Advocacy for the preservation of osteological heritage in the context of biomedical universities

Introduction

An anonymous donation of bone elements to the Laboratory of Anthropology, Archeology, Biology (LAAB) (UVSQ/Paris-Saclay) once again raises the question of the future of heritage and university osteological collections. It allows to alert about the fragility of osteological collections and the risk of their disappearance.

Context

The treatment, conservation and future of human remains are currently at the heart of intense debates among heritage and archeology professionals as well as within the legislative apparatus in France. French law concerning the conservation and valorization of ancient human remains vague, which encourages heterogeneous decision-making on the territory regarding their management. Heritage osteological collections and unofficial collections are threatened whether by the need of selecting sorting, by request of reburial, or by disinterest. Digital technologies currently offer solutions in particular for the preservation of archaeological remains by protecting them from repeated and sometimes unnecessary manipulations. But these solutions are not without ethical and financial questions, and do not exempt the need to preserve anthropobiological remains for subsequent complementary or contradictory studies.

Conclusion

In fact, the preservation, in their integrity, of serial anthropobiological collections and particularly osteological collections, remains essential for teaching and research.