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Artefacts & Environmental Evidence: The Human Bone

Malin Holst HND BA MSc

introduction | osteological analysis | palaeopathological analysis | dental pathology | discussion & summary

introduction | aims & objectives | methodology

1.2 Methodology

Each inhumed skeleton was analysed in detail, in order to assess the preservation and completeness of the skeleton, and to determine the age, sex and stature of the individual. All pathological lesions were recorded and described. The disarticulated unburnt bones were examined and described as to the skeletal element represented, its side, completeness, the possible age and sex of the individual and presence of pathological lesions.

The five cremation urns were excavated carefully in spits, with the aim of detecting any pattern to the order of bone deposition in the vessels. The cremated bone was subsequently washed and sieved through a stack of sieves, of 10mm, 5mm and 2mm mesh sizes. The bone recovered from each sieve was weighed and sorted into identifiable and non-identifiable bone. The identifiable bone was divided into five categories: skull, axial (excluding the skull), upper limb, lower limb and long bone (unidentifiable as to the limb).

All identifiable groups of bone were weighed and bagged separately. Bone colour, fragmentation, preservation and rate of cracking and warping resulting from burning were recorded, with the aim of obtaining information on cremation processes and subsequent funerary rituals.

The results of the analysis of the medieval cemetery have been compared with that of a number of other excavated medieval cemeteries (Table 1). The choice of cemeteries was based largely on the date of the assemblage, the availability of the skeletal report, as well as the thoroughness of osteological and palaeopathological reporting. Additional data was sought from comparative publications (see Roberts and Cox 2003).

Table 1: Cemetaries used for comparative analysis
Cemetery	Location	Date	Skeletons	Sources
Blackfriars	Gloucester	1239-1539	129	Wiggins, Boylston and Roberts 1993
Blackfriars Street	Carlisle	medieval	214	Henderson 1990
Chichester	Sussex	C11th to 17th	351	Caffell 1997, Judd and Roberts 1998
Glasgow Cathedral Phase 6	Glasgow	C14th to 17th	56	Driscoll 2002
Hull Magistrate's Court	Hull	late medieval	245	Holst, Isaac and Boylston forthcoming
Jewbury	York	12th century to late 1290s	475	Stroud 1994; Brothwell and Browne 1994
Pennell Street	Lincoln	?	?	Boghi and Boylston 1997
Royal Mint	London	medieval	-	Caffell 1997
St Andrew's Fishergate	York	C13th to 16th (Period 6)	271	Watson, 1993, MacKinnon 1997
St Giles	North Yorkshire	?	?	Caffell 1997
St Helen's-in-the-Walls	York	C12th to 16th	1068	Dawes 1980; Grauer and Roberts 1996, Lewis 2002b, Lewis et al 1995; Grauer 1993, Grauer and Roberts 1996
St Margaret in Combusto	Norwich	?	?	Stirland 1996
St Nicholas Shambles	London	C11th to 16th	234	White 1988
St Oswald	Gloucester	1230-1540	34	Rogers 1999
Tarbat	Ross-shire	C12th to 16th (Phase 2)	99	King 2000
Towton	North Yorkshire	1461	38	Boylston et al 2000; Coughlan and Holst 2000; Holst and Coughlan 2000; Knüsel 2000b; Novak 2000
Wharram Percy	North Yorkshire	?	~700 ?	Sofaer Derevenski 2000; Mays 1999, Lewis 2002b, Ortner and Mays 1989, Lewis et al 1995

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