The human skull, the most common find in a burial, proves to be a kind of ark made of bone which preserves both human intelligence and traces of the past. For an interdisciplinary study of the skull, the following branches of science work together: Medicine, Anthropology, Archaeology and History. The conclusions reached by medicine concern the skull’s pathology, its anatomy, general features and causes of death. Anthropology is equally interested in the biological as in the social aspects of life. By classifying humans according to their morphological features and their accomplishments and by calculations (anthropometry) which localize anatomical variables in the skull, Anthropology certifies the evolution, through time, of the human race. Archaeology treats the human skull as an archaeological find. It tries to reach conclusions concerning the skull’s dating, its age and its geographical and cultural milieu. Although similar to Archaeology, History takes a theoretical look at society, its stratas and their changes, the developments of science and the level of education.
The human skull
06 Aug 2012
by Archaeology Newsroom
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