Sara Juengst (Asst. Prof. of Anthropology, UNC Charlotte)

Lecture Description: As a bioarchaeologist, Juengst skeletons excavated from archaeological contexts in order to investigate past lifeways, considering topics such as power, food, community, and violence. Violent interactions resulting in major skeletal injury were common in the pre-Hispanic Andes, caused by shifting political power, resource scarcity, and community conflicts. However, ancient Andeans also practiced skull surgery, or trepanation, as a cure for many of these injuries. In this talk, Juengst will present cases from pre-Hispanic Bolivia to look at moments of violence in the past, how past peoples took care of their injured, and how skeletons help tell those stories.