The analysis of skeletal remains from archaeological contexts contributes significantly to the understanding of individuals and societies in the past. Using the quadruple grave 336–339 from the Late Antique cemetery of Bled Pristava as an example, we present the course and results of an integrated interdisciplinary research combining some of the most commonly conducted analyses in the study of skeletal tissues and placing their results in a larger archaeological and historical context.
From the data collected, it can be concluded that the four deceased, a father with two daughters and a son, were placed in a common grave at the same time and intentionally, perhaps due to special circumstances at the time of death. Grave goods date the grave in the mid-6th century, radiocarbon dating to the 5th and first half of the 6th century. Stable isotope analysis reveals fluctuations in diet during different periods of life related to dietary changes and physiological stress. The results of an interdisciplinary study conducted on the remains of four individuals show how the various analyses complement and/or corroborate each other, the breadth of their range in understanding how individuals lived and died, and the potential they have for understanding the lives of entire societies in historical periods.Analize človeških tkiv iz arheoloških kontekstov pomembno pripomorejo k razumevanju posameznikov in družb v preteklosti. Na primeru četvernega groba 336–339 s poznoantičnega grobišča Bled – Pristava predstavljamo potek in rezultate celostne interdisciplinarne raziskave, ki združuje nekaj pri raziskovanju skeletnih tkiv najpogosteje izvedenih analiz, rezultate teh pa povezujemo v širši arheološki in zgodovinski kontekst.
Na podlagi zbranih podatkov je mogoče sklepati, da so bili štirje pokojniki, oče s hčerama in sinom, v skupni grob položeni sočasno in premišljeno, morda zaradi posebnih okoliščin ob smrti. Grobni pridatki postavijo kontekst v sredino 6. st., radiokarbonsko datiranje pa v čas 5. in prve polovice 6. st. Analize stabilnih izotopov kažejo nihanja v prehrani skozi različna življenjska obdobja, povezana s spremembo prehrane in fiziološkim stresom. Rezultati interdisciplinarne študije, izvedene na posmrtnih ostankih štirih oseb, prikazujejo, kako se različne analize dopolnjujejo in/ali med seboj potrjujejo, kako velik je njihov domet pri razumevanju življenja in smrti obravnavanih oseb ter kakšen je njihov potencial za razumevanje življenja celotnih skupnosti v določenih zgodovinskih obdobjih
