[Aztlan] Follow up on Zapotec use of human femurs

[Matthew H. Robb]

Of course there is also the free-floating femur in the Cacaxtla battle mural, and the Florentine Codex describes extensive rituals surrounding specific body parts from captives; the femur was reserved for the victorious warrior (book 2, if memory serves). 

Matthew Robb




________________________________
From: Justin Kerr <mayavase at verizon.net>
To: michael ruggeri <michaelruggeri at mac.com>; aztlan at lists.famsi.org
Sent: Thursday, July 16, 2009 6:48:27 AM
Subject: Re: [Aztlan] Follow up on Zapotec use of human femurs

Listeros,
The Zapotec people may not have been the only culture to deal with bones. In
a least one example the Maya used bones as weapons of combat. 
Please visit http://research.mayavase.com/kerrmaya_hires.php?vase=7749 for a
vessel with a scene of two individuals locked in combat using bones as
weapons. There is a link to discussion of the text as well. If the above
link doesn't work the Enter 7749 on the search page of the Maya Vase
database. www.mayavase.com/kerrmaya.html. 
Justin Kerr

-----Original Message-----
From: aztlan-bounces at lists.famsi.org [mailto:aztlan-bounces at lists.famsi.org]
On Behalf Of michael ruggeri
Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 9:53 PM
To: aztlan at lists.famsi.org
Subject: [Aztlan] Follow up on Zapotec use of human femurs


Listeros,

National Geographic has a follow-up article on the practice of Zapotec  
males carrying human femurs as status symbols. There are a few new  
details in this article. A photo of a bas relief of a Zapotec carrying  
a human femur is posted. Joyce Marcus of the University of Michigan  
believes that this was a way to display dynastic continuity since  
relatives of the deceased carried these femurs. Each first born son  
was expected to brandish the femur of his father.

The National Geographic article is here;
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/07/090715-zapotec-thighbones-fe
murs.html

A tiny URL;
http://tinyurl.com/nwl28j

Mike Ruggeri

Mike Ruggeri's Zapotec World
http://tinyurl.com/37huyl

Mike Ruggeri's Zapotec Art Portfolio
http://tinyurl.com/lu36ac


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