The Online Reflector

Four years ago, Krista Latham came up with an idea to publish a book that would assist anthropologists in their studies. Her idea became a reality in the form of a book she co-edited, “Age Estimation of the Human Skeleton.”

The book provides detailed explanations of techniques used to determine how old a person was when he died. Each chapter covers a different area of the skeleton.

Latham, assistant professor of biology and anthropology at the University of Indianapolis, said a book of gathered information like this was something she’d thought about for a while.

“There was not one good book available that had all the information in one place,” she said.

Once the idea was set, Latham asked long-time acquaintance Michael Finnegan from Kansas State University to co-edit. From there, the pair invited co-workers and acquaintances to share their contributions.

One UIndy professor who was involved in the writing process was Professor of Anthropology and Biology Stephen Nawrocki.

“I wrote one chapter myself, was a coauthor with my graduate students on two additional chapters and also was the thesis advisor for one other student’s chapter,” Nawrocki said.

Associate Professor and Director of the Indiana Prehistory Laboratory Christopher Schmidt was also involved.
He was involved in coauthoring two chapters of the book.

UIndy Faculty Adjunct Rachel Sharkey and several UIndy alumnae also contributed to the book. Cover art for the book was done by Faculty Adjunct Amandine Eriksen.

Schmidt thinks it’s a possibility that he will use it in his human osteology course.

“It will help [students] get a better understanding of the complexities involved with the aging process,” Schmidt said. “This book provides a nice starting point for students conducting research on ancient skeletons.”

Latham has high expectations for the book.

“I am hoping that universities with forensic anthropology programs will use it as a textbook,” she said. “I also hope labs that examine human skeletons will keep a copy of it on their bookshelves.”

Latham also believes that not only will the book benefit anthropology students, it also may provide an interesting perspective to other students.

“People see shows relating to this field, such as ‘Bones’ and ‘CSI,’ on TV,” she said. “This is a way to see how it’s really done by real scientists in the real world.”

A copy of “Age Estimation of the Human Skeleton” will be available soon in Krannert Memorial Library.