A Day In The Life Of A Forensic Architect

By Stella Gay


When construction projects unearth a site of archaeological interest, all construction stops and the experts are called in. Sometimes construction will cease for months, years, or for all time depending on the historical value of the dig. Such a spot is where a day starts for the average forensic architect.

The team of people who perform this analysis can include an architect, a historian, an artist, a geologist, a radiologist, and even military experts. They may be recreating a scene where violence appears to have occurred hundreds of years ago, or they may be analyzing the events surrounding a particular battle in the Gulf War. Either way, the techniques used to recreate the scene would be similar, so it is not uncommon for history museums to have hired such individuals.

The belief that history is always written by the winner is changing, as the evidence gathered from old sites gets reevaluated, and artifacts from new sites are looked at with a new approach. There is no room for bias on these projects, for it is only the truth of the matter that is sought. These scientists must be constantly prepared to rewrite events in history if the data upon analysis gleans them new results.

They often use old newspapers or magazines, written eye-witness accounts, and sometimes aerial footage. The circles of glass in India are an excellent example of the aerial footage, as we were unable to explain them until we had nuclear capability ourselves. Many cite those glass circles as proof that an alien race engaged in some sort of battle on our planet, and it just so happens that the Hindu Veda tells exactly that sort of story.

When a body is found law enforcement is generally called, but these officers frequently request the assistance of a team of architectural historians. If the body cannot be compared successfully against someone on the missing person roster, then it is always possible that the body is much older than anticipated. Some murders of the old world have even been solved, thus closing a door on an unexplained murder hundreds of years ago.

In fact, these professionals are frequently called to task when an ancient site is uncovered that appears to have been a place of worship and human sacrifice. The site of the bog people is an excellent example. The forensics experts came in and discovered that there were most certainly elements of sacrificial rite apparent in the way the bodies were lain, but some of the methods of sacrifice were quite violent, and some of them may have been murdered but buried there to conceal the crime.

There is always at least one person on such a team who is an artist most talented with the gift of sculpture. This artist has a vast education in the structure of the human face, including the relative space between bone and flesh. Our bodies have a particular equation, and such an artist can recreate the face of a person who lived thousands of years ago.

It is key for such professionals to analyze data very carefully, as the establishment of the proper chain of events is their goal. Once the scientists have their story straight, then this event or moment in history can be recreated. Only then can the scientist release their findings press-release style, as this final version may be what will become part of the story taught in schools.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment