Haslam, Michael and Anthony McKeough (Archaeological Sciences Laboratories, University of Queensland)

The Lang Park Teeth Mystery: Feature 33, UQASU's Lang Park Salvage

From August 2001 to May 2002, UQASU (University of Queensland Archaeological Services Unit) conducted an archaeological salvage of the human remains buried beneath the current Suncorp Metway Stadium redevelopment. Originally North Brisbane Cemetery, the site was Brisbane's major burial ground between 1843 and 1875. Over 400 individuals were recovered from the site, among them many thought to be children, judging from the small size of their coffins. On 19-20 September 2001, another small coffin, seemingly just like the others, was added to the tally ... Feature 33 was a coffin measuring just 92cm x 30cm, found in the southeast corner of the Anglican section of the cemetery. The preservation of post-cranial skeletal elements was poor, most of the bones having dissolved into the grey clay that filled the coffin. There were a few cranial fragments, however the mystery began when the teeth were counted. There were 36 - far too many even for an adult human ... What were they doing there?.

***Best Overall Poster Prize Winner, Australian Archaeological Association Annual Conference 2002***

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