What is it?
According to the Oxford Dictionary for Archaeology, forensic archaeology is "a branch of archaeological investigation in which the methods and approaches of archaeology are applied to legal problems and in connection with the work of courts of law. Most commonly this involves the reconstruction of a chronology and sequence of events from the deposits found within and around graves and burial sites for homicide cases and investigations into the violation of human rights." To put it simply, forensic archaeology is applying archaeological concepts at a crime scene. Some situations that most often use forensic archaeology are missing persons searches, crime scene investigation, mass grave analysis, and property disputes. Forensic archaeologists may serve to locate a crime scene, work on the scene to find evidence on the ground as well as to dig up evidence. These experts may also work in the lab to analyze evidence, as well as testify in court as an expert witness. Forensic archaeologists often work at crime scenes to carefully dig up evidence in a way that provides the most information about what occurred. They work closely with law enforcement to find usable evidence that can be shown in court. Popular media paints forensic archaeology as a dramatic job and often doesn't accurately depict the work done by archaeologists. But television shows such as Bones do give viewers an idea of what forensic archaeology entails. While it may not be as exciting as Hollywood wants us to think, forensic archaeology is still a very exciting field within archaeology. As Dr Goldstein of Michigan State University states in a class lecture, "there is more information per cubic inch in a mortuary site than in any other kind of archaeological site." (Dr Goldstein's lecture retrieved from http://anthropology.msu.edu/anp203-us12/class-videos/bioarchaeological-approaches-to-the-past/).
Why is it important?
Through the excavation of a crime scene, a forensic archaeologist may be able to provide a wide variety of information. They could find evidence that proves or disproves witness testimony, determine how a victim died, give an approximation of when someone died or when their body was buried, and determine what items found are actually a part of the crime scene and what items were there before or ended up there after the event in question. Forensic archaeologists can also gather information about the sex and age of the victim and may be able to determine their identity based on their physical remains and items found with the body. As archaeologists, these forensic investigators can not only study bones, but other artifacts including clothing, wallets, purses, keys, cell phones, jewelry, or anything else found on or under the ground that could be evidence in a crime case. This includes buried evidence of any kind. The findings of forensic archaeologists are key to police investigations. The opinion of the forensic archaeologist on the scene can mean the difference between an old burial without fowl play and a newly buried victim who was murdered and their body was buried to hide the evidence. Archaeological study of a crime scene could potentially answer the questions: who? how? why? and when?
How does it differ from most archaeology?
One of the major differences between forensic archaeology and much of the rest of archaeological excavations around the world is that forensic archaeology usually occurs on crime scenes, meaning the work done at such excavations is extremely important to people and pertains to their life in a direct way. For instance, digging at Machu Picchu is less concerning than a dig that could uncover a missing child. For this reason, excavation sites can be crowded with many interested parties, including police, media, coroners, and other crime scene investigators. Often times archaeological evidence is buried under many layers of soil, as sites can be hundreds or thousands of years old. In forensic archaeology, a site could have developed only weeks ago and so the top layer of soil is equally important as what lies beneath. Because of the very current nature of forensic archaeology sites, artifacts are not limited to well preserved bone, pottery, or stone, but can also be items that degrade quickly, such as paper (including money), hair, skin, bug remains, and a variety of other items. While using careful archaeological techniques to obtain artifacts is important in all of archaeology, it becomes especially important in forensic archaeology. Objects need to be documented, removed from the crime scene, packaged, and analyzed with great care, as any action by the archaeologist may be scrutinized in court. Artifacts are also not just artifacts but evidence and thus, special procedures and laws apply to their procurement, as they are property of the government and part of an active investigation.
Information to create this page adapted from:
Nawrocki S (1996). An Outline of Forensic Archeology. University of Indianapolis Archeology & Forensics Laboratory (http://archlab.uindy.edu).