Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2005, Qupperneq 92

Garðar Guðmundsson, Gavin Lucas, Hildur Gestsdóttir and Sigríður Þorgeirsdóttir
planks were joined with wrought iron
nails. The base plank had three pairs of
holes along each side, for rope handles;
fragments of rope handle were retrieved
and were similar to those in burial 7.2.
Inside, and cushioned with heather, was
an articulated adult skeleton. Although
most elements were represented, there
was extreme flaking of all the bones as
well as probable vivianite formation
under the cortical bone. There was also
severe post mortem warping of some of
the bones, in particular the facial bones
and the metacarpals and metatarsals.
Sexually diagnostic characteris-
tics on the skull indicate that this was a
female. Cranial suture closure indicates
that the age at death was 39±9 years.
However, dental wear, and the fact that
the mandibular M3's have only partially
erupted indicates that the age at death
was 18-25, which is a more accurate
assessment. Both tibiae could be meas-
ured, and so stature was estimated at
approximately 164 cm. Both mandible
and maxilla were present. No teeth had
been lost ante mortem, but thirteen teeth
had enamel hypoplasia. In most cases
the hypoplasia was linear, although in
one case it was pitted and iij three it was
both. One tooth, the mandibular right
M1 had a large caries, affecting the entire
tooth. Twenty-fíve of the teeth present
had grade slight to severe calculus.
Unassociated Remains
Forty-four disarticulated human bone or
human bone fragments were recovered
from test pit 8. These bones represented
a minimum number of two individuals,
based on two C1 vertebrae, and two right
and left os coxae, and included at least
one female aged 35-45 and one probable
female aged 25-35. The sexing was
based on sexually diagnostic characteris-
tics of the cranium and the os coxae. The
ageing was based on changes to the
auricular surface. Pathological changes
were noted on the complete C1 vertebra,
with slight porosity of the inferior body
and right inferior process and ebumation
of the right inferior process. These
changes indicate osteoarthritis.
Test Pit 10
TPIO held 4 graves with variously pre-
served coffins (Fig.8), only two of which
were excavated and then only halfway, as
they continued too deep into the section.
The westemmost burial (10.2) was also
sealed beneath a later wooden vault,
which lay between test pits 10 and 11.
Burial 10.2
The coffín was too poorly preserved to
retrieve, but was of plank constmction
using wrought iron nails. The skeleton
was a very poorly preserved partially
articulated skeleton. All that remained
were fragments of the right femur and
both tibiae and in all cases most of the
cortical bone had flaked off. No features
which could be used to diagnose sex or
age had been preserved, although these
bones clearly belong to an adult.
Burial 10.3
This was a very badly disturbed, large
coffín, of plank constmction but in too
poor condition to retrieve. Associated
were mainly skull fragments. No features
which could be used to diagnose sex or
age were preserved, although these bones
clearly belong to an adult.
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