Controlled experimental observations on joint disarticulation and bone displacement of a human body in an open pit: Implications for funerary archaeology

This paper discusses the actualistic experimental study of a willed donated human body to examine the process of decomposition and skeletal disarticulation under controlled conditions. The results support earlier indications that burial environment and variations in body position can greatly affect patterns of disarticulation and bone displacement. Furthermore, the process of disarticulation observed in this study was complex, involving multiple instances of displacement of bones out of anatomical position prior to loss of the connective tissues, as well as cases of disarticulation followed by 're-articulation'. This demonstrates that sequences based largely on archaeological data may not capture the entire process. Further actualistic studies are needed to better understand the effects of different variables on disarticulation and final bone position. Such studies provide the opportunity to refine and improve the existing framework used to assess body treatment. Understanding body treatment in the past contributes to the wider conceptualization of human death and burial.