The Men of the H. L. Hunley: An Osteological Portrait

Author(s): Kathryn Barca; Douglas Owsley

Year: 2020

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Lives Revealed: Interpreting the Human Remains and Personal Artifacts from the Civil War Submarine H. L. Hunley" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The remains of the Hunley crew were removed from the vessel following a careful, detailed, documentation process. Osteological, stable isotope, and DNA analyses confirmed the identities and places of origin of the eight men. The skeletal remains provide details specific to each individual’s life history, particularly related to their occupations as well as their experiences in the American Civil War, while forensic facial reconstructions put faces to the names. Importantly, the Hunley data also contribute to a broader understanding of both civilian and military life in the 19th century, informing on both patterns of diet and dental health.

Cite this Record

The Men of the H. L. Hunley: An Osteological Portrait. Kathryn Barca, Douglas Owsley. 2020 ( tDAR id: 457060)

Keywords

General
19th Century Hunley Osteology

Geographic Keywords
United States of America

Temporal Keywords
19th Century

Spatial Coverage

min long: -129.199; min lat: 24.495 ; max long: -66.973; max lat: 49.359 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 224