Peri-Mortem
Definition
At or around the time of death, when bone retains sufficient collagen to fracture in a ductile, green-bone manner. The precise biological window varies by preservation conditions but is operationally defined by fracture morphology rather than an elapsed time.
- Timing
- At or around the time of death
- Bone state
- Retains collagen, fractures in ductile manner
- How it is defined
- By fracture morphology, not elapsed time
- Field
- Forensic anthropology, skeletal trauma
Common questions
Why is peri-mortem defined by fracture appearance rather than a fixed time window?+
How long bone stays green depends heavily on temperature, humidity, burial, and body condition, so anthropologists use the fracture surface itself, sharp edges and bending rather than shattering, as the operational marker instead of a clock.
What does a ductile, green-bone fracture look like compared to a dry-bone break?+
A green-bone fracture shows smooth, curving or spiral surfaces and edges that stay close in colour to the surrounding bone, while a dry-bone break tends to be jagged, angular, and lighter or chalkier at the fracture face.
Can the peri-mortem interval extend for days after death?+
In practice, yes, especially in cool or moist conditions that slow collagen loss, which is why anthropologists avoid tying the term to a strict number of hours and rely on the bone's mechanical behaviour instead.
Related terms
- Green-Bone Fracture
- A fracture in bone that still has organic content: characterised by spiral or helical lines, smooth curved edges, and often some elastic...
- Periosteal Reaction
- New bone formation on the outer cortex in response to infection, trauma, or inflammation during life. When present around a fracture site,...
- Post-Mortem
- After death, once the organic matrix has significantly degraded. Post-mortem fractures show dry-bone morphology: transverse, angular, and without spiral curvature.
- Root Etching
- Channels and furrows on bone cortex produced by plant root acids and microbial activity concentrated along the root-bone contact zone. A major...
- Soil Loading
- Fracture of bone by the compressive weight and shifting of overlying sediment over time. Produces fractures at structurally weak points, often with...