Beyond Compare: Addressing Issues in Comparative Osteological Research educates the reader on the range of confounding effects present in comparative skeletal analysis, also providing best-practice recommendations. The book aims to increase awareness of the various problems that arise when comparing skeletal data, and to equip the reader with the necessary tools needed to perform appropriate skeletal comparisons and generate the most accurate and defensible interpretations possible. This volume fulfills the need for a volume dedicated to the meta-analysis of the actual comparative methods commonly employed in bioarchaeology.
Bioarchaeologists have drawn on comparative methods from a variety of fields for their work, and although standards have been published for data collection, little has been published on the impact of comparison method selection on the results obtained and the subsequent interpretations made. This book fills that void for these professionals.
- Covers common and detail problems that arise in comparing skeletal data
- Equips the reader with the skill to perform appropriate skeletal comparisons
- Informs how to make accurate and defensible interpretations
- Provides best-practice recommendations
Table of Contents
Part 1 Analysing the Analyses 1. Skeletal Preservation and Missing Data 2. Differences in Demography: Age and Sex 3. Recording and Classification of Skeletal Lesions 4. Research Design 5. Focus on Fractures
Part 2 Interpretation Considerations 6. Knowledge Production: Death v. Life, Health v. Disease 7. Novel Approaches to Skeletal Comparisons of Growth 8. Dealing with Digital Data 9. Conclusions
