SUBJECT

Title

Methodology for Studies of Paleoanthropological Inquiry

Type of instruction

practical

Level

master

Part of degree program
Credits

2

Recommended in

Semesters 1-4

Typically offered in

Autumn/Spring semester

Course description

1. Purposes of the paleoanthropological surveys, paleoanthropology in Hungary in the turn of the Millennium, archeological excavations in Hungary

2. Archeological age determination techniques, the main sciences associated with paleoanthropology and archeology, paleoanthropology – a bridge between biology and archeology

3. Working with skeletal fossils: conservation, step by step in archeological exploration of human fossils: excavation, conservation, documentation

4. The cleaning and restauration of fossils, inventory and depository work

5. Aspects and methods of skeletal fossils analysis: populational and individual approach, theoretical and practical approaches in studying fossils collections

6. Primary anthropometric and morphological studies on skeletal remains

7. Methodology of anatomical variations and pathological features on fossils

8. Age estimation techniques I: age at death estimation in childhood and in youth (Stloukal and Hanaková 1978, Ferenbach 1979)

9. Age estimation techniques II: age at death estimation in adulthood (Nemeskéri, Harsányi, Acsádi 1960, Todd 1975, Lovejoy 1985)

10. Gender determination: (Éry, Kralovánszky, Nemeskéri 1963)

11. Techniques of stature and body mass estimation (Debec 1971, Pearson and Rösing 1988, Trotter and Glesser 1958, Sjøvold 1990)

12. Paleodemography: methods of attaining and analysing basic parameters (rate of exploration, chrono1ogy, distribution by age and gender, etc.)

13. Life table and survivorship, analysis and graphic representation, the role of paleoanthropological surveys’ results in the paleodemographic researches

14. Comparative methods in paleoanthropology, representativity, representation of ancient populations reconstruction

Readings
  • Acsády, Gy., Nemeskéri, J. (1970): History of Human Life Span and Mortality. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest.

  • Ubelaker, D.H. (1989): Human Skeletal Remains, Excavation, Analysis, Interpretation. Taraxacum, Washington

  • Winfried Henke, Ian Tattersall, Thorolf Hardt: Handbook of Paleoanthropology, Vol. I-III., Springer Science & Business Media, 2007, ISBN 9783540324744