- Are there known named individuals in the collection?
- Can I find out whether any of my ancestors are in the collection?
- What kind of information do you have on the individual samples of human remains?
- Can you take DNA tests?
- Can you make the catalogue available online?
- What sort of research can you carry out on the remains?
- How did these human remains come to be in the Biological Anthropology Collection?
- How do you address the ethical issues related to the remains?
- How do you measure scientific value of these remains against reburial and repatriation requests?
- What about the Sami remains in the collection?
- How are the skeletal remains stored?
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Are there known named individuals in the collection?
No, there are no known named individuals in the collection.
Can I find out whether any of my ancestors are in the collection?
Since the collection does not contain any information about named individuals, it is not suitable for genealogical research.
What kind of information do you have on the individual pieces of human remains?
Each catalogue entry records the place and date of discovery of each item. In most cases, the composition and characteristics of the skeletal remains are described. The information available varies according to the place of discovery and to the type of remains in question.
The collection consists primarily of human skeletal remains. Some of the remains are preserved mostly intact but most of the remains are fragmented. .
Associated material, grave goods and other artefacts from archaeological excavations are deposited in regional museums. The collection also comprises written and photographic archive material which provides contextual information.
Can you take DNA tests?
DNA analyses from archaeological remains can provide us with valuable information about individuals and populations. Due to the varied state of skeletal preservation there is no guarantee that the DNA has been sufficiently preserved and with the methods currently available, it is difficult to link such information to individuals alive today.
Permission to sample DNA is only granted upon scientific and ethical appraisal of a proposed study, since DNA sampling is a destructive method and osteological remains are a finite resource.
Our current policy is not to conduct systematic genetic testing of the remains in the collection on principle, but also for ethical and economic reasons.
Can you make the catalogue available online?
The collection is closed to the public due to ethical and legal issues related to the origin of the remains. Enquiries about conducting research on the material should be submitted using our web form. The documentation in the collection is only partly digitised, which means that it takes time to find individual items of information. We have limited resources and must therefore give priority to scientific enquiries.
What sort of research can be carried out on the remains?
The remains can provide us with information about humans who lived and died in a particular place and at a specific time in the past. Researchers can gain insight into human physique, diseases, injuries and diet. In recent years, advanced research methods have opened up new and exciting possibilities for examining DNA and other chemical components of skeletal material from the past.
Data of this kind can shed light on the relationship between peoples from different areas, environmental factors, living conditions, and the incidence of diseases throughout the ages. We anticipate that in the future, new research methods will enable us to extract even more information from osteological remains.
The collection’s document archive and library are of great scientific value for both current and future research into archaeological and historical skeletal remains and further related subjects.
A working committee assessed and authored a report on the scientific value of the collection in 2000 (in Norwegian).
How did these human remains come to be in the Biological Anthropology Collection?
In the course of the nearly 200 years of the collection’s existence, remains have been acquisitioned/added to the collection in different ways: through donations, deposits or following excavations carried out by public authorities. While some of the material was recovered during research and developer-led excavations, including rescue excavations, other remains were acquired by means of former, unethical practises involving grave robbery.
Remains recovered during research and developer-led excavations have also been brought to the Schreiner Collection. Rescue excavations of burials are for instance necessary to mitigate risks of erosion, building collapse, or in connection with public regulation projects.
The Schreiner Collection is further managing skeletal remains on behalf of other Norwegian museum and research institutions.
How do you address the ethical issues related to the remains?
Ethical standards have changed over time. What we perceive to be unethical today was not necessarily considered so at the time these human remains first came to UiO.
Today, the Biological Anthropology Collection plays an important role in preserving and managing these human remains with respect, while at the same time supervising the unique research value that the remains represent for society.
The collection is now managed in compliance with current ethical standards and all research projects must be submitted to The National Committee for Research Ethics on Human Remains for assessment. For further information regarding ethical considerations, see our page on this topic.
How do you measure the scientific value of these remains against reburial and repatriation requests?
Information about the research value of the collection and a discussion of related ethical issues can be found in the working group’s report (2000, in Norwegian). All deliberations regarding the reburial or repatriation of remains are carried out in consultation with other committees and involved parties and in accordance with current research ethics frameworks and other agreements.
Research projects involving destructive methods must be assessed against any possible future projects where new methods may provide more information.
What about the Sami remains in the collection?
You can read more about the Sami remains on our page.
How are the remains stored?
The remains are stored in specific acid-free cardboard boxes with lids and waxed inner sides. All boxes and individual bones are numbered and kept in purpose-built and locked facility in the Domus Medica building at Gaustad.