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Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology pp 7308–7312Cite as

Time Since Death in Bioarchaeology and Human Osteology

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Introduction and Definition

Time since death (TSD) is defined as the time frame between death and discovery of an organism. When estimated in an archaeological context, this time frame may be referred to as time since deposition and in a forensic context can be termed postmortem interval. Time since death cannot be established with certainty and for this reason is provided as an estimate of the range of time encompassing the period when death occurred. A shorter postmortem interval is typically associated with a narrower time range, while a longer postmortem interval has a broader time range and includes a wider margin of error. Presently, there is no single indicator which provides a reliable or accurate measure of the time since death of an organism.

Key Issues and Current Debates

Current Methods for Estimating Time Since Death

In a forensic investigation, the most reliable estimates of time since death are based upon observations and measurements made by a forensic pathologist...

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References

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Further Reading

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  • Hunter, J., C. Roberts & A. Martin. 1997. Studies in crime: an introduction to forensic archaeology. London: Routledge. Reprint.

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  • Tibbett, M. & D.O. Carter. 2008. Soil analysis in forensic taphonomy: chemical and biological effects of buried human remains. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

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  • Wieczorek, A. & W. Rosendahl. 2010.M ummies of the world: Munich: Prestel Verlag.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Forensic Science, University of Technology, Sydney, 123, Broadway, NSW, 2007, Australia

    Shari Forbes

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  1. Shari Forbes
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Correspondence to Shari Forbes .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Archaeology, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Claire Smith

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Forbes, S. (2014). Time Since Death in Bioarchaeology and Human Osteology. In: Smith, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2_218

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2_218

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