Williams, E., ed. (2001). Human remains:. Oxford: Archaeopress.

paper aiming to elucidate the background to the excavation of an intact Neolithic tomb on the Orkney Islands, and to describe the selection and gathering of specialist personnel prior to the excavation. Of equal importance were the decision-making processes and the archaeological choices available in the field for the retrieval of the human remains. The media interest in this project is examined along with the question of the future of the human remains and the site

the opening of a fourth-century Roman coffin from an archaeological site in Spitalfields, London, took place in the galleries at the Museum of London in April 1999. This presented a series of logistical challenges, and raised health and safety and ethical issues. Many of the remains in the burial proved to be unique finds from London. The excavation and conservation of these remains was initially carried out under the gaze of the national media and the public, and TV cameras documented further work in the laboratory. The ways in which the huge public and media interest affected the investigation and conservation of the remains from the burial, and the practical and ethical considerations of this work, are discussed

paper on the role of conservation treatment in research carried out on human remains, and the need for close collaboration between the conservator and the researcher in planning and executing conservation projects on human remains, the main aim being to preserve their information content

presents the results of past and current projects in the analysis of dental calculus, which have shown that small fragments of calculus weighing 0.1grams or less can yield thousands of microfossils. Although many of the calculus components were apparently derived from diet, some appeared to be derived from processing plants for textile manufacture. Scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy were useful in the identification of microfossils. South American data

the author argues that the preservation of both skeletal and mummified collections of human remains, combined with better efforts to disseminate the information retrieved, has become imperative

describes the protocol of data collection on human skeletal remains, involving standardized radiographic and photographic documentation, followed by the Repatriation Osteology Laboratory of the Smithsonian Institution, and the immediate and long-term benefits of these records

discusses the advantages of collecting 3D data using a digitizer over collecting conventional craniometric data using standard instruments

paper examining the need for the development of a collection care procedure for human skeletal collections, including a standardized condition audit carried out shortly after excavation, and access logs and a routine condition audit as part of a mitigation strategy for collections subject to a high level of access. The excavation, processing and curation of skeletal material in the UK are reviewed against current standards for conservation, project management and collections care

on a study by the National Museum of Health and Medicine in the United States, exploring the response of current and potential visitors to exhibits incorporating human remains

discusses the tendency of exhibitions that include human remains to generate a morbid curiosity in the audience, and the ethical and other issues relating to soft tissue collections, citing case studies from Australia