these sites provides new reference material unavailable in previous publications, making this manual an unparalleled resource in the field of physical anthropology.

BRENDA J. BAKER, an associate professor of anthropology at Arizona State University, is the physical anthropologist for the University of Pennsylvania Museum–Yale University–Institute of Fine Arts, New York University Expedition to Abydos, Egypt, and adjunct curator at the New York State Museum, where she previously directed the NAGPRA program.TOSHA DUPRAS is an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Central Florida and a research scientist with the National Center for Forensic Sciences.MATTHEW W. TOCHERI is pursuing his doctorate in anthropology at Arizona State University, and the artist.SANDRA M. WHEELER, is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Western Ontario specializing in bioarchaeology.