Putting a Face on History: Using Forensic Facial Reconstructions and Imagery in the Arch Street Project

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Bones and Burials in Philadelphia: The Arch Street Project’s Multidisciplinary Research" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This paper will discuss the application of forensic art and 3-D facial reconstruction (in clay) that was conducted on selected skull replicas made from the Arch Street salvage cemetery site. These reconstructions help to "put a face" on the people who lived in Philadelphia between the 18th to mid-19th century and humanize them. Historical archaeology often provides the historical context of a group of people, utilizing material artifacts as well as archival resources so that we can better understand the communities and their times. But too often the people who lived in the past remain amorphous, snapshots from distant times, and we find it difficult to relate to them in a meaningful way. Three dimensional reconstructions and imagery show us their humanity and enrich our appreciation for the story they provide. This presentation provides a view of four individuals whose faces can speak to us after their voices have been silenced for over 170 years.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Bones and Burials in Philadelphia: The Arch Street Project’s Multidisciplinary Research   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 23312