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5 A Maya Skull Pit from the Terminal Classic Period~ Colha~ Belize Excavation during the 1980 field season at Colha, Belize, uncovered a remarkable collection of human remains (Eaton 1980, 1982; Massey 1989, 1994; Massey and Steele 1982; Steele et al. 1980). Next to the staircase on a monumental structure's second terrace, a pit had been dug to receive the heads of 30 decapitated victims. The pit, about 110 em long, 80 em wide, and 20 em deep, contained skulls, arranged in two layers and separated from one another by fragments of Late to Terminal Classic pottery (Hester et al. 1980, 1982, 1983, 1994; Hester and Shafer 1984; Roemer 1984; Shafer and Hester 1983, 1986). The goals of the osteological study of these remains were to discover the innate biological status of the individuals, the cultural modifications to which their crania had been subjected, and the culturally prescribed ways their remains were handled after death. Methods Detailed discussions of the osteological methods considered for the Colha skull pit analysis 62 Virginia K. Massey and D. Gentry Steele and of the related literature may be found in Massey (1989). In general, osteological analyses followed Bass (1971), Krogman (1962), Steele and Bramblett (1988), and Stewart (1979), and diagnosis of pathological conditions followed Ortner and Putschar (1985) and Steinbock (1976). Sex assessment was limited to adult remains, because traits that distinguish males are discernible only in mature crania. The sample was too highly comminuted to assign sex by metric analysis, but visible features of the skull were informative. Male skulls were generally more robust and female skulls were generally smaller, smoother, and retained more prominently the juvenile parietal and frontal eminences. It was possible to classify adult skulls into three general age groups. A young adult was considered to be one in whom a third molar had erupted but showed little or no wear. An adult had a full set of permanent dentition and had not yet experienced extreme wear on the teeth or extensive tooth loss with alveolar resorption . An old adult had suffered either of these conditions. Further indicators of old age Results Table 5.1 Sex and Age-at-Death of Individuals Represented in Colha Skull Pit Skeletal Collection the modeling could be seen, it was classified in Dembo and Imbelloni's (1938) categories of Tabular Erect, Tabular ()bliquc, and Annular (as presented in Comas and Marquer 1969). Tooth filing was noted and its style classified according to Romero's (1970) categories, which are based on alteration of the crown contour. The skull pit skeletal material comprised the remains of 30 individuals, 28 of whom are represented , at least in fragments, by cranium and mandible. (Of these, 22 have associated cervical vertebrae or vertebral fragments as well, and 2 individuals are represented by cranium, mandible, cervical vertebrae, and hyoid. A 29th person is represented by facial bones, the mandible , and one vertebra, but no bones of the skull vault, and the 30th individual is represented only by a mandibular fragment). The 10 juveniles represented in the sample (Table 5.1) ranged in age from about 6 months to 6 or 7 years. Five juveniles were under 3 years of age, four were between 3 and 5, and 2 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 3 6 1 1 5 2 Unknown Males Females Sex Old adults Adults Young adults Subadults 6-7 years 4-5 years 3-5 years 3-4 years 1.5-2.5 ~'\. ars 1.5-2 years 7-11 months 6 months included fusion of cranial sutures and arthritic deterioration of the temporomandibular joint. Tooth wear ,vas ranked using Hinton's modification of Murphy's (1959) classification as seen in Smith (1984). (See Hinton 1981 for an earlier version of this ranking scheme.) lOhe ordinal categories of tooth wear range from Stage 1 to Stage 8 based on increasing exposure of dentin and increasing erosion of enamel. Stage 1 designates teeth showing no dentin and either no wear at all or a light polishing of the enamel. Stage 8 indicates a complete loss of cro\vn with no enamel remaining. Comparing individuals on the basis of their average tooth wear added to the qualitative information about the sample but ,vas not used to assign age in years. The age of subadults was primarily estimated from the development of their teeth, following Schour and Massier (1941, 1944). In some instances age was also indicated by the absence of fusion between centers of ossification in...

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