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A possible fatal wounding in the prehistoric Pacific Islands
Author(s) -
Buckley Hallie R.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
international journal of osteoarchaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1099-1212
pISSN - 1047-482X
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1212(200003/04)10:2<135::aid-oa518>3.0.co;2-o
Subject(s) - prehistory , interpersonal violence , iliac crest , pelvis , population , paleopathology , osteology , depression (economics) , medicine , demography , geography , archaeology , poison control , anatomy , injury prevention , medical emergency , environmental health , macroeconomics , sociology , economics
This paper reports two cases of prehistoric interpersonal violence from Taumako Island, southeast Solomon Islands. The first case is a young child with a bone point found in situ in a lower lumbar vertebra. It is concluded that this child most likely died as the result of the injury. The second case is a male of advanced age with a well‐remodelled depression fracture on the frontal bone of the skull. This individual also has a remodelled penetrating wound to the left iliac crest of the pelvis. Warfare is thought to have been endemic in much of the Solomon Islands before European arrival. However, besides the two cases reported here there is little other evidence of trauma in the Taumako population. The young child is the first case of an in situ weapon reported from the prehistoric Pacific Islands. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.