Histological and stable isotope analysis of archaeological bones from St. Rombout ’s cemetery (Mechelen, Belgium): intra‐site, intra‐individual, and intra‐bone variability

This study compares histological preservation in archaeological bones from different burial types to unravel the histotaphonomy-to-funerary practices relationship. Αn intra-skeletal approach is also adopted to explore intra-individual (inner ear part of the petrous bone vs upper/lower limb long bones) and intra-bone (proximal vs distal diaphysis) variability in bone collagen preservation, δ13C and δ15N. The aim is to: a) target bones that likely retain higher amounts of collagen; b) better understand the inner ear bone collagen isotopic signature and remodelling; and c) assess intra-bone isotopic and histological homogeneity.For the histological analysis, the data have been collected from 61 specimens (20 individuals) from the medieval/post-medieval cemetery of St. Rombout, Belgium. Thin sections have been studied using optical and scanning electron microscopy. For the collagen and isotopic data, 101 samples have been collected from 21 individuals.Distinct histological patterns are observed only in bones from single coffin burials; however bone histology can display intra-individual and intra-bone variability which are important to account for interpretations. Collagen wt. %, δ13C and δ15N show significant intra-individual differences, but insignificant intra-bone variability. This study also confirms the extraordinary nature of the petrous bone, as the inner ear bone collagen δ13C and δ15N values reflect the dietary input of the first c.2-3 years of life.

Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - July 22, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Ioannis Kontopoulos, Katrien Van de Vijver, Bart Robberechts, Matthew von Tersch, Gordon Turner ‐Walker, Kirsty Penkman, Matthew J. Collins Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research