Hoyme and Bass] SKELETAL REMAINS 391 



is probable since neither the skeletons nor the burial pit seems to 

 have been disturbed after the interment.) Unfortunately the skeletal 

 remains give no evidence as to the cause of death. 



INTERPRETING EVIDENCE ON BURIAL PRACTICES FROM TIIE BONES 



Usually about all that the archeologist expects of the physical 

 anthropologist is a list of ages and sexes, which he can match with 

 his records of cultural associations, and a few cranial comparisons 

 which will tell him whether the people at his site(s) deviated in any 

 respect from the physical type found in that area. Quite often, one 

 suspects, the archeologist does not bother to tell the physical anthro- 

 pologist anything about the culture of the site, the artifacts found, 

 the burial positions, and so forth, either because he has not yet 

 analyzed his data, or because he has the false impression that the 

 physical anthropologist can function better if he has no preconceived 

 ideas as to what the skeletal analysis ought to show. 



The foregoing report, although prepared somewhat hastily and 

 under handicaps, suggests what can be learned if the physical anthro- 

 pologist is given all of the data available. Had we not had access to 

 Miller's finished manuscript and field notes, and especially the sketches, 

 it would have been impossible to give a full account of the burial 

 practices, to make any sense of the differences in tooth wear and caries 

 at the two sites, or to interpret much of the other data. Nevertheless, 

 the uneasy feeling that much more could have been learned — and may 

 be learned about bones yet to be excavated — prompts us to make the 

 following recommendations : 



1. That, where possible, the archeologist supply the physical anthro- 

 pologist with sketches, notes, and preferably photographs of each of 

 the burials as found. With this information, the anthropologist has 

 some means of deciding whether markings on the bones were made 

 by the archeologist's tools or at the time of burial, and of seeing for 

 himself whether the presence or absence of artifacts and the position 

 and condition of the bones are significant. With information on the 

 cultural background of the bones, he has some idea of the problems 

 the bones may present, and where to look for comparative data. 



2. That, where possible, the bones be left untreated with alvar or 

 other solutions, which simply glue the dirt to the surface, making 

 them impossible to clean, difficult to examine, and nearly impossible 

 to restore. Such treatment also introduces undesirable artifacts if 

 detailed examination by radiography or chemical analysis should be 

 in order. Fortunately the Occaneechi bones were in proper condition 

 for processing in the laboratory with minimum difficulty. 



3. That, where possible, the physical anthropologist has an oppor- 

 tunity to examine the bones before cleaning, and especially before re- 



