Skeletal preservation of children's remains in the archaeological record
Skeletal preservation of children's remains in the archaeological record
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DOI：
10.1016/j.jchb.2015.04.003
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发表时间：
2015-01-01
影响因子：
0.6
通讯作者：
Manifold, B. M.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Manifold, B. M.
埋藏法是重建过去环境和事件的重要考虑因素。在考古和法医背景下，人类骨骼遗骸通常会遇到语音学上的改变和过程。正是这些过程可以改变死后骨骼的外观，而骨骼的特性影响它们对这些过程的反应，从而导致骨骼样本内的差异保存，尤其是儿童遗骸。本研究调查了来自英国六个不同的中世纪早期和晚期墓地的790具儿童和青少年骨骼的保存情况，试图评估地理位置和地质是否对骨骼的整体保存有影响。研究人员检查了六个墓地的骨骼，分别是；苏格兰的奥尔德姆，剑桥郡的埃迪克斯山和大切斯特福德；格洛斯特的圣奥斯瓦尔德修道院约克郡的瓦勒姆·珀西，最后是威尔士的兰道夫。采用解剖保存指数（API）、定性骨指数（QBI）和骨表征指数（BRI）评估保存状态。此外，还记录了每个骨骼的自然和人工埋藏过程。结果表明，在不同的地理位置和地质影响下，各遗址的非成体遗存保存和表现形式存在一定的差异。研究发现，两岁以下的儿童受语音学过程的影响比年龄较大的儿童要小。(C) 2015 Elsevier GmbH版权所有。
Taphonomy is an important consideration in the reconstruction of past environments and events. Taphonomic alterations and processes are commonly encountered on human skeletal remains in both archaeological and forensic contexts. It is these processes that can alter the appearance of bone after death and the properties of the bones influence their reaction to these processes thus leading to differential preservation within a skeletal sample, none more so than the remains of children. This study investigates the skeletal preservation of 790 child and adolescent skeletons from six contrasting early and late medieval cemeteries from Britain in an attempt to assess whether geographical location and geology had an effect on the overall preservation of the skeletons. Skeletons were examined from six cemeteries, namely; Auldhame in Scotland, Edix Hill and Great Chesterford from Cambridgeshire; St Oswald's Priory from Gloucester and Wharram Percy from Yorkshire, and finally, the site of Llandough in Wales. The state of preservation was assessed using the anatomical preservation index (API), qualitative bone index (QBI) and the bone representation index (BRI). Also the presence of natural and artificial taphonomic processes was recorded for each skeleton. The results show a specific pattern of preservation and representation for non-adult remains across all sites with some differences in the states of preservation from different geographical locations and geological influences. Children under two years of age were found to be less affected by taphonomic processes than their older counterparts. (C) 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.