Corpse shadow

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As a corpse shadows are soil discoloration called that remain mostly after the complete removal of the soft and largely also of the hard tissues of humans and animals. Corpse shadows stand out as lighter or darker discolorations from the surrounding soil and trace the silhouettes of the living beings deposited.

The definitions are not very clear:

  • On the one hand, whole-body silhouettes are referred to as corpse shadows; in this case, oxidation-stable humates ( i.e. decomposition products of the soft tissue) attach to iron oxides present in the soil . This form of the corpse shadow occurs u. a. in sandy soils. In the case of an alkaline soil pH value , hard tissue can also be preserved in a very good quality.
  • On the other hand, the silhouettes of the transformed bones are referred to solely as corpse shadows. They are created by converting the bones via dissolved hydroxyapatite compounds to calcium phosphates such as brushite and apatite . In some cases, macroscopic to microscopic remains of bone tissue and tooth enamel remain, which can be examined anthropologically . This form of corpse shadow seems to be far more common.

Examples

  • Backemoor, Lkrs. Leer Lower Saxony ( grave field ) The pits stand out as rectangular discoloration in the sand. There was nothing more than dark filling material left from the burials. A corpse shadow is found in a grave.
  • Lyssach, Canton BE ( Switzerland ): Iron Age grave stretched supine position, wooden burial chamber with corpse shadow.
  • Vierde 5, Krs. Lüneburg (Lower Saxony) (burial mound of the Bronze Age ): The shadow of a child was visible in the northern grave.
  • "Sandmen" in Sutton Hoo , (Great Britain).

See also

Remarks

  1. ↑ Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde , Vol. 3 (1999), p. 119 [Soil science and settlement research §7]
  2. ↑ Bernd Herrmann , Gisela Grupe, Susanne Hummel, Hermann Piepenbrink, Holger Schutkowski: Prehistoric Anthropology. Guide to field and laboratory methods. Springer, Berlin et al. 1990, ISBN 3-540-52541-6 , p. 10; see. also: Michael Schultz: Microscopic Investigation of Excavated Skeletal Remains: A Contribution to Paleopathology and Forensic Medicin. William D. Haglund, Marcella H. Sorg (Eds.): Forensic Taphonomy. The postmortem Fate of human Remains. CRC Press, Boca Raton FL et al. 1997, ISBN 0-8493-9434-1 , pp. 201-222, here p. 204.
  3. ↑ Phil H. Bethell, Martin OH Carver: Detection and enhancement of decayed inhumations at Sutton Hoo. In: Andrew Boddington, Andrew N. Garland, Robert C. Janaway (Eds.): Death, decay, and reconstruction. Approaches to archeology and forensic science. Manchester University Press, Manchester et al. 1987, ISBN 0-7190-2303-3 , pp. 10-20.