Graves under the microscope: micromorphological study of sediments in archaeological burials

The InterArChive project investigated the sediment of the grave fills of archaeological burials. This study applied micromorphological analysis, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and image analysis on sediments of seventeen graves spanning from 4th C BC - 15th C AD and three experimental piglet burials (2009-2013). A new standardized and rapid method was developed for the measurement of porosity. The grave types comprised wooden coffin, absence of coffin and chamber tombs. The sediments were sandy clay soils, variably affected by water-logged conditions, from temperate oceanic climates; sandy loam soil and limestone and sandstone deposits in Mediterranean climates. The microstructure of the backfill, features produced by the decomposition of the corpse and interactions with the surrounding sediment, secondary products related to the environmental conditions in the grave, degree of weathering of bone fragments in the different contexts, preservation of organic components from the graves and biological activity during and after the corpse decomposition were investigated. The results showed that corpse decomposition within the soil produced characteristic microstructures and features according to the type of soil and climate. Neoformed minerals, such as vivianite, siderite and leucophosphite formed in water-logged soils and anaerobic conditions. Amorphous phosphates were preserved only in water-logged soils. In all environments examined redoximorphic pedofeatures formed in the area around the skeleton in the absence of a coffin or in the layers above the skeleton in the presence of a coffin. Organic components and bone fragments were rarely preserved, especially in limestone and sandstone deposits from warm climates. Fungal and mesofauna activities were better represented in aerobic conditions and Mediterranean climate. Changes in porosity and segregation of mineral grains showed downward movement of soil particles and fluids from the layers above the skeleton and they highlighted the role of the coffin as barrier to this movement

Change fast or change slow? Late Glacial and Early Holocene cultures in a changing environment at Grotta Continenza, Central Italy

This work contextualises the sequence of Grotta Continenza, a cave with a rich sequence of Late Glacial to Early Holocene archaeological levels spanning from the Late Upper Palaeolithic to the Neolithic, within the framework of southern Italy cultural adaptation to environmental change.The sequence is dated by Bayesian modelling of radiocarbon dates and event durations are computed, including hiatuses in sedimentation and gaps in culture development; these data are used in association with sedimentology and soil micromorphology to assess sedimentary models that can explain the environmental change.Techno-typological and behavioural aspects of Late Upper Palaeolithic populations are correlated with environmental change, mostly during Younger Dryas

Signatures of degraded body tissues and environmental conditions in grave soils from a Roman and an Anglo-Scandinavian age burial from Hungate, York

Despite the importance of human burials in archaeological investigations of past peoples and their lives, the soil matrix that accommodates the remains is rarely considered, attention being focused mainly on visible features. The decomposition of a buried corpse and associated organic matter influences both the organic composition and, directly or indirectly, the microstructure of the burial matrix, producing signatures that could be preserved over archaeological timescales. If preserved, such signatures have potential to reveal aspects of the individual’s lifestyle and cultural practices as well as providing insights into taphonomic processes. Using organic chemical analysis and soil micromorphology we have identified organic signatures and physical characteristics relating to the presence of the body, and its decomposition in grave soils associated with two human skeletons (one Roman age and one Anglo-Scandinavian age) from Hungate, York, UK. The organic signatures, including contributions from body tissues, gut contents, bone degradation and input from microbiota, exhibit spatial variations with respect to anatomical location and features of the immediate burial environment. In the Roman grave broad changes in redox conditions associated with the decomposition of the corpse and disturbance from the excavation and use of an Anglo-Scandinavian age cess pit that partially cuts the grave were evident. Leachate from the cess pit was shown to exacerbate the degradation of the skeletal remains in the regions closest to it, also degrading and depleting spherulites in the soil, through decalcification of the bone and liberation of bone-derived cholesterol into the soil matrix. The findings from this work have implications for future archaeo- and contemporary forensic investigations of buried human remains

Analisi micromorfologica dei sedimenti antropici della Grotta Continenza e della Grotta Maritza (AQ)

MICROMORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF ANTHROPICAL SEDIMENTS OF CONTINENZA AND MARITZA CAVES (AQ) Continenza and Maritza Caves are situated in the southern part of FucinoBasin (AQ). They were frequented from the Upper Paleolithic to the Bronze Age. There are many common features: faunistic resources, lithic industries, ornamental artefacts and burials. Anthropic sediments also present several resemblances. In this research we analized the soil micromorphological aspects of the 30 μm thin sections from Continenza and Maritza’s samples

The Coronavirus pandemic and inequality in Italy

We start by summa-rizing the main features of the Italian National healthcare system in Sect. 2 explaining some of the key dimensions of existing socio-economic and health inequalities before the pandemic outbreak. Section 3 reports on the main published evidence of the impact of the pandemic on socio-economic inequalities, health, and access to health care. This section also describes the main interventions introduced by the Italian government to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the economy and individual households. It focuses on the impact of lockdowns, occupational inequali-ties and on how the health risks of COVID-19 were distributed. Similar to the work of Blundell et al. (2020), we relate these to some other existing dimensions of inequality, namely, geography, socio-economic status, age, gender, and migrant status. We report on the impacts of the crisis on employment opportunities and the ability to work and describe the main interventions introduced by the Italian government to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the economy and individual households