What is it about?
This paper demonstrates that invisible traces of substances deposited with the body may remain in the ‘dirt’ from the base of substantial burial containers. Chemical analysis of such samples from Late Roman burials (2nd-4th century A.D.) from Britain has revealed their potential to retain key marker compounds. Alongside analysis of visible residues from similar British and continental burial contexts, the results confirm that resinous substances from a range of plants, including frankincense, were used in the treatment of the dead throughout the Roman Empire.
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Why is it important?
The fact that these invisible chemical traces remain in the debris found at the base of substantial burial containers is not widely appreciated. This ‘dirt’ is often discarded in favour of a focus on visible artefacts. These findings have important implications for future mortuary research in the Late Antique period and beyond.
Perspectives
The treatment of the dead is a subject that has always fascinated me. It forms part of a significant rite of passage that affects us all. The opportunity to carry out this research has fulfilled a lifetime ambition and has proved that the hints in the Roman literature about the use of resinous substances in mortuary contexts were true. They were used to mask the reality of decay, signify the status of the deceased and, most importantly in my eyes, promote remembrance. I hope you find this insight into a universal human concern equally captivating.
Rhea Brettell
University of Bradford
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: “To Make the Unseen Seen”: Organic Residue Analysis of Late Roman Grave Deposits, September 2024, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004687981_004.
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