Interpreting lime burials. A discussion in light of lime burials at St. Rombout's cemetery in Mechelen, Belgium (10th–18th centuries)

Schotsmans, Eline M.J.; Vijver, Katrien Van de; Wilson, A. S.; Castex, Dominique

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2015.07.006

Cited by 14 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…For centuries ( c .11th millennium bp to present day), white plaster (variously gypsum, lime or chalk) has been added to burials for many different reasons, although such finds have rarely been analysed (Schotsmans et al . ). For example, the earliest intentional use of gypsum in a funerary context, as confirmed by analysis, comes from Körtik Tepe in Turkey and dates to the Pre‐Pottery Neolithic A (Erdal ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…However, more research is required before drawing such conclusions, as not all of the plaster originally deposited in these burials may have remained in situ and because adding plaster to burials could have had multiple purposes (Schotsmans et al . ). Nonetheless, on the basis of current evidence, it seems that it could have been applied for practical (e.g., encasing the body to reduce odour and delay invasion by decomposer organisms) or symbolic (e.g., maintenance of bodily integrity or marking a quality of the individual) reasons.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Specific traditions of burial in lime are documented in archaeological contexts (Schotsmans et al . , , ), but archaeologists have to be careful of automatically interpreting white materials as intentionally applied limestone derivatives. The burial of the Blessed Idesbald provides one example (Van Strydonck et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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‘Not All That Is White Is Lime’—White Substances from Archaeological Burial Contexts: Analyses and Interpretations

et al. 2019

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Archaeological burial contexts may include a variety of white substances, but few analyses have been published. This study reports on the physico-chemical characterization of such residues from seven archaeological sites. It is often assumed that white materials from burial contexts are lime. Our findings demonstrate that they can be gypsum, calcite (chalk), aragonite, brushite, degraded metal, natural (gum) resins or synthetic polymer-based products. These may be present as the result of diagenetic processes, funerary practices or modern contamination. This paper provides an analytical approach for the holistic investigation of white materials encountered in burial contexts.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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‘Not All That Is White Is Lime’—White Substances from Archaeological Burial Contexts: Analyses and Interpretations

et al. 2019

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“…9). Especially in the late Middle Ages and in the modern age, the presence of lime is common in epidemic catastrophe cemeteries (10,14,19,20).…”

Section: Unusual Posture Of the Bodies And Limementioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Microbial Forensics and Archaeology of Past Pandemics

Fornaciari

2017

Microbiol Spectr

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The development of paleomicrobiology with new molecular techniques such as metagenomics is revolutionizing our knowledge of microbial evolution in human history. The study of microbial agents that are concomitantly active in the same biological environment makes it possible to obtain a picture of the complex interrelations among the different pathogens and gives us the perspective to understand the microecosystem of ancient times. This research acts as a bridge between disciplines such as archaeology, biology, and medicine, and the development of paleomicrobiology forces archaeology to broaden and update its methods. This chapter addresses the archaeological issues related to the identification of cemeteries from epidemic catastrophes (typology of burials, stratigraphy, topography, paleodemography) and the issues related to the sampling of human remains for biomolecular analysis. Developments in the field of paleomicrobiology are described with the example of the plague. Because of its powerful interdisciplinary features, the paleomicrobiological study of Yersinia pestis is an extremely interesting field, in which paleomicrobiology, historical research, and archeology are closely related, and it has important implications for the current dynamics of epidemiology.

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“…Forensic scientists do not always realize that the analysis of lime can help with the interpretation. Furthermore, there are still many contradictions about the reasons why lime is applied to burials, and the actual effect this chemical has .…”

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confidence: 99%

Analyzing and Interpreting Lime Burials from the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939): A Case Study from La Carcavilla Cemetery

Schotsmans

Garcia-Rubio²,

Edwards

et al. 2016

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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Over 500 victims of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) were buried in the cemetery of La Carcavilla (Palencia, Spain). White material, observed in several burials, was analyzed with Raman spectroscopy and powder XRD, and confirmed to be lime. Archaeological findings at La Carcavilla's cemetery show that the application of lime was used in an organized way, mostly associated with coffinless interments of victims of Francoist repression. In burials with a lime cast, observations made it possible to draw conclusions regarding the presence of soft tissue at the moment of deposition, the sequence of events, and the presence of clothing and other evidence. This study illustrates the importance of analyzing a burial within the depositional environment and taphonomic context.

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Interpreting lime burials. A discussion in light of lime burials at St. Rombout's cemetery in Mechelen, Belgium (10th–18th centuries)

Cited by 14 publications

References 62 publications

‘Not All That Is White Is Lime’—White Substances from Archaeological Burial Contexts: Analyses and Interpretations

‘Not All That Is White Is Lime’—White Substances from Archaeological Burial Contexts: Analyses and Interpretations

Environmental Microbial Forensics and Archaeology of Past Pandemics

Analyzing and Interpreting Lime Burials from the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939): A Case Study from La Carcavilla Cemetery

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