Abstract:
During December of 2006, skeletal remains of eleven individuals were
exhumed from the Du Preezhoek cemetery located on the western
banks of the Apies River, next to the Old NZASM Bridge, as part of a
Heritage Impact Assessment. The excavated cemetery dated to the
latter half of the 19th century and contained the remains of early
pioneers. The remains were studied before they were reburied in the
Du Preez allotment at the Old Church Street West Cemetery. Physical
anthropological techniques were used to analyse these skeletons to
determine their demographics, health, diet and lifestyles. The demographic
information provided comparative data which could be
assessed in terms of existing genealogical data, resulting in the
potential identification of the remains. The pathological information
gathered through the physical anthropological analyses provided
insight into these individuals’ lifestyles and a glimpse into pioneer life
in 19th century Pretoria.
