Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2005, Blaðsíða 90

Garðar Guðmundsson, Gavin Lucas, Hildur Gestsdóttir and Sigríður Þorgeirsdóttir
eral articular surfaces. The result of this
analysis indicates that this individual was
probably female. Suture closure indi-
cates that the age at death was 33±8
years. Several long bones were pre-
served to be measured, so is stature esti-
mated to be 170±2 cm. This would have
been unusually tall for a female of this
period. Jón Steffensen (1975) reports
that the average stature for men in the
period 1500-1800 was 162.5 cm,
although by 1910-1914 it had risen to
172.8 cm, which may indicate that the
results of the sex estimation is not accu-
rate.
Both the mandible and the max-
illa were mostly present. Palaeopatho-
logical analysis showed linear enamel
hypoplasia on ten of the nineteen teeth
present, an indicator of stress during
childhood while the enamel of the teeth is
forming, commonly associated with
nutritional stress (Roberts & Manchester,
1995). There is slight to medium calcu-
lus formation on all the teeth present.
Age related joint degeneration were
noted on three thoracic vertebrae. In
addition, the left acromion is unfused, a
condition known as os acromiale, which
is associated with rotator cuff muscle
tears, the rotator cuffs being the muscles
which stabilize the shoulder (Roberts &
Manchester, 1995). Possible soft tissue
was preserved inside the cranium. A
CAT scan of the cranium was carried out
by Dr. Bima Jónsdóttir at Læknasetrið í
Mjódd, to determine whether it could be
a partially preserved brain. The analysis
revealed however that the material had
no structure (Birna Jónsdóttir, pers.
comm.) and was therefore inconlusive as
to whether it was organic or not.
Skeleton 8.2b was a very poorly
preserved partially articulated skeleton.
All that remained were part of the right
femur and both femora. All the bones
were flaked. No sexually diagnostic char-
acteristics or features indicating age at
death were preserved, although these
bones clearly belong to an adult.
Skeleton 8.2c was a partially
preserved articulated infant skeleton.
Most of the bones of the cranium, the
axial skeleton and the upper limb long
bones were present, with the bones below
the waist missing. Age at death, based on
measurements of the left humems, was
estimated at 31 weeks in utero, suggest-
ing that this was possibly a still-bom
infant.
Burial 8.3
This was a small coffin, but only recov-
ered in fragments, many of which had
mitred ends and was associated with
wrought iron nails. Little information is
available, but the coffín was, in total,
about 76 cm long. It is probably associat-
ed with the body of a very poorly pre-
served partial infant skeleton (8.3b), with
only the distal half of the right humerus,
six ribs and several unidentifíed bone
fragments present. The estimated length
of the humerus indicates an age at death
of 42 weeks in utero, so a full term peri-
natal infant. In addition, several other
bones of an adult skeleton (8.3a) were
recorded with this burial, but given the
degree of disturbance, it is likely these
bones are intrusive. Only a few bones
were present, right scapula, left os coxa
and right calcaneus. They are all well
preserved although there is some flaking.
Sexually diagnostic characteristics of the
pelvis indicate that this was a male. A
small fraction of the auricular surface
was present, and although a full diagno-
sis could not be made, the presence of
88