The lives of kings, poets, authors, criminals and celebrities are a perpetual fascination in the media and popular culture, and for decades anthropologists and other scientists have participated in 'post-mortem dissections' of the lives of historical figures. In this field of biohistory, researchers have identified and analyzed these figures' bodies using technologies such as DNA fingerprinting, biochemical assays, and skeletal biology. This book brings together biohistorical case studies for the first time, and considers the role of the anthropologist in the writing of historical narratives surrounding the deceased. Contributors theorize biohistory with respect to the sociology of the body, examining the ethical implications of biohistorical work and the diversity of social theoretical perspectives that researchers' work may relate to. The volume defines scales of biohistorical engagement, providing readers with a critical sense of scale and the different paths to 'historical notoriety' that can emerge with respect to human remains.

Hunter-gatherer lifestyles defined the origins of modern humans and for tens of thousands of years were the only form of subsistence our species knew. This changed with the advent of food production, which occurred at different times throughout the world. The chapters in this volume explore the different ways that hunter-gatherer societies around the world adapted to changing social and ecological circumstances while still maintaining a predominantly hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Couched specifically within the framework of resilience theory, the authors use contextualized bioarchaeological analyses of health, diet, mobility, and funerary practices to explore how hunter-gatherers responded to challenges and actively resisted change that diminished the core of their social identity and worldview.

"Stojanowski compellingly situates biological distance research as central to the ethnohistorical and anthropological study of Native American and colonial history in the Southeastern United States. The intricate discussion of his statistical methodology--especially his acute and appropriate attention to the microevolutionary basis of his analyses and results--will very much be a must-read for all bioarchaeologists."--Ann M. Kakaliouras, Whittier College "This artful combination of dental, archaeological, and historical information contributes much to our understanding of the peoples of the early historic Southeast. It will be of special interest to researchers grappling with how best to employ skeletal remains in the study of ethnogenesis."--George Milner, Pennsylvania State University Christopher Stojanowski seeks to understand changes in social identities among Christianized Native Americans living within Franciscan missions during the Spanish colonial period. His novel contribution is attempting to reconstruct identity transformation through skeletal analysis within a microevolutionary framework. Key to this narrative is a detailed, contextual analysis of data gathered from mission cemetery remains of Apalachee, Timucua, and Guale individuals interpreted within broad historical trends and social theoretical constructions of ethnicity and ethnogenesis. Stojanowski's investigation of biological data gathered from these earlier groups may help scientists trace the ethnogenesis of the present-day Seminole tribe in Florida. Analyses suggest the native communities throughout northern Florida and coastal Georgia were developing a common social identity by the end of the seventeenth century--a fact that allows for reinterpretation of eighteenth-century ideas about Seminole origins. In this intriguing and controversial investigation, Stojanowski strives to bridge the divide between the social world of humans and the biological aspects of our lives by linking patterns of past skeletal variation to patterns of group affinity and identification. Christopher M. Stojanowski is a bioarchaeologist affiliated with the Center for Bioarchaeological Research at Arizona State University's School of Human Evolution and Social Change. He is the author of "Biocultural Histories in La Florida" and coeditor of "Bioarchaeology and Identity in the Americas."

"Bioarchaeology and Identity in the Americas" represents an important shift in the interpretation of skeletal remains in the Americas. Until recently, bioarchaeology has focused on interpreting and analyzing populations. The contributors here look to examine how individuals fit into those larger populations. The overall aim is to demonstrate how bioarchaeologists can uniquely contribute to our understanding of the formation, representation, and repercussions of identity. The contributors combine historical and archaeological data with population genetic analyses, biogeochemical analyses of human tooth enamel and bones, mortuary patterns, and body modifications. With case studies drawn from North, Central, and South American mortuary remains from AD 500 to the Colonial period, they examine a wide range of factors that make up identity, including ethnicity, age, gender, and social, political, and religious constructions. By adding a valuable biological element to the study of culture--a topic traditionally associated with social theorists, ethnographers, and historical archaeologies--this volume highlights the importance of skeletal evidence in helping us better understand our past.

This volume highlights new directions in the study of social identities in past populations. Building on the field-defining research in Bioarchaeology and Identity in the Americas, contributors expand the scope of the subject regionally, theoretically, and methodologically. This collection moves beyond the previous focus on single aspects of identity by demonstrating multi-scalar approaches and by explicitly addressing intersectionality in the archaeological record.Case studies in this volume come from both New World and Old World settings, including sites in North America, South America, Asia, and the Middle East. The communities investigated range from early Holocene hunter-gatherers to nineteenth-century urban poor. Contributors broaden the concept of identity to include disability or health status, age, social class, religion, occupation, and communal and familial identities. In addition to combining bioarchaeological data with oral history and material artifacts, they use new methods including social network analysis and more humanistic approaches in osteobiography. Bioarchaeology and Identity Revisited offers updated ways of conceptualizing identity across time and space.A volume in the series Bioarchaeological Interpretations of the Human Past: Local, Regional, and Global Perspectives, edited by Clark Spencer Larsen