A Reflection on Infants Skeletal Remains in Archaeological Contexts: Limits and Contributions in the Methodology

Abstract

Osteological studies related to infant bones from archaeological contexts have traditionally been shuffled aside in front of adult bones analysis. Fortunately, in the last decades they are being integrated, restoring their cultural role that played in past societies. However, this investigation bias had left an important lack of information, which should be regarded before considering future interpretations, moreover by the time of carrying out comparisons between groups already studied since the infant record might not been properly studied. This paper discuss the contributions from the study of these remains and several methodological problems implied in the study of little-size remains, with a weak bone composition, changeable because of taphonomical processes and, easily unnoticed during the archaeological recovery, also their difficulties in the estimation of sociodemographic and paleopathological parameters.

Keywords

• osteoarqueología
• individuos infantiles
• paleodemografía
• problemas metodológicos
• interpretación ósea