HUMAN SKELETAL REMAINS OF THE ANCIENT MAYA IN THE ...

93CHAPTER VIBONE MODIFICATIONBone modification represents “any alteration in size, structure, or texture of boneby an external agent” (Marshall 1989:8). There are two key components in the analysisof these changes to bone: process and pattern. The former is the agent(s) responsible forthe modification, whereas the latter represents the physical result of a natural or humanagent on a bony element. Natural agents such as weathering due to exposure,bioturbation, fluvial activity, and animal disturbance may affect the structure andappearance of a skeletal element. Human activities such as butchering or processing ananimal’s carcass may also leave evidence of bone modification.These modifications may manifest themselves in a number of forms, includingcut marks, percussion breakage, burning, and animal gnawing. Moreover, differentagents may produce different types of bone modification. The gnawing action of ananimal will produce a mark that may be morphologically distinct than a cut mark left bya stone tool used for butchering. The anatomical location of the modification may alsopoint to the specific activity responsible. For example, cut marks that suggestdisarticulation and dismemberment tend to occur on or near articular surfaces, in areas ofmuscle and ligament attachments (Hurlbut 2000). On the other hand, evidence ofdefleshing does not tend to concentrate on a particular area of a bone, and may occur assingle marks scattered throughout long bone shafts and all over the skull. This pattern ofcut marks suggestive of defleshing occurred on a number of skulls exhumed from theMaya skull pit of Colha, Belize (Massey and Steele 1997). Morphological differences