âTo Make the Unseen Seenâ: Organic Residue Analysis of Late Roman Grave Deposits

Rhea C. Brettell; Eline M. J. Schotsmans; William H. C. Martin; Ben Stern; Carl P. Heron

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âTo Make the Unseen Seenâ: Organic Residue Analysis of Late Roman Grave Deposits

In: Burial and Memorial in Late Antiquity

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Rhea C. Brettell

Rhea C. Brettell
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Eline M. J. Schotsmans

Eline M. J. Schotsmans
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William H. C. Martin

William H. C. Martin
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Ben Stern

Ben Stern
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Carl P. Heron

Carl P. Heron
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 43â66

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004687981_004

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Abstract

The concept that invisible molecular traces may remain in grave deposits, the often discarded âdirtâ from substantial mortuary containers, is not widely appreciated. Organic residue analysis of samples from Late Roman (2ndâ4th c. AD) burials in Britain has revealed their potential to retain diagnostic biomarkers. Alongside the analysis of visible residues from similar continental burials, these results confirm that resinous substances were employed in the treatment of the dead throughout the Roman Empire. Deposited in close proximity to the body, they masked the reality of decay, signified the status of the deceased and promoted memorialisation. These findings, in conjunction with the sampling approach and methodology detailed here, have important implications for future mortuary research in the late antique period and beyond.

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Burial and Memorial in Late Antiquity

Volume 1: Thematic Perspectives

Series:Â Late Antique Archaeology, Volume: 13/1

Cover Burial and Memorial in Late Antiquity

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004687981

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 18 Sep 2024

Subjects

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Bioarchaeology

Treatment of the Body

Mausolea

Funerary Landscapes

Other Memorials: Statue Monuments

Tombs and Spolia in City Walls

Spolia and Civic Memory

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âTo Make the Unseen Seenâ: Organic Residue Analysis of Late Roman Grave Deposits

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Burial and Memorial in Late Antiquity

Volume 1: Thematic Perspectives

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âTo Make the Unseen Seenâ: Organic Residue Analysis of Late Roman Grave Deposits