Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory ( IF 3.2 ) Pub Date : 2024-12-23 , DOI: 10.1007/s10816-024-09683-4
Trent M. Trombley, António Matias, Sabrina C. Agarwal
This paper presents taphonomic data from the medieval Portuguese site of Largo Cândido dos Reis that contains the presence of both Christian (n = 217) and Islamic (n = 422) burials. The presence of two faith communities with differing funerary customs utilizing the same geographic space offers a unique opportunity to conduct a comparative approach and examine the extent to which funerary rites influence preservation in human skeletal remains within the same cemetery complex. A sub-sample of 363 individuals was analyzed for taphonomic factors including erosion, cracking and flaking, and skeletal preservation using the anatomical conservation index (ACI) and bone representation index (BRI). These latter two indices were then used to calculate the proportion of well-preserved skeletons (WPS) and well-represented skeletons (WRS) by funerary group. Results demonstrated that, on average, skeletons from Islamic burials exhibited ACI scores of ~ 32% while those from Christian contexts exhibited ACI scores of ~ 44%, respectively. The proportion of well-preserved skeletons from Islamic burials was also significantly lower than those from Christian burials. Elements from Islamic burials also exhibited significantly higher severity of erosion and higher prevalence of malacofaunal remains compared to their Christian counterparts. Results are interpreted in relation to ethnohistoric context, specifically how grave construction varied between Islam and Christianity in central Portugal during the medieval period. These results are an important step in understanding the biocultural dimensions and taphonomic trajectories that funerary behaviors can have, especially in spaces where urban development and sub-surface construction are frequent risk factors.
中文翻译:

“Taphonomic Trajectories:葡萄牙 Largo Cândido dos Reis 中世纪遗址的葬礼 Taphonomy 和保护”
本文介绍了来自中世纪葡萄牙遗址 Largo Cândido dos Reis 的 taphonomic 数据,其中包含基督教 (n = 217) 和伊斯兰 (n = 422) 墓葬的存在。两个具有不同丧葬习俗的信仰社区利用相同的地理空间提供了一个独特的机会,可以进行比较方法并研究葬礼仪式在多大程度上影响同一墓地建筑群内人类骨骼遗骸的保存。使用解剖学保护指数 (ACI) 和骨骼表现指数 (BRI) 分析了 363 个个体的子样本的发声因素,包括侵蚀、开裂和剥落以及骨骼保留。然后使用后两个指数计算按葬礼组划分的保存完好的骨骼 (WPS) 和代表性良好的骨骼 (WRS) 的比例。结果表明,平均而言,来自伊斯兰墓葬的骨骼的 ACI 评分为 ~ 32%,而来自基督教背景的骨骼的 ACI 评分分别为 ~ 44%。伊斯兰墓葬中保存完好的骨骼比例也明显低于基督教墓葬中的骨骼。与基督教墓葬相比,伊斯兰墓葬的元素也表现出明显更高的侵蚀严重程度和更高的 Malcofaunal 遗骸流行率。结果根据民族历史背景进行解释,特别是中世纪时期葡萄牙中部伊斯兰教和基督教之间的坟墓结构如何变化。这些结果是了解丧葬行为可能具有的生物文化维度和 taphonomic 轨迹的重要一步,尤其是在城市发展和地下建设是常见风险因素的空间中。