“Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th-Century Chesapeake”
Partial Occipital Bone
Partial occipital bone found at James Fort. Circular cuts represent the earliest known case in the English colonies of attempted trephination – drilling into the cranium to relieve pressure caused by brain swelling due to severe trauma. The patient died and the surgical procedure was aborted. Straight saw cuts on the superior edge provide evidence of the earliest known autopsy in the Chesapeake. Specimen courtesy of APVA Preservation Virginia / Historic Jamestowne.
Forensic anthropologist Douglas Owsley (left) and APVA Preservation Virginia/ Historic Jamestowne archaeologist (Danny Schmidt) discussing the double burial of two European males. James Fort site, 1607.
Smithsonian forensic anthropologist Douglas Owsley examining and early 18th-century burial in Jamestown, VA. The work was conducted in conjunction with APVA Preservation Virginia / Historic Jamestowne.
Two excavated double burials dating to 1607 from the James Fort site in Jamestown, VA. This work was done in conjunction with APVA Preservation Virginia / Historic Jamestowne. Dark-colored rectangular soil stains are locations of unexcavated graves.
Michael Lavin, APVA Preservation Virginia / Historic Jamestowne
Smithsonian forensic anthropologist, Karin Bruwelheide examining the skeleton of a 6-month-old-infant with severe rickets. Date of death ca. 1683. Historic St. Mary’s City.
Skeleton of Anne Wolsey Calvert, the first wife of Philip Calvert. Date of death ca. 1680.The right femur has a severe overriding fracture in the midshaft that made her right leg shorter than the left. A large draining sinus formed in the bone after the break and persisted throughout the rest of her life. Historic St. Mary’s City.
Skeleton of a European male, 15 to 17 years old, found during an archaeological excavation of a 17th-century cellar. Leavy Neck site, Ann Arundel County's Lost Towns Project, ca. 1665-1670.
Smithsonian Forensic anthropologist Karin Bruwelheide examining a 17th century skeleton from the Leavy Neck site, Anne Arundel Couty. The examination identified traumatic bone fractures.
Life-size sculpted figure by StudioEIS based on a facial reconstruction by forensic artist Joanna Hughes; the boy found at the Leavy Neck site, Anne Arundel County.
Life-sized sculpted figure by Studio EIS based on a facial reconstruction by forensic artist Joanna Hughes; the boy found at the Leavy Neck site, Ann Arundel County.
African female skeleton partially exposed in the remains of a hexagonally-shaped wooden coffin, dated to the first half of the 18th century. Burial 7, Harleigh Knoll site in Talbot County, MD.
Sculpted bust by StudioEIS based on a forensic facial reconstruction by forensic artist Joanna Hughes. The skeleton of this young African woman was recovered during an archaeological excavation in Talbot County, Maryland.
Early stages of a facial reconstruction of one of Jamestown's first settlers. Markers indicate the depths of tissues to be added to the cast of the skull. The forensic facial reconstruction was completed by a sculptor, Amanda Danning.
Interior view of a perimortem gunshot wound to the left parietal (cranium). The internally-beveled opening is circular with three radiating fractures extending away from the open. A triangular-shaped flap of bone is missing on the anterior (ventral) side. Fatal gun shot wound, modern forensic case.
Hip replacement (prosthesis). The damaged ball of the femur was replaced by a metal implant. The William M. Bass Donated Skeletal Collection, University of Tennessee.
