Category Archives: Siding Tricks

Orienting and Siding ‘Regular’ Ribs

Posted on September 24, 2013 by JB

I’ll begin by admitting that ribs are some of my least favorite bones to deal with. [Sidebar: I took a  week-long forensic anthropology overview course once (the 25th year of this), and I was astonished at the extent to which … Continue reading →

Posted in Fragmentary Remains, Osteology, Ribs, Siding Tricks | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

OsteoMenagerie 6: Tips for Siding the Calcaneus

Posted on August 27, 2013 by JB

The calcaneus, often colloquially referred to as the ‘heel bone’, is the largest tarsal in the human foot. It preserves relatively well archaeologically speaking, appearing both in individual cemetery burials and in commingled graves. The photo below is of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Foot, Osteology, OsteoMenagerie, Siding Tricks, Tarsals, Test Your Skills | Tagged , | 5 Comments

OsteoMenagerie 4: The Capitate

Posted on July 4, 2013 by JB

Like all carpals, the capitate possesses a distinctive, irregular shape that makes it easy to identify and side. Unlike the other carpals, however, the capitate happens to look like one of the most notorious villains in cinematic history: Lord Voldemort…Just checking that … Continue reading →

Posted in Carpals, Hand, OsteoMenagerie, Siding Tricks | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

In Honor of the “Super Moon” – Identifying and siding the lunate

Posted on June 28, 2013 by JB

Last week marked the arrival of the “super moon”, the rare coincidence of a full moon phase with the point in its orbit at which the lunar body is closest to the Earth. In order, no doubt, to stimulate public … Continue reading →

Posted in Carpals, Hand, Osteology, Siding Tricks | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Want to impress your friends at parties?* A guide to quickly siding the patella.

Posted on June 15, 2013 by JB

While working with the ca. 5,000 year old Copper Age human remains that I’m studying as part of my dissertation research, I’ve noticed that the patella tends to preserve fairly well. The patella is up there on my list of … Continue reading →

Posted in Osteology, Patella, Siding Tricks | Tagged , | Leave a comment

OsteoMenagerie 2: The Scaphoid

Posted on May 7, 2013 by JB

For this week’s edition of OsteoMenagerie, we have the scaphoid, a bone of the wrist that clearly looks like a snail. Appropriately given last week’s OsteoMenagerie, another term for the scaphoid is the navicular, because it is similarly positioned to … Continue reading →

Posted in Carpals, Hand, OsteoMenagerie, Siding Tricks | Tagged , | 2 Comments

OsteoMenagerie I: The Navicular

Posted on May 2, 2013 by JB

I find that students react to the bewildering variety of bones in the human body with a greater amount of aplomb when you explain things using animal metaphors. I’ve always found some of these visual parallels impossible to unsee after … Continue reading →

Posted in Foot, OsteoMenagerie, Siding Tricks, Tarsals | Tagged , | 6 Comments