Reconstruction Techniques In Anthropology
The basic and broad definition of anthropology is, "the study of human societies and cultures and their development." Basically, anthropology is the study of what makes us human. However, it's much more than just observing cultures and people; anthropology plays a major key component in helping to solve criminal cases. Forensic anthropologists are primary players in forensic science, both in the field and in the laboratory.
Usually when an unexplained death occurs, whether it be a homicide or an accidental death, response teams are called in to collect and analyze physical evidence and any skeletal remains. However, forensic anthropologists are frequently called in to help out, especially if there are any remains that are unidentifiable. …show more content…
The first of the two 2D reconstruction techniques was developed by a woman named Karen Taylor back in the 1980s. This method is used to re-create a face from a body that is decaying. According to crimemuseum.com, "the artist uses their knowledge about how the soft tissue of the skin lies on the skull and how the body decomposes to create a reconstruction of what the victim may have looked like before death." The second method of the two dimensional technique involves putting indicators on the skull in specific places and in specific depths that would generally be able to show the age and gender of the victim. This is a major job for the forensic anthropologist. After that, before anything else can be done, the skull must be placed in the Frankfort Horizontal position, and according to the same article written by crime museum.com, "the Frankfort Horizontal position, is agreed upon normal position of the human skull." Once the skull is positioned properly, then the artist will take digital pictures of the skull and then he will enlarge them to life size and tape them in the Frankfort Horizontal position onto two wooden boards next to each other. Now that the set up is done, the artist will begin to sketch. This is done by following the contours on the skull and using the tissue markers as
Usually when an unexplained death occurs, whether it be a homicide or an accidental death, response teams are called in to collect and analyze physical evidence and any skeletal remains. However, forensic anthropologists are frequently called in to help out, especially if there are any remains that are unidentifiable. …show more content…
The first of the two 2D reconstruction techniques was developed by a woman named Karen Taylor back in the 1980s. This method is used to re-create a face from a body that is decaying. According to crimemuseum.com, "the artist uses their knowledge about how the soft tissue of the skin lies on the skull and how the body decomposes to create a reconstruction of what the victim may have looked like before death." The second method of the two dimensional technique involves putting indicators on the skull in specific places and in specific depths that would generally be able to show the age and gender of the victim. This is a major job for the forensic anthropologist. After that, before anything else can be done, the skull must be placed in the Frankfort Horizontal position, and according to the same article written by crime museum.com, "the Frankfort Horizontal position, is agreed upon normal position of the human skull." Once the skull is positioned properly, then the artist will take digital pictures of the skull and then he will enlarge them to life size and tape them in the Frankfort Horizontal position onto two wooden boards next to each other. Now that the set up is done, the artist will begin to sketch. This is done by following the contours on the skull and using the tissue markers as