Updated:
11 July 2007
Anthropology
Physical Collections
Bones, Mummies, and More
What
the Bones Tell
1
June 2007
Dave
Hunt, Collections Manager for Physical
Anthropology, discussed what the bones
tell - in this case a poorly healed fracture
of the femur. Dating to the 1890's, this
human femur, the strongest bone in mammalian
bodies, features a badly healed fracture.
The fracture healed in a time when casts
were not yet invented.
Excluding
Native American remains, the NMNH collections
hold 8,778 individuals with known backgrounds,
providing the largest set of comparative
material for study of human bones.
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What
the Bones Tell
1
June 2007
Is
it human or non-human? Amy Marquardt considers
the possibilty. Often forensic cases must
first answer this question. In this case
there were clear cut marks on the bone,
evidence of fowl play? Not this time.
The recovered bones proved to be the remains
of a honey baked spiral cut ham featured
as part of someones picnic and discarded
in a wood lot. Case closed.
Our
forensic anthropologists, including Dave
Hunt, frequently get calls from investigators
about possible foul play. This knee joint,
with cut marks, was given to Dr. Hunt
for research, whose knowledge of Osteology
(the study of bones), told him it wasn't
human - but pig!
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What
the Bones Tell
1
June 2007
Anthropology
intern Suzanne Pilaar stands amidst a
collection of skeletons with an interesting
history. The person who originally collected
the skulls said that they were human sacrifices
from an ancient Aztec burial, however,
modern analysis shows that they don't
have typical Aztec features, and are likely
modern specimens from Mexico.
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What's
in the Basement
1
June 2007
This
iron coffin for an American teenager,
dating to approx. 1850, was discovered
on the campus of Columbia University when
a construction crew was making way for
an apartment building. Students Morgan
Little, Suzanne Pilaar and Miles Collins
reflect as Collections Manager Dave Hunt
recounts the tale.
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What's
in the Basement
1
June 2007
The
diagram behind the coffin maps the location
of the find.
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What's
in the Basement
1
June 2007
Iron
coffins like these were popular in the
19th century.
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Who's
in the Mummy Vault
1
June 2007
A
visit to the Mummy Vault is a special
treat. Exhibits intern & RTP Reporter
Morgan Little along with Andrew Furness
and Miles Collins hope to be safe from
the mummy's curse!
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Mummy
Vault
1
June 2007
This
Egyptian mummified woman was about 30
years old when she died. She dates to
the 18th-19th dynasty.
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Mummy
Vault
1
June 2007
Lynn
Copes with the famous "Soap Man!"
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Mummy
Vault
1
June 2007
One
of the highlight of the Mummy Vault Tour,
"Soap Man" is no Ancient Egyptian!
Dating to the 1800's, this Philadelphian
was mummified when groundwater chemically
transformed his soft tissue into a soapy
substance.
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Mummy
Vault
1
June 2007
The
preserved machine-made linen stockings
worn by "Soap Man" are evidence
that he died sometime in the late 19th
century - when machine manufactured linen
stockings were first created.
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Mummy
Vault
1
June 2007
Centuries
ago, scientists completely excavated this
mummy's bones - what can they tell now?
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Mummy
Vault
1
June 2007
Tsantsas,
shrunken head trophies, were made by indigenous
South American tribes such as the Jivaro.
The head of an enemy was dehydrated over
a fire and filled with sand and hot rocks
to keep it's shape. In paralyzing the
spirit of an enemy, the tsantsas had magical
power and meaning for it's makers.
In the 19th century, tsantsas became popular
collector's items - is this example real
or fake?
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Mummy
Vault
1
June 2007
A
closer view of the tsnatsas shows the
pins stuck through the mouth to keep it
shut during the dehydration process, and
long-hair, which was typically not cut
during a Jivaro's lifetime.
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What
a Day!
1
June 2007
After
a day filled with Archaeology, Ethnology,
Botany, Physical Anthropology and finally
a visit to the mummy vault the exhausted
interns are still all smiles! (From Left
Front): Suzanne Pilaar, Amy Marquardt,
Cecily Marroquin, Andrew Furness, Laura
Florez (From Left Middle): Laura Lagomarsino,
Dave Hunt, Addison Kemp, Santiago Herrera,
Kris Rhodes, Miles Collins, Emma Harrower
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Photo
captions by Morgan Little
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