Research Catalog

Title

When science sheds light on history : forensic science and anthropology / Philippe Charlier with David Alliot ; translated by Isabelle Ruben.

Author

Charlier, Philippe

Publication

• Gainesville : University Press of Florida, [2017]
• ©2017

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Alliot, David
• Ruben, Isabelle

Description

xviii, 170 pages; 23 cm

Summary

"Did Richard the Lionheart really die from a simple crossbow wound, or was there foul play? Who are the two infants buried in Tutankhamun's tomb? Could a skull found in a tax collector's attic be the long-lost head of Henri IV? In When Science Sheds Light on History, Philippe Charlier, the "Indiana Jones of the graveyards," travels the globe to unravel these and other unsolved mysteries of human history. To get answers, Charlier looks for clues in medical records, fingerprints, and bloodstains. He reconstructs the face of Robespierre from masks molded from his body after death and analyzes charred bones to see if they really are Joan of Arc's. He discovers lethal levels of gold in the hair and bones of King Henry II's mistress Diane de Poitiers, who used gold salts to "preserve her eternal youth." Charlier also pieces together the stories of people whose names and lives have long been forgotten. He investigates Stone Age graves, medieval necropolises, and museum collections. Playing the role of both crime-scene investigator and forensic anthropologist, Charlier diagnoses a mummy with malaria, an ancient Greek child with Down syndrome, and a stately Roman with encephalitis. He also delves into ancient miracles and anomalies: a mute boy able to speak after making sacrifices to the gods, a woman pregnant for five years, and a serpent that cured a broken toe with its tongue. Exploring how our ancestors lived and how they died, the forty cases in this book seek to answer some of history's most enduring questions and illustrate the power of science to reveal the secrets of the past."--Amazon.com.

Subjects

• History > Research
• Case studies
• Paleopathology > Case studies
• Forensic anthropology > Case studies
• Physical anthropology and history
• Medical jurisprudence > Case studies
• Medical archaeology > Case studies

Genre/Form

Case studies.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references.

Call Number

JFE 17-7188

ISBN

• 0813056543
• 9780813056548

LCCN

2017938939

OCLC

982430538

Author

Charlier, Philippe, author.

Title

When science sheds light on history : forensic science and anthropology / Philippe Charlier with David Alliot ; translated by Isabelle Ruben.

Publisher

Gainesville : University Press of Florida, [2017]

Copyright Date

©2017

Type of Content

text

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references.

Added Author

Alliot, David, author.

Ruben, Isabelle, translator.

Research Call Number

JFE 17-7188