Of the parts of the human body, the bones have a unique durability that lends itself to collection. Skeletal remains can be recovered even millions of years after death, cleaned of debris, studied at length, and stored indefinitely.

Motivations for collecting human skeletal material range from the practical (in anthropology, medicine, forensics) to the ritualistic (phrenology, in the relics of martyrs and saints). This book is an examination of those motivations and the collections they have brought about--catacombs, ossuaries, mass graves, prehistoric excavations, and institutional and private collections.

The book contains sections on procuring, handling, storing, transporting, cleaning, and identifying skeletal remains. The repatriation of remains is also addressed.