New insights into Eastern Beringian mortuary behavior: A terminal Pleistocene double infant burial at Upward Sun River

New insights into Eastern Beringian mortuary behavior: A terminal Pleistocene double infant burial at Upward Sun River

Here we report on the discovery of two infant burials dating to
11,500 calibrated years (cal) B.P. at the Upward Sun River site in
central Alaska. The infants were interred in a pit feature with
associated organic and lithic grave goods, including the earliest
known North American hafted bifaces with decorated antler foreshafts.
Skeletal and dental analyses indicate that Individual 1 died
shortly after birth and Individual 2 was a late-term fetus, making
these the youngest-aged late Pleistocene individuals known for
the Americas and the only known prenate, offering, to our knowledge,
the first opportunity to explore mortuary treatment of the
youngest members of a terminal Pleistocene North American population.
This burial was situated 40 cm directly below a cremated
3-y-old child previously discovered in association with a central
hearth of a residential feature. The burial and cremation are contemporaneous,
and differences in body orientation, treatment,
and associated grave goods within a single feature and evidence
for residential occupation between burial episodes indicate novel
mortuary behaviors. The human remains, grave goods, and associated
fauna provide rare direct data on organic technology, economy,
seasonality of residential occupations, and infant/child mortality of
terminal Pleistocene Beringians.
More Info: Ben A. Pottera,1, Joel D. Irishb, Joshua D. Reuthera,c, and Holly J. McKinneya
Publication Date: Oct 9, 2014
Publication Name: PNAS

www.academia.edu/9292866/New_insights_in..._at_Upward_Sun_River

https://www.academia.edu/9298304/Supporting_Appendix_New_insights_into_Eastern_Beringian_mortuary_behavior_A_terminal_Pleistocene_double_infant_burial_at_Upward_Sun_River