Juvenile Remains from the Winchester Anatomized Site, Massachusetts

Abstract

A large burial assemblage of fragmented human and nonhuman remains and associated artifacts was disturbed during house construction and excavated in Winchester, Massachusetts, USA, in 2020 and was determined to be a deposition site for anatomized remains dating to as early as the 1850s. Due to their overall development, size, and provenience, n = 724 total elements/fragments were classified as juvenile, with a Number of Identified Specimens = 671. The juvenile elements accounted for 4.8% of the total human sample (n = 15,193). Including all unfused bones, the ages estimated for the juvenile/unfused individuals span from 22 prenatal weeks up to a maximum of 19 years. The total Minimum Number of Individuals for human remains from this site is 46: 35 adults (79.5%) and 11 juveniles (seven of fetal age [15.9%], three younger children [2.3%], and one adolescent [2.3%]). The overall proportion of juvenile remains (23.9%) is consistent with similar sites with anatomized remains and indicates that the remains of young individuals were routinely utilized in anatomical training during the late nineteenth century in the United States.