ANTH 0538 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Lumbar Vertebrae, Taphonomy, Grave Goods
Document Summary
Preservation (cont. : teeth are the most durable body part, preservation is improved by anything that inhibits decomposition. Discourages bacterial, microbial, fungal, and scavenger activity. However, exposure to full sun and air will increase speed of decomposition. The dry conditions can naturally mummify bodies. Organic material preserves well in still water. Material gets into the silt on the bottom of bodies of water, protecting the soft tissue from fish and new oxygen: whole brains have been preserved this way. The high acidity in bogs literally tans (think deer hide) the skin of dead bodies. Bog material can also squash the body and separate the skin from the bones, creating a flat body. Preserves the body so well that sometimes, you can take fingerprints and look at brain tissue. Freezing can preserve bodies for thousands of years. Bone tissue soft organic materials: bad preservation. Ex: bogs preserve wool and leather well, but linen and other flax products deteriorate quickly.
