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Human Evolution: skulls and bones from long ago 

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Human Evolution: skulls and bones from long ago 

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When considering if human bodies should ever be excavated, it is important to think about how far back this goes. In terms of human evolution, is it always important to respect the body? How can you know the culture of the body and if spiritual needs are considered? Especially if it is so far back in time that there are no living relatives, only distant ancestors? As well, on the flip side, when we think about human evolution (and even dinosaurs) we know what we know now due to excavation.

This artifact is a collection of human bones and skulls, from different points in human evolution (Homo erectus, Homo neanderthal, Homo sapian, etc.). These bones have allowed anthropologists and researchers to identify different characteristics of their features, traits, and lifestyles. Creating theories of the timeline of human evolution, and predictions of the causes of our evolution resulting in our species today.

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One interesting excavation is the bog bodies or tullund man. In Europe, due to an incidental discovery which led to excavations of the area, the bog bodies were discovered. Human bodies that had no sign of decay, with hair, skin, clothes, and even inner organs (with food inside) still intact.

This incidental discovery, that was first thought to be a recent murder, ended up being a crucial discovery. Leading to further research on the acidic composition of the bog, the origin of their deaths (hypothesized to be ritual sacrifices), and a better understanding of the lives of humans over 2000 years ago.

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This is a photo of a protest started by the Musqueam people (Natives of Turtle Island; North America) due to the disruption of an ancient village and burial site that originally belonged to their people.

It is important to view this conflict in a non-ethnocentric view, to better understand their perspective. This is an opposing side that is important to consider when excavating and studying human bodies, remembering that this is a human from a culture that may have faced struggles (i.e., forced assimilation, mistreatment/abuse, etc.) and have different spiritual beliefs about the afterlife. Everybody and every culture deserves respect, with consent and empathy being extremely important (especially with anthropology’s disrespectful past).

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This artifact is a look into an Ancient Chinese tomb, in which two lovers are holding each other. Not only were the bodies found (allowing for an understanding of the burial rituals and their cause of deaths), but materials were found as well (such as their wedding bands). Excavating these tombs and finding these bodies was important, since there is a lot of information about Ancient China that we didn’t know prior to the excavation. Through excavating these burial sites, we are able to learn more about the history of Ancient China, and shed light on people’s stories. Though this seems to just be about the burial, it actually shows the culture’s thoughts towards death, pursuit of love, and their belief in afterlife. Again, we can see the importance of love by looking at their time and causes of death. As in this case, these lovers had a ritual suicide, being purposefully killed when your loved one dies. Getting a better glimpse of this society at this time (over 1500 years ago), which we may have not known otherwise. Allowing us to also better understand China as a society and culture today.

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Forgotten Genocide: respecting past history and people

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Forgotten Genocide: respecting past history and people

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This artifact is a photo of ‘The Valley of Death’. Here we see the aftermath of the Hargeisa Holocaust. The Hargeisa Holocaust, between 1987-1989, was where the regime of Somali dictator Siad Barre massacred around 200,000 members of the Isaaq tribe. The city was destroyed on top of all of those citizens murdered. The genocide was planned and betrayed by the Somalia government. The more it rains in The Valley of Death, the rainfall reveals more skeletons, but as well erodes them. Anthropology teams have stepped in to excavate the graves and recover as many bodies as possible. This is a forgotten genocide, and researches continue to try to tell the stories of the dead and not let the culture be forgotten.

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Natural Destruction: protecting burial sites from harm or disrupting them 

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Natural Destruction: protecting burial sites from harm or disrupting them 

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This is the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, particularly the flooding in a large cemetery.

Natural disasters and protecting sites being another factor that needs to be considered in the excavation of human bodies and burial sites. When it is predicted that a natural disaster will occur, potentially destroying tombs or bodies, an excavation is considered to protect the bodies and tombs from harm.

Not only for purposes of future research, but also out of respect for the bodies and protection of a heritage site. Excavations still need to be considered heavily, since the excavation could cause even more damage. Furthermore, the cultural and/or spiritual beliefs (i.e., afterlife) of the community and those put to rest need to be considered (i.e., to leave the bodies to rest, with a natural disaster rather than human disruption).

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The Tooth Plague: better understanding history and sickness

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The Tooth Plague: better understanding history and sickness

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Pictured here are the artifacts found at an excavation researching The Plague of Justinian. The Plague was devastating, killing over 50 million people, approximately 15% of the population at the time.

The team researching this plague analyzed the human remains, upon examining the teeth they found mutations and structural rearrangements unique to this plague. Their findings from the research show us more accurately how widespread the Justinian plague really was. Also learning more history (i.e., their lives, deaths, materials, etc.), and helping improve the quality of the genomic data from ancient pathogens and knowledge we have today.

Again, not only is this important in general research and history, but it can help us have a better understanding and insight on modern day pathogens, medicine, and sickness.