A HISTOLOGICAL IDENTIFICATION METHOD FOR UNBURNED AND BURNED

A HISTOLOGICAL IDENTIFICATION METHOD FOR UNBURNED AND BURNED BONE FRAGMENTS: Telling humans apart from horses, cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. Dr. Saddha (A. G. F. M. ) Cuijpers Institute for Geo- and Bioarchaeology VU University, Amsterdam

ANIMAL HUMAN DIAPHYSES Horse - Cattle Juveniles Adults Sheep - Goat - Pig Children

ANIMAL REFERENCE SERIES Cattle Horse Sheep/goat Pig Individuals: 18 5 7 15 Bones: 31 17 16 15

HUMAN REFERENCE SERIES Children Juveniles-Adults Individuals 12 21 Bones: 30 31

HISTOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM PERIOSTEAL BONE STRUCTURE Primary bone Secondary bone Lamellar bone types (slow-growing bone) Fibro-lamellar complex bone types (fast-growing bone) Remodelled primary bone: secondary osteons

THE GENERAL PRIMARY BONE STRUCTURE IN CATTLE, HORSE, SHEEP, GOAT AND PIG Fibro-lamellar complex types

THE GENERAL PRIMARY BONE STRUCTURE IN HUMANS Lamellar types

EXCEPTION 1: GROWTH LAYERS Animals: lamellar Human: fibro-lamellar complex

EXCEPTION 2: BONE STRUCTURE IN CHILDREN < 1 YEAR Lamellar component is predominant (white in polarised light) Fibrous component is predominant (black in polarised light)

DIFFERENCES IN THE SECONDARY BONE STRUCTURE Reticular Haversian canals Animal Human

DIFFERENCES IN THE SECONDARY BONE STRUCTURE Osteon banding Animal Human

BLIND TESTS ON BONE FRAGMENTS TESTING THE VALIDITY AND APPLICABILITY OF THE OBSERVED DIFFERENCES HORSE/CATTLE JUVENILE/ADULT HUMANS SHEEP/GOAT/PIG CHILDREN DEGREE OF DEGRADATION EXPRESSED IN OXFORD HISTOLOGICAL INDEX (5 -0) 5 = NO HISTOLOGICAL DEGRADATION 0 = NO BONE STRUCTURE LEFT

Species Degradation Histological determination (Oxford Histological index) Human 5 Human Cattle 5 Animal Human 4 Human Cattle 4 Animal Human 3 Human Horse 3 Animal Cattle 3 Animal Horse 2 Animal Human 1 not possible Horse 1 not possible

Species Degradation (Oxford Histological index) Histological determination Pig 5 Animal Human (5 years old) 5 Human Pig 5 Animal Sheep/goat 5 Animal Human (9 years old) 5 Human (5 years old) 5 Human Sheep/goat 5 Animal Human (3 years old) 5 Human Pig 5 Animal Human (9 years old) 5 Human Pig 5 Animal Human (3 years old) 5 Animal Pig 4 Human Sheep/goat 1 Animal

VISIBILITY IN BURNED BONE Animal Primary bone Human

VISIBILITY IN BURNED BONE Secondary bone structure Reticular Haversian canal Osteon banding

HISTOLOGY AS AN ADDITIONAL IDENTIFICATION TOOL RECONSTRUCTING THE BURIAL RITUAL DETERMINING WORKED BONE DECISSION-MAKING IN HERITAGE MANAGEMENT

FURTHER RESEARCH Animal species Bone categories