Bioarchaeology of Mummies

"The modern manifestation of the mummy studies field began to take shape in the 1970s. Largely stemming from a biomedical interest in soft tissue pathology, mummy based research has experienced significant growth during the last several decades. Although this points to a vibrant field, there are indications that we need to take stock of where it is today and how it may proceed in the future. In many ways, mummy studies and skeletal bioarchaeology are 'sister-disciplines', sharing data sources, methodologies, and practitioners. Given these close connections, this book considers whether paradigmatic shifts that influenced the development of the latter also impacted the former. This volume is unique in several ways. First, although there are many books that discuss mummy research, this volume does not focus on any particular mummy or collection of mummies. Rather, it is an attempt at a synthetic, state-of-the-field, critical analysis. Further, whereas recent field-wide reviews principally reflect a biomedical perspective, I consider the field from a more explicitly anthropological perspective. This book is intended for two audiences. On the one hand, it is written for skeletal bioarchaeologists that may not be familiar with the scope of mummy research. This book was also written for mummy researchers from biomedical fields that may not be as familiar with current research trends within bioarchaeology"--