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Into the Kettle: The Analysis of Commingled Remains from Southern Ontario

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Commingled and Disarticulated Human Remains

Abstract

Commingled assemblages constitute the main body of skeletal evidence available from southern Ontario. As a result, investigations involving commingled remains demonstrate an appreciable history of theoretical and methodological approaches taken by bioarchaeologists and anthropologists. Very early on, the commingled nature of skeletal assemblages was seen as the major force steering methodology. Because complete individuals were not available for analysis, studies could only be conducted at the population level. Here the two levels of analyses are viewed as inextricably linked and essential to comprehensive investigations. Recent contributions, framed within a strong cultural context and using multiple lines of evidence, have actively transitioned between individual and population. Two examples from Ontario are provided that are drawn from different archaeological contexts (ossuary and scattered remains) and exemplify this concern. Further, both examples explore current directions in bioarchaeology that emphasize the study of human social identities. Commingled remains have the potential to liberate aspects of individual identity that relate to age, life course, and community. Despite the fact that individual skeletons may not be available, it is still possible to tease out aspects of individual experience in the context of a larger social framework.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University, 202 Regina Street, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    Bonnie Glencross

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  1. Bonnie Glencross
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Correspondence to Bonnie Glencross .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, USA

    Anna J. Osterholtz

  2. University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

    Kathryn M. Baustian

  3. Department of Anthropology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

    Debra L. Martin

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Glencross, B. (2014). Into the Kettle: The Analysis of Commingled Remains from Southern Ontario. In: Osterholtz, A., Baustian, K., Martin, D. (eds) Commingled and Disarticulated Human Remains. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7560-6_5

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