Caves as archaeological records. A reappraisal of cave sites according to bioarchaeological and archaeological research: the case of the Northern Franconian Jura.

在北弗兰科尼亚侏罗纪的洞穴中，在漫长的研究历史中发现了大量的人类遗骸和文物。它们中的大多数在当地的收藏品和博物馆中保存得很好。因此，北弗兰科尼亚侏罗纪特别适合作为对德国有人类遗骸的洞穴进行考古和生物考古研究的典范。通过将这两种方法结合起来，重新解释是可能的。该项目基于对八个洞穴中的人类骨骼的分析，这些洞穴被选为保存和记录最好的洞穴。对于相关结果，首先确定了最小个体数(MNI)。为了确定人类遗骸被带进洞穴的时间跨度，将对所有个体进行放射性碳测年。与考古发现一起可能会提供更多的年代证据。对人类骨骼的病理和攻击学分析(J.Orschiedt博士)将与稳定同位素(δ15N，δ13C，87Sr/86Sr)的研究相结合(C.克尼珀博士)。结合对单个洞穴的形态和考古记录及其发现的详细研究，旨在区分四种基本类型的解释：人祭、暴力冲突的受害者、各种类型的埋葬(例如埋葬、多步骤埋葬)和边缘群体的成员，如外国人、有不同营养习惯的人或残疾人。该项目的考古研究将集中在所有96个含有人骨材料的洞穴的背景和文物上。它们将与同一地区内的临时定居点和葬礼遗址的证据并列。因此，应该可以将大多数文物解释为属于以下任何一类：墓葬物品、定期定居的陶器或可能的祭品。综合所有已取得的成果，将使人们能够对不同类型洞穴中的史前人类遗骸和文物的沉积有不同的见解。

In caves of the Northern Franconian Jura numerous human remains and artefacts have been discovered during a long history of research. Most of them are housed very well preserved in local collections and museums. Thus the Northern Franconian Jura is particularly appropriate to serve as a model case for archaeological and bioarchaeological studies on caves with human remains in Germany. By combining both methods, a reinterpretation may be possible. The project is based on the analysis of human bones from eight caves, selected for the best preservation and documentation. For relevant results at first the minimum number of individuals (MNI) was determined. To date the time span in which the human remains were brought into the caves, all individuals will be sampled by radiocarbon dating. Alongside archaeological findings may provide additional dating evidence. The pathological and taphonomical analysis of the human bones (Dr. J. Orschiedt will be combined with research on the stable isotopes, (δ15N, δ13C, 87Sr/86Sr) (Dr. C. Knipper). Together with a detailed study of the morphology and the archaeological record of the individual caves and their findings it is intended to differentiate between four basic types of interpretation: human sacrifice, victims of violent conflicts, various types of burial (e.g. inhumation, multiple-steps burial) and members of marginal groups such as foreigners, people with diverse nutrition habits or handicapped individuals. The archaeological study within the project will concentrate on the context and the artefacts from all 96 caves containing human bone material. They will be juxtaposed to the evidence of contemperaneous settlements and funeral sites within the same region. Thus, it should be possible to interprete most of the artefacts to belong to any one of the following groups: grave goods, regular settlement pottery or possible offerings. The synthesis of all achieved results will allow a differentiated insight into the prehistoric deposition of human remains and artefacts in different types of cavities.