Microscopic Fibers and Dental Calculus from Midnight Terror Cave, Belize

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Defining Perishables: The How, What, and Why of Perishables and Their Importance in Understanding the Past" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Midnight Terror Cave human remains collection consists of over 10,000 commingled bone fragments from at least 118 Maya sacrificial victims from the Classic period (250 CE–925 CE). Microscopic examination of dental calculus was carried out on a selection of teeth as part of a larger dental study. Calculus samples from three teeth from Operation V and three teeth from Operation VIII were sent to the PaleoResearch Institute for analysis where they were examined for pollen, phytoliths, starches, and other inclusions. Both samples were found to contain microscopic fibers, several of which were dyed blue. The fibers were rule out as contamination and were likely incorporated into the dental calculus several days or weeks prior to death. Comparing the results to other dental calculus samples, a few possible answers exist as to how the fibers were introduced to the victims’ mouths. The fibers could be from consuming a blue-dyed pulque. They could also have been introduced during utilitarian activities or through some form of dentistry. Another possible explanation is that the fibers were present after using gags as the victims were paraded from town to town, then to the sacrificial site.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Defining Perishables: The How, What, and Why of Perishables and Their Importance in Understanding the Past   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36891.0