Beyond the Farm: Forensic Taphonomy in East Tennessee

Summary

The impact of Walter Klippel’s teaching has provided his students the tools necessary to answer several critical questions faced by forensic anthropologists. Through his classroom tutelage countless numbers of graduates have the skills to recognize and categorize non-human bones. Beyond this zooarchaeological training, his research influence and guidance has also afforded both students and practitioners alike with knowledge to identify and document particular signatures of postmortem damage and taphonomy on human remains.

His long term research leadership at the outdoor research facility at the Forensic Anthropology Center at the University of Tennessee has centered on establishing techniques to best assess postmortem animal modification. This research has led to improved means for identifying and understanding the postmortem signatures of animal activity, significantly contributing to forensic investigations. Additionally, he has contributed to the knowledge of estimation of the postmortem interval via his student-centered approaches to research in animal scavenging. As a result, the success of our forensic work is directly attributable to the contributions of Walter Klippel and his dedication to students and anthropological science.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22365