science
Belize Cave Find Includes 226 Teeth from 24 People Near Decapitated Woman
@NewScientist reported that a study of Classic period remains found teeth from 24 individuals arranged near an adult female in Bats’ub cave. Genomic data tied her to elite tombs at Muklebal Tzul 26.5 km away.
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A cave in Belize contains 226 teeth from at least 24 individuals arranged near the body of an adult female whose head had been removed, @NewScientist reported. In place of the head was part of a vessel holding a single jade bead. Fragments of a cranium and toothless mandibles lay near the pelvis alongside a large cache of teeth and an inverted bowl with five cacao seeds.
An orange bowl decorated with a mythical hummingbird-serpent creature rested nearby. The teeth were found 26.5 kilometres from the Plaza Tomb at Muklebal Tzul. Genomic data indicate the woman was an ancestor of some individuals interred in elite tombs there.
The collection of grave goods implies she was royal, according to the researchers. The study examined 341 samples from Belize burial sites relating to 107 distinct individuals. Twenty-four of those individuals had skeletal elements in both the Plaza Tomb and Bats’ub cave on the opposite side of the Maya mountains.
Genomic analysis showed that only the top level of society in Muklebal Tzul brought teeth to the caves. The remains date to the Classic period between AD 250 and 900. Researchers generated genomic data from hundreds of samples and applied radiocarbon dating to establish timelines.
