1997/01/01 by Anne Keenleyside, Margaret M. Bertulli, Henry Fricke · 2 citations
Arts and Humanities · Health Professions · Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies #Indigenous Studies and Ecology #Archaeology and ancient environmental studies #Archaeology #Demise #Paleopathology #Cannibalism #Geology #Geography #Paleontology
paper · pdf · doi:10.14430/arctic1089
openalex publication_date 1997/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
In 1992, a previously unrecorded site of Sir John Franklin's last expedition (1845-1848) was discovered on King William Island in the central Canadian Arctic. Artifacts recovered from the site included iron and copper nails, glass, a clay pipe fragment, pieces of fabric and shoe leather, buttons, and a scatter of wood fragments, possibly representing the remains of a lifeboat or sledge. Nearly 400 human bones and bone fragments, representing a minimum of 11 men, were also found at the site. A combination of artifactual and oxygen isotope evidence indicated a European origin for at least two of these individuals. Skeletal pathology included periostitis, osteoarthritis, dental caries, abscesses, antemortem tooth loss, and periodontal disease. Mass spectroscopy and x-ray fluorescence revealed elevated lead levels consistent with previous measurements, further supporting the conclusion that lead poisoning contributed to the demise of the expedition. Cut marks on approximately one-quarter of the remains support 19th-century Inuit accounts of cannibalism among Franklin's crew.