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- Title
AFRICAN SKELETAL REMAINS HOUSED AT THE ANATOMICAL MUSEUM OF THE LEIDS UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUM.
- Authors
VAN DER MERWE, ALIE E.; MORRIS, ALAN G.; STEYN, MARYNA; MAAT, GEORGE J. R.
- Abstract
As part of a bigger project aimed to stimulate further research and raise awareness regarding African remains housed in foreign skeletal collections, the catalogues of the Anatomical Museum of the Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum (AM-LUMC) were searched for skeletal remains of documented African origin. A total of 19 specimens housed in the AM-LUMC were documented to have originated from Africa - two from the "Cape of Good Hope", four from "the Congo"; three were of possible Khoe-San descent, and ten came from Makapan's Cave. The total sample consisted of ten females, six males and three for whom the sex could not be determined. Included were 1 juvenile, 14 younger adults (20-39 years) and four individuals estimated to have been over the age of 40 years at the time of death. Results obtained using population specific discriminant functions indicated that one individual documented to be a "Dutch Cape of Good Hope Farmer" was of European descent and that the rest of the individuals probably originated from Africa. Very little skeletal and dental pathology was observed. The ten individuals documented to come from Makapan's Cave were of special interest since the possibility exists that they may have been associated with a siege which took place at Makapan's Cave in 1854. These remains add significant information to the reconstruction of events surrounding this historical incident and corroborate reports that the deceased were never buried after the siege and that some remains, especially crania, were removed from the site and taken abroad. This paper illustrates the scientific value of African remains housed abroad and stresses the importance of cataloguing and describing these forgotten remains.
- Subjects
AFRICA; ARCHAEOLOGICAL human remains; HUMAN skeleton; BIOLOGICAL specimens; ANATOMICAL museums; HUMAN body
- Publication
Goodwin Series, 2013, Vol 11, p13
- ISSN
0304-3460
- Publication type
Article