Many physical anthropologists concentrate on the study of human skeletons found in prehistoric archaeological contexts. Similar expertise is also used in studies of very ancient remains dating back as far as several million years. Here we discuss investigations that focus on human remains dating to within the last 10,000 years. It’s during this period that human populations began living in permanent settlements and burying their dead in concentrated areas (i.e., cemeteries); as a result, there is far more available skeletal material to study than is true for any prior period.