![]() ![]() The bones of Burial 39, a 6-year-old whose gender is unknown, are lopsided and sloping to the left, probably because of heavy loads the youngster carried. In older individuals, the teeth are unusually strong and healthy from a childhood of better nutrition in Africa, while the bones show signs of fractures from repeated exertions later in life, presumably after they reached New York, researchers say.Īnd, of course, the remains bear the marks of brutal labor. Other skulls show pits behind the eye sockets, a sign of anemia. In many instances, the bones of the skull are prematurely fused, a cause of brain damage in malnourished youngsters. In the grave of Burial 335, a woman's arm bones were still crooked around the tiny skeleton of a newborn when archaeologists unearthed them.Ĭhildren who lived longer were under constant strain. About half the bodies retrieved from the site never reached age 12, and almost half of those children never saw their second birthday. Researchers hope the sample at the Howard lab will help them draw broader conclusions about what they believe are more than 10,000 other slaves buried at the same location.Īlready, the findings are troubling. ![]() By 2001, the bones are to be reburied at the site in New York, with a museum and memorial erected next to the government tower. ![]() In another couple of months, skeletal studies will be completed, and dozens of researchers at Howard and across the country plan to begin more specialized DNA and chemical analysis of the bones. ![]()
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