The Cementerio Norte Osteological Collection: A New Documented Skeletal Series From Argentina

Abstract Documented osteological collections are a fundamental resource for bioanthropological research, enabling the development and validation of methods for sex and age-at-death estimation, palaeopathological differential diagnosis, and the study of human biological variability. This paper describes the formation, current composition, and preliminary characterization of the Cementerio Norte Osteological Collection, a newly assembled identified skeletal series from the municipal cemetery of San Andrés de Giles, northeast of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The collection currently comprises 65 individuals (32 female, 33 male) with ages at death ranging from one day to 90 years (x̄=55.54 years, SD=24.32), who died between 1909 and 1993. Reliable antemortem documentation is available for every individual, including name, sex, age, dates of birth and death, nationality, and cause of death; for a subset of cases, kinship relations are also documented. Remains were recovered using archaeological excavation techniques, and laboratory processing followed a comprehensive collection-management plan comprising ventilation, mechanical cleaning, drying, labelling, inventory, osteological analysis, database creation, and long-term storage under controlled environmental conditions. Particular attention was paid to bioethical considerations, including confidentiality of personal data through dissociation of documentary information from skeletal remains, respectful treatment of the individuals, and compliance with current legislation. This collection constitutes a robust, well-contextualized reference resource for bioarchaeological and forensic anthropological studies, complementing other documented series in Argentina and offering chronological continuity with the neighboring Cementerio Sud bioarchaeological sample.