Modern Techniques for Medieval Lessons

Students work in an Anthropology lab in Etheridge, cleaning a shipment of bones from Croatia, readying for education and research.
Photo by Megan Bean

January 20, 2021

Senior anthropology majors Austin Lee, left, from McHenry, and Adara Rutherford, from Waveland, clean human bones that were excavated from the site of a medieval church in eastern Croatia. Anthropology Professor Anna Osterholtz recently received the remains as part of her ongoing research and teaching in the area. In addition to using the bones to teach osteology and paleopathology, Osterholtz and her students are using modern methods to determine the number of people buried in the church, as well as learn more about the region's history by looking for indicators of health and disease, trauma and muscle development. The descendant population in Croatia that Osterholtz works with has authorized MSU to photograph the remains and have students work with them.