Abstract:
Trenching by the Sol Plaatje municipality in Kimberley, South Africa,
accidentally intersected 145 unmarked graves outside the fenced
Gladstone Cemetery in 2003. The McGregor Museum was responsible
for recovering the disturbed material. This paper describes the archaeological
findings and demographic composition of the human remains
excavated at the site and discusses briefly the pathological changes
observed in the skeletons. One hundred and seven skeletons were
exhumed from 15 graves along the trench. Remains from a minimum
number of 26 individuals were also rescued from another site where
material dug out of the trench had been dumped. All skeletal remains
were analysed using standard anthropometric techniques, and visually
examined for signs of pathology and trauma. Archaeological
evidence as well as palaeopathological indications suggested that the
skeletal remains were most likely those of migrant mine workers who
died between 1897 and 1900, with the majority of the population
consisting of young male individuals (n = 77, 20–49 years of age at
the time of death) of low socio-economic status. The prevalence of infectious
diseases (treponemal disease (8%), non-specific osteomyelitis
(1%) and tuberculosis (1%)) observed in the sample, most likely
reflects the pre-antibiotic era from which these individuals came as
well as the overcrowded and unhygienic living conditions to which
they were exposed on a daily basis. Cranial and long bone fractures
(26.2%) observed are testimony to the high levels of interpersonal
violence and hazardous mining environment described in archival
documents, and other pathological lesions such as myositis ossificans
(8%), spondylolysis (9%), Schmörl’s nodes (31%) and enthesophytes
are indicative of the physical demands associated with mining
activities. These results give substance to contemporary reports on the
appalling conditions and hazards to which migrant workers were
exposed when selling their labour on the mines in the late 19th
century.
