First week of research Aug 3-7 2009

August 3 – 7th 2009

My first week of working with Val and the girls was really exciting. Well, exciting for me because I like everything that has to do with bones, as morbid as that may sound.
Monday – Wednesday we worked on individuals from Chokepukio, Peru. Since Valerie’s overarching goal is to create an extensive data base, we do data analysis on each individual.
We start by choosing an individual and laying the bones on a tray in anatomical position. Then, using the approx12 page packet for Human Skeletal Data Analysis, we fill out each page. We start with inventory: we log every bone that is present. Then we sex the individual based on various standards: shape of mandible, size of certain features on the cranium and pelvic bones, long bone lengths & diameters. Next, we age the individual based on suture closures, and various epiphyses fusions of the bones, and dentition: I.e. if the third molar has erupted, we know the individual is at least 18 yrs. Then we go through and look at all of the vertebrae present and see if there is any evidence of spinal joint disease. Finally, we go over the bones again carefully, picking up and examining each one to see if any Skeletal Pathologies are present: i.e. :trauma, fractures( (un)/healed), periostitis, osteomyletis, hypoplasias, Harris Lines, etc…

I also worked with Beth, the physical anthropologist who is going to be doing Isotopic Analysis on the teeth and ribs of the individuals to determine diet and possible evidence of immigration when compared with the provenance of the individuals. I would look at the teeth of the individuals, filling out a Dental Pathology & Inventory sheet. I’d fill in all the teeth present, determine the extent of wear and plane of wear, look for carious lesions (cavities), calculus, alveolar resorption, etc. Beth needed to take a tooth to sample. She preferred the first mandibular molar or the first mandibular incisor, (although the maxillary/upper first molar and first incisor were acceptable) because they are some of the teeth that form first. If these teeth weren’t present, another tooth would be used. Then, using a purple casting “goo” made out of a vinyl silicone derivative, she coated the tooth in it, let it dry, and removed the cast, which makes a perfect impression. Sometimes if all molars were present, a cast would be made of the occulsal surfaces of the teeth, to later look at the cast for the extent of microwear of the teeth. She also sampled rib fragments. Ribs are good for giving evidence of the last 10 years of a person’s life. They are fairly stable, as they are not weight bearing bones, and will not be affected by that type of wear and use.

Thursday and Friday, Adriana and I went to the INC, Instituto National de Cultura, to take samples from the Lucre and Wari individuals that are housed there.