Injury and Trauma in Bioarchaeology : Interpreting Violence in Past Lives

This book provides a critical examination of the sources of social science, clinical and archaeological evidence that bioarchaeologists use to study injury in past communities. Redfern explores the consequences of violence in a bioarchaeological context, highlighting how its evidence can shed new light on the hierarchies and social relationships of past societies.

The remains of past people are a testament to their lived experiences and of the environment in which they lived. Synthesising the latest research, this book critically examines the sources of evidence used to understand and interpret violence in bioarchaeology, exploring the significant light such evidence can shed on past hierarchies, gender roles and life courses. The text draws on a diverse range of social and clinical science research to investigate violence and trauma in the archaeological record, focussing on human remains. It examines injury patterns in different groups as well as the biological, psychological and cultural factors that make us behave violently, how our living environment influences injury and violence, the models used to identify and interpret violence in the past, and how violence is used as a social tool. Drawing on a range of case studies, Redfern explores new research directions that will contribute to nuanced interpretations of past lives.