Elemental bone iron in the Anasazi Indians

Excavation of a pithouse village of Anasazi Indians occupied during Pueblo II (A. D. 900‐1100) near Littlefield, Arizona, uncovered 14 adult, children and infant burial sites. Iron measurements were made of samples of bone and the sand surrounding the bones at each burial site. Iron in the bones were found to be equivalent to present day normal values. Iron content in the sand surrounding the bones was low and no relationship was noted between the bone iron and the sand iron. These findings are probably valid only for regions where there is good skeletal preservation. The findings support the concept that the diet of these prehistoric Anasazi Indians was nutritionally adequate.