Osteophageous insect damage on human bone from Je'reftheel, a Maya mortuary cave site in west‐central Belize

Human bones from the Maya mortuary cave of Je'reftheel in west‐central Belize show evidence of taphonomic modifications attributed to insects, with termites and dermestid beetles being the most likely culprits. This study represents the first detailed exploration of the effects of osteophageous...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of osteoarchaeology Vol. 28; no. 6; pp. 745 - 756
Main Authors Wrobel, Gabriel D., Biggs, Jack
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Chichester Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.11.2018
Subjects
Archaeology
cave
dermestid
Entomology
forensic entomology
Forensic osteology
Human remains
Maya
osteophagy
post‐mortem changes
pseudopathology
taphonomy
termite
Termites
Belize
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Summary:Human bones from the Maya mortuary cave of Je'reftheel in west‐central Belize show evidence of taphonomic modifications attributed to insects, with termites and dermestid beetles being the most likely culprits. This study represents the first detailed exploration of the effects of osteophageous insects on bones from the Maya area and thus expands on recent efforts by other researchers working in the region to document taphonomic processes and distinguish them from intentional mortuary treatments.
ISSN:1047-482X
1099-1212
DOI:10.1002/oa.2700