Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2005, Page 94

Garðar Guðmundsson, Gavin Lucas, Hildur Gestsdóttir and Sigríður Þorgeirsdóttir
0.5m
Figure 9. Coffin from burial 11.1.
retrieve but was of plank construction. It
was associated with a partial infant skele-
ton. Most of the long bones, os coxa and
ribs from the right side of the body were
present, as well as parts of the left
humerus and femur. No clear indicators
of age were preserved. Aging of the
skeleton based on the state of union of
various bony elements could only be stat-
ed as being under 14 years. However, the
general size of the bones indicates that
the actual age was not much lower than
that. Two bones were seen to have active
new bone formation. The right humerus
had an area of woven bone formation on
the anterior distal third of the shaft and
the right os coxa and an area of woven
bone formation on the anterior side of the
ilium, superior to the acetabulum. These
changes could indicate a wide spread
non-specific infection, or, as is possibly
more likely in an infant of this age, sub-
periosteal haemorrhaging, probably due
to a deficiency, most likely vitamin C
defíciency or scurvy.
Burial 11.3
The coffin was in bad condition, and all
that could be recorded was that it was of
plank construction. Associated was a
poorly preserved adult skeleton. The
long bones and ribs were present, but all
were flaked and fragmented. No age or
sexually diagnostic characteristics were
preserved.
Burial 11.4
As with the previous two, the coffin was
too poorly preserved to note much except
it was of similar construction. Inside was
a partial adult skeleton with only the left
humerus shaft, fragment of a rib and ulna
present. No age or sexually diagnostic
characteristics were preserved, the bones
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