Response to the paper by Redfern and Clegg by Malin Holst

ABSTRACT

In their paper, Redfern and Clegg draw attention to two key issues that have an adverse effect on English and Welsh osteological assemblages, including the commercial post-excavation analysis of human remains and academic research of human skeletons. This response to Redfern and Clegg’s paper is based on the experiences of these issues as a managing director of a commercial osteological company (York Osteoarchaeology Ltd) and as a lecturer in Bioarchaeology at the University of York and includes advice and suggestions from colleagues from both institutions.

KEYWORDS:

• Skeleton excavation
• biomolecular analysis
• reburial
• biobanks
• community archaeology

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to my colleagues Dr Michelle Alexander, Dr Camilla Speller, Katie Keefe and Dr Sophie Newman for their comments and suggestions for this response.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Malin Holst

Malin Holst is a Lecturer in Bioarchaeology at the University of York and Director of York Osteology Ltd, a commercial bioarchaeological company that carries out the excavation, analysis and reporting or publication of human skeletons from archaeological projects. She completed an MSc in Osteology, Palaeopathology and Funerary Archaeology jointly at the University of Sheffield and the University of Bradford. She specialises in bioarchaeology with particular emphasis on osteology and palaeopathology and is particularly interested in weapon related trauma, burial ritual and multi-period cemeteries.