Question of Cannibalism of the Anasazi:
Evidence from the Cowboy Wash Site (5MT10010).

Richard A. Marlar, PhD

Abstract:

The existence of cannibalism is one of the most controversial issues in the archaeology of the American Southwest. Disarticulated, cut-marked, and heat-altered human remains from non-burial contexts at Anasazi archaeological sites in the Four Corners region of the American Southwest have been interpreted by some scholars as evidence of cannibalism. Osteological studies indicate that many of the disarticulated bodies found at these sites were processed in a manner consistent with food preparation. Opponents of this interpretation point out that non-cannibalistic practices such as secondary interment, corpse mutilation, and ritualized witch executions might account for the assemblages. The archaeological and osteological evidence alone do not document the actual ingestion of human flesh. In this talk I will present evidence that consumption of human flesh did occur as demonstrated in preserved human fecal material containing identifiable human tissue remains from a site with archaeological and osteological evidence of cannibalism. Other sites with similar archaeological and osteological characteristics have human tissue on in situ artifacts. Possible explanations of the cause of these incidences of cannibalism will be addressed.

Biography:

Richard Marlar is currently a Professor of Pathology, and Biochemistry and Genetics at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Currently his biomedical research work deals with the genetics of blood coagulation and evolution of the blood coagulation system. Richard has been conducting biological and biomedical research for over 30 years. He has over 110 published papers and book chapters and presented both nationally and internationally over 100 lectures in the fields of biochemistry, genetics and clinical blood coagulation.

He is also director of the Biomolecular Archaeology Research Laboratory. This laboratory focuses on the development of new molecular methods to address archaeological questions such as utilization of tools and food sources using both protein residue analysis and molecular biology and DNA methods. He has been conducting biomolecular archaeology research for the last 9 years. He has published a number of papers and project reports in this field.

Richard has been involved with the Colorado Archaeological Society for the last 12 years. He was president of the Denver Chapter of CAS for almost two years and president of state CAS in 1998. He is on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Historical Society.