William M. Bass

Maxillary Suture Obliteration: A Visual Method for Estimating Skeletal Age

The purpose of this study was to develop a method of estimating the age of an individual based on obliteration of the four maxillary (palatal) sutures. A sample of 186 individuals of known age, race, and sex were examined. It was found that males of both races (black and white) exhibit more suture obliteration than females at the same age. During the early adult years, maxillary suture obliteration progresses at nearly the same rate in both sexes; however, the age of old individuals may be greatly overestimated using this method. Although this method cannot be used for exact estimates of individual age, it is valuable in establishing the age range, sorting commingled remains, and estimating skeletal age when only the maxilla is present.

Cremation Weights in East Tennessee

In spite of increasing number of cremations in the U.S., little is known about weights of cremated remains. This research was undertaken in order to add to the limited literature on cremains weights and to explore variation. Weights of cremated remains were obtained from the East Tennessee Crematorium. The sample consists of 151 males and 155 females. Age, sex, and race were obtained for each individual. Males are about 1000 g heavier than females. Both sexes lose weight with age, but females lose weight at about twice the rate of males. East Tennessee cremation weights were compared with those from Florida reported by Warren and Maples, and those from Southern California reported by Sonek. East Tennessee results were also compared with an earlier study on ash weight of anatomical human skeletons carried out by Trotter and Hixon. East Tennessee cremations weigh about 500 g more than the samples from Florida and California, and about the same as the earlier anatomical samples. We hypothesize that variation reflects variation in body weight and activity. This variation must be taken into account when cremation weights are at issue.

Ancient Osteopathology from the Caddoan Burials at the Kaufman-Williams Site, Texas

Osteopathological analysis of the Caddoan skeletal remains from the Kaufman-Williams site (41RR16), Red River County, Texas, suggests that the most serious problems afflicting the people (as reflected in their re mains) were degenerative conditions, such as osteo phytosis and osteoarthritis, and dental wear and disease. As would be expected, these problems became more severe with increasing age. With the exception of one congenital hip dislocation, the congenital and developmental anomalies noted on the skeletal material, although quite numerous, would have caused little or no problem for the individuals who had them. Several traumatic lesions occurred in the population; more were noted on male than on female skeletons. The only neoplasms observed were benign and consisted princi pally of button osteomas. Eight probable cases of iron deficiency anemia were noted. Two subadults were af flicted with porotic hyperostosis; six skeletons exhibited cribra orbitalia. Comparison with osteopathological data from other Caddoan sites suggests a fairly high level of adaptive efficiency among the Caddo Indians.

Woodland Burial From Boney Spring, Missouri

A secondary burial from a peat layer adjoining the spring feeder at Boney Spring, Benton County, southwestern Missouri, is identified as a young adult male, interred about A.D. 50. The burial, asso...

The West Island Site, 14PH10, a Keith Focus Plains Woodland Site in Kirwin Reservoir Phillips County, Kansas

Salvage excavations at a badly eroded site, now an island in the Kirwin Reser voir of west-central Kansas, produced pottery and other artifacts indicative of the Keith Focus. Although the site remains undated, it should fall at ca. A. D. 600.

Erosion of the supraorbital plate

An eroded lesion in the supraorbital plate in a South Dakota Indian from Larson site (39WW2, ca. AD 1785) is described. It is postulated to have been a benign tumor of the lacrimal gland.

Pedagogy in Paleopathology

The study of diseases, anomalies and abnormali ties in skeletal or mummified bodies representing peoples of the past, has been the stepchild of Archaeology and medical pathology for many years. In the past the emphasis has been on documentation of unusual findings. Little effort has been made to educate researchers and teachers in this field. A course of instruction in Paleopathology was held for 4 years at the U.S. National Museum. In an assessment of the teaching of Paleopathology in North America Kerley found that 68 of 340 anthropology departments and museums with physi cal anthropology sections offered such courses. There was considerable variation in the organization of the courses, material covered, teaching aids available, instruction methods, and the general orientation of the instruction. In 1972 a course in Paleopathology was first offered at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and has continued since. The problem of communicating concepts of pathology, epidemiology, and demography to inexperienced university students has necessitated continuing modification of the course. Education in Paleo pathology has received little emphasis in the past. Our teaching methods may be of value to others. We are documenting our experiences with the hope that they are helpful and that in the future there may be increased interest in and some standardization of

Archeological Investigations at Five Sites in Lyon, Jefferson and Phillips Counties, Kansas

In 1964 the senior author was informed by Thomas A. Witty, Jr., of the Kansas State Historical Society that there were five sites within areas in Kansas that were subject to destruction as the result of federally sponsored flood control projects. The sites were so widely scattered among three different counties that Witty could not effectively include them in his proposed excavations in 1965. Through the efforts of the senior author, representing the Department of Anthropology, a Memorandum of Agreement between the University of Kansas and the National Park Service was arranged as part of the Inter-Agency Archeological Salvage Program in the Missouri Basin. Additional support for the investigation of one site was provided by the University of Kansas because it fell outside of an area authorized for National Park Service support. The senior author organized a mobile field party of seven men, including the junior author as supervisor. The latter carried out the field work in June and July of 1965 and, later, prepared a preliminary compilation of the field and laboratory data upon which the present joint report is based. The specimens are stored at the University of Kansas Museum of Natural History. The sites investigated are as follows: Site County Project Funding Agency 14LY304 Lyon Upper Verdigris Watershed University of Kansas 14JF22 Jefferson Perry Reservoir National Park Service 14JF26 Jefferson Perry Reservoir National Park Service 14JF337 Jefferson Perry Reservoir National Park Service 14PH10 Phillips Kirwin Reservoir National Park Service

A Human Skeleton from the Anthony Site, 14HP1, Harper County, Kansas

Measurements, indices and selected non-metric observations are presented for an adult female, the only human skeletal material recovered from the 1959-60 excavation of the Anthony Site, 14HP1. Comp...

A Human Calvarium from Foard County, Texas

In February, 1961, Dr. Walter W. Dalquest submitted a fragmentary human calvarium (a skull without its mandible, Oetteking 1957:1) to the senior author for identification. In the previous paper, Dalquest has described the circumstances under which the specimen was found and has presented an analysis of the associated faunal remains. Partial reconstruction had been attempted before shipment to us. Because of the nature of the adhesive and the presence of soil between the fracture lines, it was necessary to dissolve the old glue and to wash the fragments in order to reconstruct the specimen for measurement. Analysis of the specimen indicates: Sex: Male