The Basel-Gasfabrik research project: Addressing complex topics by an integrative approach

The late La Tène period site of Basel-Gasfabrik has been under investigation for more than a century. During that time, the unfortified settlement with its two cemeteries has yielded huge amounts of everyday and exceptional objects and features. Beginning in the mid-1970s, samples were systematically collected for scientific analyses during ongoing excavations, thus producing ideal preconditions for interdisciplinary research. In 2011-2014, the international research project “Approaching the living via the dead: human remains from the Late La Tène site Basel-Gasfabrik and their cultural-historical interpretations” addressed the multifarious ways in which the Iron Age community handled their deceased. The intense collaboration involved researchers from the Archäologische Bodenforschung Basel-Stadt and the universities of Basel (CH), Mainz and Freiburg i.Br. (D) and spanned eight disciplines: archaeology, archeoanthropology, archaeobotany, archaeozoology, geoarchaeology, biogeochemistry, molecular genetics and statistics. Research topics and theoretical frameworks were developed jointly as well as procedures to combine the disciplinary results in multistage processes in order to generate integrative syntheses of novel insights. The challenges and specific research potentials of the integrative approach may serve as a positive example for future interdisciplinary research project

Nur 100 Jahre alt? Historische Friedhöfe zwischen Ignoranz, Akzeptanz und Relevanz

Friedhöfe und Bestattungen des 18. bis 20. Jh. werden auch in der Schweiz zunehmend zum Aufgaben- und Forschungsgebiet der Historischen Archäologie. Das zeigen Ausgrabungen der letzten Jahre in den Kantonen Bern, Basel und Graubünden

Die Regelmässigkeit des Irregulären : menschliche Skelettreste vom spätlatènezeitlichen Fundplatz Basel-Gasfabrik

One striking characteristic of the Late La Tène period is the variegated handling of the dead. TheBasel-Gasfabrik Late La Tène site has two inhumation cemeteries as well as complete burials in pits andwells and numerous isolated human skeletal remains from a variety of settlement features, making it possibleto develop and test hypotheses on the differential handling of the dead. The demographic profile of theindividuals interred in the burial grounds shows these to represent a valid segment of the former population.Infant mortality was high. Grave goods such as ceramic vessels, iron brooches and glass beads are morefrequent in child burials. Among the human remains found in settlement contexts individuals below the ageof 20 are underrepresented. Numerous isolated bones exhibit marks of peri- and postmortem manipulationslike carnivore gnawing, cut- or scorch marks. In contrast, other bones were embedded quickly. This hintsat the existence of several processes which resulted in the presence of human skeletal remains in settlementfeatures. Examination of archeological contexts associated with human remains as well as molecular andgeochemical analyses make it possible to identify criteria for selecting individuals submitted to differenttypes of handling. They also aim to identify recurring patterns of behavior, thus attempting to draw conclusionson the former living community of the late Iron Age

The hidden midden - Geoarchaeological investigation of sedimentation processes, waste disposal practices and resource management at the Latène settlement Basel-Gasfabrik (Switzerland)

To interpret artifact assemblages, it is necessary to understand the processes that have formed and influenced them: layer formation processes, cultural practices, and the way resources were used. In this study, we present our results of micromorphologically analyzed pits, ditches, house floors, and occupation layers found within the younger Iron Age settlement of Basel‐Gasfabrik. We defined 11 microfacies types and put them into a spatial and stratigraphic context. In addition, we quantify waste categories according to the archaeological features and microfacies types. Our results suggest that some ditches played a role in the spatial organization of the settlement, others were used as water canals. Several pits show a secondary use as roofed construction in the context of handicrafts. In addition, mapping the microfacies types reveals a differentiated use of space. Finally, differences between waste categories are visible. Dung was used as fuel and probably as fertilizer, whereas animal bone fragments and ceramic sherds have been stored on rubbish dumps, where they were available as raw material. These new insights into the use of pits, ditches, and settlement areas as well as the handling of resources provide an important basis for understanding everyday life in the settlement of Basel‐Gasfabrik

A knot in a network: Residential mobility at the Late Iron Age proto-urban centre of Basel-Gasfabrik (Switzerland) revealed by isotope analyses

The Basel-Gasfabrik site (Switzerland) is among the largest and best investigated proto-urban centres of the La Tène period (chiefly La Tène C2/D1; 200/150–80 BCE). Excavations revealed evidence of an urban lifestyle, crafts production as well as a multitude of imported goods. Human skeletal remains were recovered both from two cemeteries and from various settlement features. Strontium (87Sr/86Sr) and oxygen (δ18Op) isotope analyses aimed at an assessment of the role of residential changes in the makeup of the site's population, the positioning of Basel-Gasfabrik in local, regional, and long-distance networks, and the exploration of possible correlations between the complex mortuary practices and the individuals' residential history. The study involved 94 enamel samples from 54 human individuals, while archaeological animal teeth and modern vegetation and water samples provided baseline information. The 87Sr/86Sr and the δ18Op ratios of the human teeth varied widely between 0.70755 and 0.71655 and 14.7 and 19.3 ‰, respectively, with more variation among adult males and females than among juveniles. Both the archaeological setting and the isotope data attest to lively contacts of the central site to its hinterland, but also to distant regions, such as the Mediterranean. Differences in the isotope data of successively formed tooth crowns of some of the adult population point to residential changes in childhood. Possible explanations include fosterage as an important element in strengthening regional and interregional ties among Iron Age communities, settlement centralization, and mobile animal husbandry practices. However, areas of origin or patterns of mobility were not among the key factors which shaped the complex mortuary practices

The lay of land: Strontium isotope variability in the dietary catchment of the Late Iron Age proto-urban settlement of Basel-Gasfabrik, Switzerland

Basel-Gasfabrik (Switzerland) comprises an extensive La Tène (chiefly Lt D, 150–80 BCE) settlement and two associated cemeteries at which strontium (87Sr/86Sr) isotope analysis of human and animal teeth investigated regional and supra-regional contacts. The interpretation of the analytic data, however, requires information on the isotopic baseline values around the site. Using 102 modern vegetation and 9 water samples from 51 localities, this study characterizes the isotopic ratios of the biologically available strontium of geological units and watercourses around Basel and compares these to 28 human infant, 6 pig, and 5 dog teeth from the site. Furthermore, pedological criteria evaluate the suitability of landforms for crop and pasturelands. The 87Sr/86Sr ratios of the environmental samples from geological units in up to 50 km distance varied between 0.70776 and 0.71794. Human infant teeth exhibited much more homogeneous 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.70847–0.70950), which coincided largely with those of potential arable soils around Basel and indicate targeted exploitation of landscapes for agriculture. The more variable values of the faunal teeth suggest more widely ranging habitats or imports from the site's hinterlands. Two local isotope ranges were defined based on archaeological enamel samples and modern vegetation data from a confined radius around Basel. The study documents the complexity of distinguishing local and non-local individuals in a geologically heterogeneous region as well as the potential of isotope analyses to explore prehistoric land-use patterns

"Wenn Kinder sterben..." : Säuglinge und Kleinkinder vom latènezeitlichen Fundplatz Basel-Gasfabrik (Kanton Basel-Stadt, Schweiz)

The La Tène site of Basel-Gasfabrik, Switzerland, with its two cemeteries comprising about 170 inhumation burials, has been under investigation for one century. Numerous skeletal remains of subadult individuals were brought to light, both from the cemeteries and the settlement area. Children in the cemeteries, who were sometimes buried in over-large pits, are more frequently furnished with grave goods than adults. The burial of one young girl also contained costume items of a grown woman. There are no sex-specific furnishings for boys. Ceramics found in the graves and those from the settlement differ in size and shape. The anthropological analysis of 31 subadult individuals has revealed that children of all ages, including fetuses, are found in both contexts. The majority of children died before the age of four. Up to now, there are no apparent differences in the health status of children found in the settlement and those from the cemeteries. Fetuses and young children from the settlement area were first identified during zooarchaeological analyses

Die jüngerlatènezeitliche Zentralsiedlung Basel-Gasfabrik im Fokus: Ausgewählte Ergebnisse der interdisziplinären Forschung

Vor 110 Jahren wurde die spätkeltische Siedlung Basel-Gasfabrik in der Nähe des heutigen Voltaplatzes bei Aushubarbeiten zum damaligen Gaswerk entdeckt. Seither fanden in unterschiedlichen Intensitäten mehr als 400 archäologische Rettungsgrabungen statt, die immer in Zusammenhang mit Bauprojekten standen. Mit dem Auslaufen der Feldarbeiten konnten zwei grosse, multidisziplinär konzipierte Auswertungsvorhaben mit den Titeln «Über die Toten zu den Lebenden» (Umgang mit sterblichen Überresten) und «Über den Grubenrand geschaut» (Siedlung) durchgeführt werden. Der wissenschaftliche Bericht beleuchtet schlaglichtartig Resultate der beiden Forschungsprojekte