PřF:Bi8612 Comparative osteology - Course Information

Bi8612 Human and Comparative osteology

Extent and Intensity

2/0/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching

Teacher(s)

Arwa Kharobi, PhD (lecturer)
prof. RNDr. Petra Urbanová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Kévin Alexis André Salesse, M.Sc., Ph.D. (lecturer)

Guaranteed by

prof. RNDr. Petra Urbanová, Ph.D.
Department of Anthropology – Biology Section – Faculty of Science
Contact Person: prof. RNDr. Petra Urbanová, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Anthropology – Biology Section – Faculty of Science

Timetable

Tue 15:00–16:50 Bp1,01007

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.

fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with

• Anthropology (programme PřF, N-ANT)

Course objectives

Students attending this course will be able to understand human bone morphology, they will obtain basic theoretical knowledge and practical skills, which are crucial for examining anthropological aspects of osteological findings. Furthermore, the students will be introduced to more specialized methods applicable to osteological findings (e.g., isotope analysis).

Learning outcomes

After concluding this course, students should have the theoretical foundations for basic and advanced processing of anthropological and bioarchaeological skeletal findings. In addition, students ought to be able to differentiate morphological and structural variations in osteological findings and to determine the origin of such variations.

Syllabus

• 1. Introduction to human and animal osteology (overview to importance in various fields osteological paradox, ethical considerations, skeletal collections, restoration, treatment, storage, repatriations) (16/9)
• 2. Individual versus commingled human skeletal remains (osteobiography, mass graves, ossuary) (23/09)
• 3. Cremation and burnt remains (cremation versus inhumation, on-site care versus post-excavation treatment; analysing cremated bones, challenges and limits) – Dr Salesse (30/09)
• 4. Cranial Infracranial and dental variations (cranial metric and nonmetric variations, trophies, overmodelled skulls; severed heads) individual (idiosyncratic) and population-based (musculo-stress markers, degenerative joint disease) (07/10)
• 5. Academic paper review and presentations – First group (limited to 7 students)(14/10)
• 6. Biological sex and gender in studies of human skeletal remains (sexual dimorphism, misgendered skeleton changes, sex vs. gender; skeletal indicators of pregnancy and parturition, parenthood) (21/10)
• 7. Bank Holiday (28/10)
• 8. The Bioanthropology of childhood (biological versus chronological versus cultural/social age, children's health and nutrition, children and work (04/11)
• 9. Skeletal remains and human migration and integration (multi-isotopic evidence, genetic data) (11/11)
• 10. Academic paper review and presentations - Second group (limited to 7 students)(18/11)
• 11. Bone and Dental Histology (invasive and non-invasive microscopic techniques, intra-, inter-individual variations, taxonomy, age estimation, pathology, dental microwear)(25/11)
• 12. Disability and care in bioanthropology (theories of disability, disablement and malformation, trauma, anthropology of war and violence) (02/12)
• 13. Paleopathology (invisible diseases, diseases with skeletal manifestations)(09/12)
• 14. Academic paper review and presentations – Third group (limited to 7 students) (16/12)

Literature

required literature
• France, D. 2008: Human and nonhuman bone identification. BocaRaton: CRC Press.
• Hillson, S. 2005: Teeth. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Kolda, J. 1951: Osteologický atlas. Praha.
• White, T. D., Folkens, P. A. (eds.) 2005: The human bone manual. Boston: Elsevier Academic Press.
• LARSEN, Clark Spencer. Bioarchaeology : interpreting behavior from the human skeleton. Second edition. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2015, xvi, 608. ISBN 9780521547482. info

recommended literature
• Adams, J. B., Crabtree, P. J. 2008: Comparative skeletal anatomy: A photographic atlas for medical examiners, coroners, forensic anthropologist and archeologist. New York: Springer.
• Reitz E. J., Wing, E. S. 2008: Zooarchaeology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Lyman, R. L. 1994: Vertebrate taphonomy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Davis S.J.M. The Archaeology of Animals. B.T. Batsford Ltd London, 1987. ISBN 0713445718. info
• Killgrove, K., & Tykot, R. H. (Eds.). (2020). Bioarchaeology and Isotopes: Studies of Diet, Mobility, and Disease. Springer.
• Britton, K., & Richards, M. P. (Eds.). (2020). Isotopes in Archaeology. Cambridge University Press.
• Bone histology : a biological anthropological perspective. Edited by Samuel D. Stout - Christian Crowder. Second edition. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2025, xv, 481. ISBN 9781032473239. info
• The Routledge handbook of paleopathology. Edited by Anne L. Grauer. First published. New York: Routledge, 2023, xxxvi, 656. ISBN 9780367673581. info

not specified
• Lewis, M. (2018). Paleopathology of Children: Identification of Pathological Conditions in the Human Skeleton. Academic Press.

Teaching methods

Lectures will be conducted in English language.

Assessment methods

The course is concluded by: 1. a written exam (January 2026), which consists of (20 multiple questions (60 points) and 3 short open questions (30 points). 2. an academic paper review and presentations (10 points) - First group 14/10/2025 - Second group 18/11/2025 - Third group 16/12/2025 To pass the exam successfully (60% +) the student must prove theoretical knowledge and practical skills of the issues discussed according the syllabus.

Language of instruction

Czech

Further comments (probably available only in Czech)

Study Materials
The course is taught annually.

• Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  
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