"To make the unseen seen": Organic residue analysis of Late Roman grave deposits
Brettell, Rhea C. Schotsmans, Eline M. Martin, William H.C. Stern, Ben Heron, Carl P.
Brettell, Rhea C.
Schotsmans, Eline M.
Martin, William H.C.
Stern, Ben
Heron, Carl P.
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2024-09
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Abstract
The concept that invisible molecular traces may remain in grave deposits, the often discarded ‘dirt’ from substantial mortuary containers, is not widely appreciated. Organic residue analysis of samples from Late Roman (2nd–4th 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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Brettell RC, Schotsmans EMJ, Martin WHC et al (2024) "To make the unseen seen": Organic residue analysis of Late Roman grave deposits. In: Lavan L (Ed.) Burial and Memorial in Late Antiquity. Volume 1: Thematic Perspectives. Leiden: Brill.
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