The Archaeology of Disease shows how the latest scientific and archaeological techniques can be used to identify the common illnesses and injuries from which humans suffered in antiquity. Charlotte Roberts and Keith Manchester offer a vivid picture of ancient disease and trauma by combining the results of scientific research with information gathered from documents, other areas of archaeology, art, and ethnography. The book contains information on congenital, infectious, dental, joint, endocrine, and metabolic diseases. The authors provide a clinical context for specific ailments and accidents and consider the relevance of ancient demography, basic bone biology, funerary practices, and prehistoric medicine. This fully revised third edition has been updated to and encompasses rapidly developing research methods of in this fascinating field.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Disease is not a modern era problem
Comment: The book The Archeology of Disease is a good text to have in the study of paleopathology. It is not the only one, but it is a good one because the explanation of scientific practice in paleopathology is easy to understand.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Well-written and intelligible
Comment: Well-written and intelligible book on the archaeology of disease.
Good discussions both of manifestations of disease in individual
skeletal remains, and in populations. Mostly oriented towards
disease per se, but there's a good chapter on trauma, as well.
Especially good coverage of dental disease. Oriented towards an
academic, rather than towards a lay, audience, but I found it
very readable nonetheless.

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