Human Osteoarchaeology

Human Osteoarchaeology Group logo
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Those who are not CIfA members can join any group by becoming a Group Supporter for an annual fee of £15. To become a Group Supporter use the Group Supporter application form. For more information about the benefits of joining any CIfA Groups view the Groups home page.

Committee
Interim Chair
Samantha Tipper
Vice-chair
Heidi Dawson-Hobbis
Secretary
Kirsty Squires
Committee member
Sabrina Ki
Committee member
Jenny Mikkelsen
Committee member
Milena Grzybowska
Committee member
Rachel Ives
Committee member
Aoife McCaughey
Advisor
Sharon Clough
Specialist competence matrix

This specialist matrix is to assist applicants and the Validation committee to see where you demonstrate the grade applied for when working in Osteology.

Osteology (PDF | 175.33 KB)
Three year plan

Human Osteoarchaeology Special Interest Group represents the interests of professionals who work or have an interest in the area of osteoarchaeology and burial studies. We aim to promote standards and good practice for the excavation, treatment, conservation, analysis and curation of human remains and funerary archaeology from the historic environment.

You do not need to be a CIfA member to join the Group! Non-members can join the Group as a Human Osteoarchaeology Group supporter for £15 annually. This provides you with free attendance at our Osteobites lectures,  CIfA member rate fee for paid for Group events and resources, and email bulletins containing newsletters and updates from the Group. More information about becoming a Group supporter can be found here.

Human Osteoarchaeology SIG 2025 conference recordings

CIfA's Human Osteoarchaeology Special Interest Group 2025 conference took place online on Saturday October 18 2025 and will focus on dissemination of human osteoarchaeological findings, new projects, case studies, fieldwork, methods and research networking.

The recording information will be shared with you via email and will include a link to a PDF containing the recording links, as well as link to the playlist of recordings from the day.

If you have any questions about the event or your purchase, please email groups@archaeologists.net.

Recordings of Human Osteoarchaeology SIG online day conference available here

Human Osteoarchaeology Osteobites online talks

Throughout 2025, we will be running our Osteobites series of short talks followed by questions and discussion.

Osteobites online talks image and QR code

The next session will be held at 18:30 until 19:30 on Wednesday 26 November 2025.

This session will feature a talk by Dr Sarah Inskip titled “Tobacco as a risk factor for past oral health; exploring the benefits of an index of Oro-dental disease”. We encourage you to sign up so you don't miss out!

To register to attend November's talk or for more information, visit the Osteobites booking page

Previous Osteobites recordings

Osteobites - 'Through infancy and beyond; The importance and potential of non-adult osteology' - 31 July 2025

Osteobites - Biomolecular Archaeology in the Threat-Led Sector - 23 April 2025

Osteobites - Ancient DNA for Archaeologists: What it Can and Can’t Do and Why - 30 January 2025

Group publications and newsletters
CIfA OsteoSIG Group - Newsletter - January 2025 (PDF | 551.84 KB)

In 2019, we provided a workshop that offered theoretical and hands-on training in the use of new osteological methods to identify stages of puberty in human skeletal remains. Exciting new avenues of research into the archaeology of adolescence were discussed, along with how osteoarchaeologists working in the commercial sector could contribute to future studies. Participants had the opportunity to apply the methods to skeletal remains and evaluate the stage of puberty, under the guidance of the co-creator of the techniques, Dr. Mary Lewis.

A recording form was developed to summarize the assessment criteria and ease the application of the techniques. A summary table was also created to aid in estimating the stage of puberty the individual was experiencing, as well as to indicate the physical changes the body was undergoing at the time of death. Both can be downloaded below.

Falys and Lewis - Puberty Status Recording Form

Falys and Lewis - Revised Puberty Assessment Table

Group meeting minutes and documents