Trauma as identified in human remains represents an interaction between the timing of bone breakage and the death of the individual, bone breakage being dependent on the amount of collagen present in the bone when the traumatic episode occurs. Postmortem fractures (or new breaks) are those that occur long after death and relate to excavation and handling of archaeologicaL bone. Antemortem fractures, or those that occur before death, indicate that the individual survived the traumatic episode. A fracture callus, a fibrous bony sheath that develops around the fracture site that is indicative of healing, distinguishes these. Perimortem fractures are those that occur around the time of death. This means that they could relate to violent injuries or from impacts to the bone in the immediate postmortem period when it is still full of collagen but when the individual had already expired (as in rock falls, for example). These are identified by their helical or spiraling fracture outline, as well as by their smooth fracture surfaces. Due to the biomechanics of bone bending, beveling occurs endocorti-cally in long bones and endocranially within cranial bones in cases of perimortem trauma (Figure 22). The identification of such fractures can lead to insights into the manner (although not its cause) of death (e. g., by blunt force trauma) (Figure 23). Disability and the availability and efficacy of treatment can be monitored from the type of fractures sustained and how these have healed. Perimortem fractures, their occurrence and patterning, are the most direct means by which to monitor violence and warfare in the past.
Figure 22 An endocortical bevel in bone. Photograph of the author from the collections of the Biological Anthropology Research Centre (BARC), University of Bradford.
World History
