Comment on “Bacterial bioerosion of bones is a post-skeletonisation phenomenon and appears contingent on soil burial” [Quat. Int. 660 (2023) 75–83]

Booth, Thomas James; Bricking, Adelle; Madgwick, Richard

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2024.02.005

Quaternary International

2024

DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2024.02.005

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Comment on “Bacterial bioerosion of bones is a post-skeletonisation phenomenon and appears contingent on soil burial” [Quat. Int. 660 (2023) 75–83]

Thomas James Booth,

Adelle Bricking,

Richard Madgwick

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Cited by 2 publications

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Histotaphonomic Signatures of Thermally Altered Human Skeletal Remains: Implications for Archaeological Interpretation

Meckel,

Mavroudas,

Goldstein

et al. 2024

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Interpretations of burial sites from past populations have previously relied on archaeological artifacts, body position, and gross morphological skeletal analysis to reconstruct funerary practices. Recently, microscopic analysis of biotic and abiotic inclusions in bone have resulted in broad assumptions about the antemortem treatment of human remains, including whether the bioerosion is of endogenous and/or exogenous origin. To contextualize the diagenesis present in bone, researchers have developed indices to quantify histotaphonomic features including overall destruction (OHI, GHI), birefringence (BI), cracking (CI), and color changes due to burning (HI). Quantification of the histotaphonomy of bone also allows researchers to determine if the bone is preserved well enough for the application of histological methods, such as age‐at‐death estimation, which can contribute to the osteobiography of the skeletal remains. However, burned bone found at cremation sites may complicate these analyses if thermal alterations obscure histological structures. Though many studies have experimentally tested the impact of burning on bone, most have used excised bones, which presents a very specific example of the effect of burning on excarnated remains. The aim of this research is to test the histotaphonomic effects of thermal alteration on six fleshed human bodies using the indices listed above. One preburn sample of bone from the femur, sixth rib, and metatarsal was collected prior to burning, and the antimere was removed after the experiment, if recoverable (N = 33). These results show that the presence of body tissue and the amount of time the body is burned likely have the greatest impact on bone histological preservation. None of the remains showed evidence of biotic bioerosion, which was expected from previous research that suggests putrefaction in the early postmortem period contributes to microfocal destruction that can be observed soon after death.

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Histotaphonomic Signatures of Thermally Altered Human Skeletal Remains: Implications for Archaeological Interpretation

Meckel,

Mavroudas,

Goldstein

et al. 2024

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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All Mixed Up: Investigating Mortuary Practice and Processes of Disarticulation Through Integrated Histotaphonomic Analysis at the Knowe of Rowiegar, Neolithic Chambered Cairn, Orkney, UK

Tudor,

Crozier,

Madgwick

2024

J Archaeol Method Theory

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The Neolithic site of the Knowe of Rowiegar chambered cairn, Orkney, was excavated in 1937 as part of a campaign that saw the excavation of various chamber cairns on the island of Rousay, Orkney (Davidson & Henshall, 1989). Osteological and isotope research undertaken in recent years has reignited interest in the site. The research presented here focuses on mortuary practices, principally through histotaphonomic analysis. Human remains at Rowiegar were characterised by disarticulation, disorder and fragmentation (Hutchison et al., Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 145, 41–86, 2015), as is commonly observed in Neolithic Orkney. In recent years, histological analysis has become more widely used in reconstructing mortuary treatment. This relies on the degree and nature of bacterial attack, often termed bioerosion, and other modifications to bone microstructure as a proxy for early post-mortem treatment. Histological analysis was undertaken on 13 of the 28 individuals from the Rowiegar site. The results presented diverse patterns of bioerosion in the bone microstructure suggesting different mortuary practices. Furthermore, these results suggest that remains were placed in the chambered cairn at different stages of decomposition, with some individuals buried immediately after death and others likely subject to a more complex, multi-stage mortuary rite. There remains uncertainty about the origins of bacterial bioerosion in bone, and future experimental work may necessitate interpretative revision. However, based on current understanding, the research provides a new perspective on mortuary practice at Rowiegar, evidencing diverse, and sometimes complex, pre-depositional mortuary practices.

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Comment on “Bacterial bioerosion of bones is a post-skeletonisation phenomenon and appears contingent on soil burial” [Quat. Int. 660 (2023) 75–83]

Cited by 2 publications

References 29 publications

Histotaphonomic Signatures of Thermally Altered Human Skeletal Remains: Implications for Archaeological Interpretation

Histotaphonomic Signatures of Thermally Altered Human Skeletal Remains: Implications for Archaeological Interpretation

All Mixed Up: Investigating Mortuary Practice and Processes of Disarticulation Through Integrated Histotaphonomic Analysis at the Knowe of Rowiegar, Neolithic Chambered Cairn, Orkney, UK

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