Human Taphonomy and Historic Cemeteries: Factors Influencing the Loss and Subsequent Recovery of Human Remains

"Taphonomy" can be defined as the study of what happens to the physical remains of animals after death, and how various death-related processes affect archeological and zoological interpretation. In general, two broad categories of variables can be identified as important in taphonomic studies: (1) individual or life-history variables, such as the physical characteristics or behaviors of the animal whose remains are under question, and (2) environmental variables that affect the remains, such as water transport or carnivore activity. When the subject of analysis becomes human remains, we must add a third category of variables: cultural and social influences, such as preparation of the dead and burial practices. The wide range and complexity of variables in this third category justifies a separate subfield of study, which I prefer to call "human taphonomy," focusing on the death-related forces that influence the discovery, recovery, and analysis of human remains.