Bioarchaeology

Bioarchaeological research at Exeter combines the study of archaeology with branches of the natural and physical sciences to address questions of health and well-being, diet, ecology, subsistence strategies and natural and human-induced environmental impacts in the past.

Our approach is holistic and inter-disciplinary, drawing its inspiration from both definitions of ‘bioarchaeology’: as a study applied to human remains (human osteoarchaeology) and as related to the integration of environmental archaeology, floral and faunal evidence – archaeobotany and zooarchaeology.

Our current research covers a range of themes:

the origins and development of social inequality, violence and warfare
morphological alteration in response to physical activity and labour in the rise of craft specialists and elites across political, social and economic transitions
changing patterns of resource exploitation of plants and animals
human – environment relations, in particular the early domestication of plants and animals, and the legacy of past human impact on modern environments
how social relationships in the past contribute to funerary patterning in the archaeological record and how these relate to social processes amongst the living