Jan 29, 2019, 09:05am
What Does This Ancient Skull From Tennessee Tell Archaeologists About The Evolution of Syphilis?
Kristina Killgrove
The top of this skull from Early Woodland Tennessee shows pathological changes that resulted from a disease during life. While this 'caries sicca' form suggests treponemal disease, researchers are unsure which of the four types this person had.Maria Ostendorf Smith / Illinois State University
An isolated burial site in far eastern Tennessee that was excavated in the 1970s has recently been reexamined by archaeologists interested in the origin and evolution of treponemal diseases, including syphilis.
At the Wilhoite site along the Nolichucky River, Native American remains dating to the Early Woodland period -- 900 BC to 200 AD -- were found by amateur archaeologists four decades ago. At the time, prior to appropriate legislation that protected archaeological resources and Native remains, many skeletons were lost to private collections. In 2002, however, the Frank H. McClung Museum in Knoxville received a donation of a number of artifacts and one skull with its lower jaw, labeled Burial G, from Wilhoite.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinakillgrove/2019/01/29/what-does-this-ancient-skull-from-tennessee-tell-archaeologists-about-the-evolution-of-syphilis/#4b68ab3a38fe
