| Entry: | Skeleton 4593 has now been lifted. The preservation of the bones is not very good although I managed to get some measurements from some of the long bones. The bad condition of bones on the upper body (especially sternum , thoracic vertabraes) makes me think that an extra weight had been applied on this part of the body. Could it have been the weight of someone standing on the wooden plank in order to remove the skull?
During the work on this burial I spotted some cut marks on the anterior and posterior side of the atlas. These marks occur as clean, sharp, parallel lines. The sequence could be as follows, the body was buried, the grave was reopened after some time while there were some ligaments still remained. The remaining ligaments were carefully removed, the only damage being the cut marks mentioned above. This interpretation is supported by the fact that the hyoid bone had dropped onto the 3rd cervical vertabrae (this bone is attached behind the tongue) which suggests that skull was removed after the body had undergone a certain amount of decomposition. This is my first interpretation. It might change later as a result of the experimental work which Tristan and I are thinking about it.Entered By: Basak Boz |
