Mortal Wounds: The Human Skeleton as Evidence for Conflict in the Past

Martin J Smith argues that the study of human remains is the purest, most reliable and unbiased source of evidence for the reality of conflict in the past. He outlines its value to the new science of Battlefield Archaeology and the wider understanding of historical conflict. He outlines the processes used in examining osteological remains to unlock the clues about what the combatants endured. Drawing on case studies spanning the millennia, the author shows how skeletal remains can often tell us, in chilling detail, exactly what a warrior suffered in his final moments (though often the evidence of healed wounds from previous battles is just as striking). This enriches our understanding of the human experience of battle as well as providing scientific data on the effects of various weapons on the human body. This is a book written with scientific rigour by a leading archaeologist but it will appeal equally to students of archaeology and the military historian with an interest in the brutal face of battle. AUTHOR: Dr Martin Smith is Senior Lecturer in Forensic and Biological Anthropology at the University of Bournemouth. Martin Smith is a Biological Anthropologist with particular interests in prehistoric populations. His past work has covered a range of periods with particular focus on the Neolithic and concerned principally on areas of taphonomy and trauma with relevance to both forensic and archaeological remains. Martin has strong interests in the study of conflict from prehistoric to modern times. A question that continues to fascinate him is the extent to which war /organized conflict is hard-wired in human beings rather than simply a practical response to environmental or social circumstances. His current research includes experimentation with weapons such as crossbows, blackpowder weapons and modern firearms on animal bone and synthetic substitutes for human bone.
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