Book
Prehistoric cannibalism at Mancos 5MTUMR-2346
Princeton University Press • Princeton, Nj. • Published In 1992 • Pages:
By: White, T. D. (Timothy D.).
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
White reanalyzed the human remains that had been excavated and reported on by Paul Nickens (P. R. Nickens, 1975. Prehistoric cannibalism in the Mancos Canyon, southwestern Colorado. Kiva 40:283-293) as a way to understand possible cannibalism in the Paleolithic . The Mancos Canyon remains were chosen for their good preservation, large sample size, and in situ recovery. White was also interested in how to recognize cannibalism in the archaeological record. This document presents details of his methods of analysis and presents the methods to use during analysis so that other researchers will have comparable material. In order to understand some of the damage seen on the remains White conducted experiments that determined cooking bones in clay pots can create similar damage, called pot polish. He reviews the literature on prehistoric cannibalism in the Southwest, including other authors proposed lines of evidence that are needed to verify cannibalism. Detailed descriptions of the Mancos assemblage and the types of perimortem damage seen on the bones are presented by skeletal element. White then compares the Mancos material with the human remains from Yellow Jacket 5MT-3, another cannibalism site, and the artiodactyl faunal remains from Badger House. In particular, this comparison shows how the human remains have been modified in a way consistent to the way Anasazi from nearby sites prepared faunal remains, including their bones, for maximum nutritional extraction and consumption.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Cannibalism
- Laboratory analysis of materials other than dating methods in archaeology
- Experimental data
- Food preparation
- Theoretical orientation in research and its results
- traditionCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Early Anasazi
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2012
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- North America
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Southwest and Basin
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- Book
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Physical Anthropologist
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Sarah Berry; 2011
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1969, 1972-1973
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 900-850 BP (AD 1100-1150)
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- 5MTUMR-2346, Mancos Canyon, Colorado, United States
- NotesAdditional notes
- Tim D. White
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 427-458) and index
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 91023953
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Pueblo Indians--Anthropometry
- Cannibalism--Colorado--History
- Pueblo Indians--Antiquities
- Mancos Site (Colo.)