Authors
Thomas Booth
Publication date
2017
Book
Human Remains: Another Dimension: The application of imaging to the study of human remains
Pages
7-24
Publisher
Elsevier
Description
Microbial bioerosion is the most common form of diagenesis found in archaeological bones and can be visualized using low-powered microscopy applied to histological bone thin sections. Bacterial bioerosion is found almost ubiquitously in archaeological human remains. Studies of both human and faunal archaeological remains have found that the extent of bacterial bone bioerosion varies with early postmortem treatment and reflects the rate and manner of soft tissue loss. Therefore, histological analysis of bone thin sections may be useful for reconstructing past funerary treatments. This chapter will discuss relationships between bacterial bone bioerosion and early postmortem events to explore how microscopic analysis of archaeological bone samples may be used to aid interpretations of funerary treatment. The practicalities of method and interpretation are demonstrated through a series of archaeological case …
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