About the Centre for Human Bioarchaeology

The Museum’s Centre for Human Bioarchaeology, part of the London Archaeological Archive and Research Centre (LAARC), curates the Museum’s extensive holdings of human skeletons.

The Museum of London is committed to maximising the research potential of its human skeleton holdings and the Centre for Human Bioarchaeology plays a huge part in providing greater access to these collections.

The skeletons are not available to the general public, however those with a bona fida research interest are welcome to contact the Centre.

The Museum of London is also committed to the ethical and responsible management of the human skeletons in its care. All of these have come from archaeological excavations in the capital that were covered by Home Office licences for the removal of human remains.

Since 2003 over 10 000 individuals have been recorded onto the Wellcome Osteological Research Database. This unique tool is now available on-line, allowing researchers in the UK and abroad to access detailed information on the human skeletal remains archived by the museum.

The main role of the centre is to monitor and encourage research by scientists and allow access to the archives both through the database and the Museum.

The Centre further encourages understanding of human remains and research to the general public through evening courses and open days at the Museum as well as offering outside study days to students and other interested establishments.