A critical review of the conceptual and practical evolution of forensic anthropology during the last two decades serves to identify two key external factors and four tightly inter-related internal methodological advances that have significantly affected the discipline. These key developments have not only altered the current practice of forensic anthropology, but also its goals, objectives, scope, and definition. The development of DNA analysis techniques served to undermine the classic role of forensic anthropology as a field almost exclusively focused on victim identification. The introduction of the Daubert criteria in the courtroom presentation of scientific testimony accompanied the development of new human comparative samples and tools for data analysis and sharing, resulting in a vastly enhanced role for quantitative methods in human skeletal analysis. Additionally, new questions asked of forensic anthropologists, beyond identity, required sound scientific bases and expanded the scope of the field. This environment favored the incipient development of the interrelated fields of forensic taphonomy, forensic archaeology, and forensic trauma analysis, fields concerned with the reconstruction of events surrounding death. Far from representing the mere addition of new methodological techniques, these disciplines (especially, forensic taphonomy) provide forensic anthropology with a new conceptual framework, which is broader, deeper, and more solidly entrenched in the natural sciences. It is argued that this new framework represents a true paradigm shift, as it modifies not only the way in which classic forensic anthropological questions are answered, but also the goals and tasks of forensic anthropologists, and their perception of what can be considered a legitimate question or problem to be answered within the field. Yrbk Phys Anthropol 51:33–52, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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Forensic anthropology is the discipline that traditionally deals with the examination of human remains for legal purposes and it derives from the fields of anatomy, physical anthropology and forensic medicine. For more than a century, forensic anthropologists in the United States have been offering their services in the court of law complementing the medico-legal investigation of other forensic professionals. The current status in European countries is presented here. The development of forensic anthropology varies significantly among the countries of Europe. Whereas some countries show a long history of research activity in the forensic sciences, including forensic anthropology (i.e. France, Germany and Spain), others are exhibiting a recent, rapid development (i.e. United Kingdom). In some cases, forensic anthropologists are employed within the academic realm (i.e. U.K., Denmark, Portugal, Turkey), forensic institutions (Netherlands) or government organizations (Spain, Hungary), a...

Handbook of Forensic Anthropology and Archaeology introduces the reader to the broad and fluid role of the practicing forensic anthropologist and archaeologist in various parts of the world. In the early beginning of the discipline, the role of the forensic anthropologist was restricted to providing basic biological information about unidentified individuals in a skeletonized or highly decomposed state. Today, forensic anthropologists have gone beyond the basics of skeletal analyses, and assist in the recovery and analysis of human remains from mass disasters and international atrocities, and even sometimes aid in the identification of living individuals. Handbook of Forensic Anthropology and Archaeology is divided into five parts. Part I consists of nine chapters summarizing the history of the discipline in the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, France, South America, Canada, Australia, and Indonesia. While the historical progression of the discipline varies regionally, there are some underlying themes. These are: 1) the role of the forensic anthropologist is fluid and continuously growing and often depends on the regional and cultural expectations and values; 2) forensic anthropological methods are still frequently carried out by pathologists and other forensic investigators, but an understanding of the value of using trained forensic anthropologists and archaeologists is growing in most parts of the world; 3) medicolegal investigations are multidisciplinary in nature and forensic anthropologists and archaeologists must learn to work as part of a team of experts, and; 4) resources for advancing forensic anthropology are still often lacking, but at the same time, there is an increasing push for better training of students and certification of professionals. While forensic anthropological research is discussed in several chapters of Part I, an unfortunate omission from this section is the contribution of forensic anthropology research to theory and methods in biological anthropology. Parts II and III provide an overview of the standard techniques employed by forensic archaeologists and anthropologists, respectively, during the recovery and analysis of human skeletons. Part II consists of only two chapters. Chapter 11 describes techniques for locating human remains, and Chapter 12 discusses general considerations for conducting forensic excavations. Part III consists of 15 chapters that provide a broad overview of the methods used by forensic anthropologists to assess the forensic importance of bone (human versus nonhuman and contemporary versus noncontemporary), analyze commingled remains, develop a biological profile (assessment of age, sex, ancestry, and stature), interpret antemortem and peritmortem trauma as well as taphonomic and fire damage, and use facial approximation, superimposition, DNA, and odontology to assist in identification. The chapters on forensic anthropological methods provide a good overview of standard methods used by forensic anthropologists but supply little information that followers of the forensic anthropological literature would not know. One of the most interesting aspects of Part III is the discussion by Sauer and Wankmiller (Chapter 16) of the highly controversial topic in biological anthropology regarding the concept of race. They argue convincingly that ‘‘identifying the place of ancestry is a legitimate and useful goal when trying to generate a biological profile and identify unknown human remains’’ (p. 187). Part IV includes nine chapters with case studies that demonstrate the breadth of the discipline and how forensic anthropologists and archaeologists work as part of a multidisciplinary team in homicide, mass disaster, and international atrocity investigations. Finally, the five chapters in Part V cover topics important to the practicing forensic anthropologist. These chapters are on professional conduct and include topics such as ethical practices, expert testimony, legal processes, working with large organizations, and the use of quantitative methods. Handbook of Forensic Anthropology and Archaeology is an excellent addition to the forensic anthropological literature. The 42 chapters clearly demonstrate the breadth of forensic anthropology and archaeology, and the ways that practicing forensic anthropologists and archaeologists contribute to medicolegal death investigations. The selection of authors by the editors provides both comprehensive and multinational viewpoints— something missing in most books on forensic anthropology. The authors include individuals working in academic settings, medical examiner offices, law enforcement agencies, private consulting firms, and government agencies that have participated in numerous types of forensic investigations around the world. One thing that is abundantly clear from most of the chapters is that forensic anthropology has evolved into more than just a field that deals with the identification of human skeletal remains. Forensic anthropologists and archaeologists are now involved in numerous aspects of medicolegal investigations, including the discovery and recovery of remains, the analysis of trauma in skeletonized and fleshed bodies, and constructing a taphonomic profile. They also act, often in a leadership role, as a crucial part of multidisciplinary teams that respond to humanitarian and criminal investigations. Because of its breadth, Handbook of Forensic Anthropology and Archaeology is a must for all libraries at universities and colleges that have forensic anthropology or forensic science programs. I would also encourage anyone interested in forensic anthropology and archaeology to read the book. However, because there are numerous chapters on each topic, there is also a lot of repetition. Therefore, readers may want to choose only those chapters that are of particular interest to them. Individuals interested in purchasing the book or teachers wanting to adopt it for class should be aware, however, that Handbook of Forensic Anthropology and Archaeology is not a laboratory manual or an instructional reference book of forensic anthropological methods. While the book gives an excellent overview of the field and provides some information on forensic anthropological methods, it does not impart specific procedures or instructions on how to analyze human remains in medicolegal context. Of course this is also not the intent of the editors. What this book will do, as was their intent, is spark a conversation about the role of forensic anthropology in the past and present and how it will be practiced in the future. As a practicing forensic anthropologist and scientist conducting forensic anthropological research, I am glad I read the book. I highly recommend it to others with an interest in the growing and diverse fields of forensic anthropology and archaeology.