Wari skull with artificial teeth made of camelid bone: a preliminary report
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20453/reh.v36i3.7180Keywords:
bioarchaeology, dental anthropology, anthropology of death, funerary rites, paleopathology, skull, PeruAbstract
This report describes a Wari offering skull (AD 600–1000) recovered from a secondary funerary context in Cotocotuyoc, Cusco, Peru. Paleopathological examination identified antemortem carious lesions, an alveolar abscess with bone destruction, and a fracture of the right zygomatic bone. The specimen exhibits six mortuary dental replicas made of camelid bone, inserted into the maxillary alveoli and lacking functional fit. Morphological analysis revealed simulated occlusal wear and the intentional placement of a replica with the morphology of a four-cusped mandibular second molar in the alveolus of a maxillary first premolar. This anatomical mismatch rules out any clinical or functional purpose. The findings indicate that the manufacture and placement of these replicas constituted a postmortem ritual practice, likely intended to symbolically restore the oral cavity within the context of Andean ancestor veneration practices.
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