This abstracts is part of session #213:
Title:
A combined osteological, isotope and proteomics approach to poorly preserved human remains from a Dutch East India Company burial ground.
Content:
Skeletal remains discovered in Simon’s Town, South Africa were identified as being possibly associated with a formerly standing Dutch East India company hospital. The potential connection to Dutch heritage prompted an international research collaboration between South African archaeologists and the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands to investigate the poorly preserved remains. The objective of this research was to use a novel combined osteological and biochemical approach to inform the identities of these individuals. Methodologies included osteological observations, and utilising tooth enamel for isotope analysis using strontium (Sr), oxygen (O) and carbon (C) from carbonate, and proteomics. The methods chosen provided information on possible childhood origins, diet, biological sex, and pathological conditions, along with the individuals relation to the site.
Osteological analysis on 22 individuals presented evidence of residual rickets/osteomalacia, various dental pathological conditions, and pipe-notches. Sr-O-C isotope analysis yielded results for 39 individuals. One individual fell within all expected ranges of the Western Cape of South Africa. The remaining 38 individuals, however, did not fall within all expected Western Cape ranges. The majority exhibited ratios which could potentially fit within several relevant European countries. Two individuals likely did not have origins in either the Western Cape nor Europe due to their carbon isotope results. Proteomics analysis on the dental enamel of nine tested individuals confirmed that they were biologically male.
This study suggests that isolated enamel can provide crucial information about individuals pathological conditions, geographical origins, diet and biological sex. These data further demonstrate that a combined approach using multiple osteological and biochemical methods are advantageous for poorly preserved remains. The novel combination of isotope analysis and proteomics in determining biological and geographical profiles proved successful and contextualised the interred individuals with little other direct evidence.
Keywords:
Bioarchaeology, Osteoarchaeology, Biochemical, VOC, Taphonomy
Main authors:
Rachael Hall7
Co-author:
Judyta Olszewski4,7
Lisette Kootker5
Robert Layfield8
Barry Shaw8
Neil Oldham8
Tim Hart2
Leon Derksen6
Martijn Manders1,3
Sarah Schrader7
Affiliations:
1 Archaeological Heritage Management, Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, The Netherlands
2 Archaeology Contracts Office (ACO) Associates, Cape Town, South Africa
3 Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE), The Netherlands
4 Division of Clinical Anatomy and Biological Anthropology, Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town, South Africa
5 Geology & Geochemistry cluster, Department of Earth Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
6 Independant Researcher, The Netherlands
7 Laboratory of Human Osteoarchaeology, Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, The Netherlands
8 The University of Nottingham Medical School, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom
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