March 2021: Patrisha Meyers-Gidusko

In 2013, structural assessments associated with ongoing renovations of the Red House, Trinidad and Tobago’s Parliament building, revealed human remains buried beneath the foundation. Excavations and radiocarbon dating indicate the remains are pre-Columbian with 14C dates ranging between approximately AD 125 and AD 1395. Patty’s graduate research provided the first bioarchaeological assessment of the excavated graves and associated human skeletal material. Her analyses included determining the demographic profile and the pathological conditions exhibited by the collective skeletal sample. While not a representative population, the reconstruction of health, lifestyle and disease for these ancient peoples makes a significant contribution to the limited osteological research published on the Caribbean’s pre-contact period. 

*Due to the sensitive nature of the information provided during this lecture, this talk was not recorded for future viewing.

Patty is the project manager for FPAN’s Heritage Monitoring Scouts program. She holds an MA in Anthropology from the University of Central Florida and a Graduate Certificate in Forensic and Biological Anthropology from Mercyhurst University. Her research interests include Forensic Anthropology, Bioarchaeology, Human Paleopathology, Historical Marginalization of Social Groups, and Differential Burial Practices.