The discussion of identity within Islamic archaeology is rare, and it is often treated as a given, as if Islam was a monolithic category, when in reality it is composed of a variety of identity variables, such as those revolving around sectarian affiliation, ethnicity or gender for example. Ideally, Islam should be structured by ‘emphatic ideological denial of the primacy of ethnic identity (an...

2. The origins of agriculture and the shift from hunting and gathering to committed agriculture is 3. regarded as one of the major transitions in human history. Archaeologists and anthropologists have 4. invested significant efforts in explaining the origins of agriculture. A period of gathering 5. intensification and experimentation and pursuing a mixed economic strategy seems the most plausib...

The accuracy of the sex determination of cremated human remains is one of the vital parameters for archaeologists and skeletal anthropologists dealing with cremations. Few studies have so far aimed at testing it. In the present paper, the accuracy of the sexing techniques was assessed by paralleling biological sex (identified morphologically) to gender (presumed on the basis of the grave goods ...

Mass graves are complex products of large-scale crimes. Such scenes pose four conceptual challenges to investigators and forensic experts: the individual victim, the crime, the setting, and the statistical. Exhumation and post-mortem examination of mortal remains with associated personal and forensic evidence require integrated management of core forensic personnel including investigators, arch...