General Terms

An individual’s ethnogeographic region or line of descent.

Evaluation of something for quality.

The excess soil placed around a grave that was recently used to bury remains and then refilled. This excess occurs because the soil removed when digging the grave has a larger volume than the hole with remains in it.

Measurements and parameters determined from studying skeletal remains, consisting of age, sex, ancestry, and stature.

An activity that is done in secret or kept secret often in relation to illegal practices.

The structure, size, and form of an organism’s cranium.

The skeletal portion that encloses the brain.

The process through which biological or organic remains break down.

The arrangement and condition of teeth in the mouth.

Relating to a branch of anthropology that studies the geographical distribution of ethnic groups, the relationship between these groups and their relationship to their environment.

The exposure and retrieval of remains (may be skeletal remains) through a slow, meticulous, and careful digging process.

Evaluation of something based on a quantified analysis using mathematical or statistical calculations.

The application of anthropological studies and concepts in the context of legal proceedings, especially when studying the skeletal remains.

The post-mortem processes affecting the preservation, observation, and recovery of old organisms; reconstruction of the biology; and the circumstances and scene of death.

Remains in which a portion of the evidence is broken or missing.

Socially defined aspects of how a person should behave. The definition generally consists of aspects such as roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes.

To bury a body in a grave.

Integration of the fields of medicine and law that are the focus of investigations often around an incident of death.

The time that has passed after the incident of death and before the discovery of death, often in the context of recovery of human remains.

Conclusion to a medicolegal case where the authorities have sufficient evidence that is likely to result in, beyond a reasonable doubt, the correct identification of the offender.

Taphonomic changes of human remains after death unrelated to the circumstances of death.

Consumption or modification of human remains by animals.

The location from which evidence is recovered. In the context of anthropology often the evidence recovered is some form of remains.

Differences between a biological male and female in context of genitalia and genetics.

Study of the anatomy and biology of the skeleton.

The complete breakdown of the soft tissue in human remains leaving behind just the hard tissue of the skeleton and teeth.

The bone structures that consist of the cranium region and the lower jaw.

An individual’s natural height, not skeletal height, in an upright position.

An individual who has not reached physiological adulthood and has yet to establish adult biological characteristics, such as skeletal maturity.

Preservation and modification of remains; also known as the laws of burial.

Disruption of soft tissue due to the infliction of an external force.