In five of those nine individuals, the material could be recognized as preserved or replaced brain tissue — that is, tissue whose gross anatomical structure and microscopic cellular features were consistent with what was once brain tissue.

Later institutional sources, based on the complete dataset from all three field seasons, report that 91 of the 168 recovered individuals retained preserved brain tissue.

The difference reflects both the larger sample from the complete excavation and the use of the broader category “preserved brain tissue” to describe the full range of intracranial soft matter, which included material at varying degrees of preservation.

What did this material actually look like?