Archaeological Fieldwork Opportunities Bulletin - Haagerup Bioarchaeology Field School

Haagerup Bioarchaeology Field School

Location: Odense , Funen, Denmark

Season:

May 20, 2019 to June 21, 2019

Application Deadline:

Friday, February 15, 2019

Deadline Type:

Exact date

Website:

http://www.adbou.dk/haagerup/haagerup-field-school/

Flyer: folderhaagerup_field_school_2019.pdf

Program Type

Field school

RPA certified

Affiliation:

Project Director:

Dr. Dorthe Dangvard Pedersen, Unit of Anthropology (ADBOU), University of Southern Denmark, MSc Vicki Kristensen, Unit of Anthropology (ADBOU), University of Southern Denmark, Prof. Jesper L. Boldsen, Unit of Anthropology(ADBOU), University of Southern Denmark, and Prof. George R. Milner, Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University

Project Description

This project involves the systematic, research driven excavation and bioarchaeological investigation of human skeletal remains from the Danish medieval cemetery of Haagerup, which was abandoned after the Protestant Reformation in Denmark. Its time of use spans the period AD 1100 to 1555. The cemetery served a rural parish located in the Southern part of Funen, one of the main islands of Denmark.

The abandoned cemetery is placed on farm land and has not been destroyed by modern construction work. Therefore it may be possible in time to have the area totally excavated with the potential of having close to 4,000 skeletons lifted and further analyzed. The excavation is run as a research-driven collaboration between Unit of Anthropology (ADBOU) at University of Southern Denmark, Øhavsmuseet in Faaborg and Pennsylvania State University and it provides researchers (and students) with the unprecedented opportunity to collect valuable information from an untouched medieval cemetery.

During five weeks, students will be introduced to osteological recording methods including sex and age estimation, as well as the recognition of pathological conditions such as trauma, joint degeneration, tuberculosis, and leprosy. Students will learn excavation techniques, including GPS recording, through hands-on work in the field. Students will also be introduced to the challenges and potential of excavation, learn how to clean skeletal material, and be encouraged to think and work critically and independently. The course is evaluated by performance in the field and lab, and by writing a report based on the osteological analysis of skeletons excavated in the field.

Period(s) of Occupation: Medieval Period

Project size:

1-24 participants

Minimum age:

Room and Board Arrangements

Room and board are not included in the field school tuition fee and students can find accommodation on their own, but we also gladly assist in booking room and board. We recommend the Dalum Agricultural College which is a student residence through the year and in walking distance from the daily meeting point of the field school. Students are her lodged in dorm rooms which are basic but clean and furnished with a bed, desk, wardrobe, and sink. There is one bed per room. There are shared toilets down the hall, as well as shared showers in a separate room. Wifi will be available at the college.

The college provides all meals which are communal with breakfast and dinner served at the college. Each student will be responsible for packing a lunch from food served during dinner or breakfast. Breakfast generally consists of a range of breads, cheese, cold-cut meat, cereals, fruit, and cold vegetables / salad. Dinner usually includes salad and/or vegetables, and a meat or hot dish. Meals are generally well balanced and substantial and will include a range of traditional Danish foods to accommodate the students at the agricultural college who are often from farming backgrounds. You will see the primary meats being pork, fish, and some chicken. Vegetarian diets are easily accommodated with vegetables / salad, cheese, eggs, and bread being readily available at most meals. There is no guarantee that vegan diets will be accommodated through the Dalum kitchen, but in such circumstances particularly the protein component can be supplemented through the local grocery store located very close to the college.

Cost:

At Dalum Agricultural college including food and board 7,200 DKK (approx. 1,100 USD) excluding weekend meals.

Academic Credit

Number of credits offered 7,5 credit units

Tuition:

23,000 DKK / approx. 3520 USD - excluding accommodation (7,200 DKK / approx. 1,100 USD)

Location

Contact Information

Vicki Rytoft Kristensen

Lucernemarken 20

Odense

Denmark

5210

vkristensen@health.sdu.dk

Telephone:

+45 6550 1943

Recommended Bibliography:

ADBOU. 2015. Human Osteological Methods.

Adler CJ, Haak W, Donlon D, Cooper A. 2011. Survival and recovery of DNA from ancient teeth and bones. J Archaeol Sci 38:956–964.

Barnes I, Thomas MG. 2006. Evaluating bacterial pathogen DNA preservation in museum osteological collections. Proc R Soc B Biol Sci 273:645–653.

Boldsen JL. 1984. A Statistical Evaluation of the Basis for Predicting Stature from Lengths of Long Bones in European Populations. Am J Phys Anthropol 65:305–311.

Boldsen JL, Freund UH. 2006. Osteological leprosy: Epidemiology and diagnosis. Scand J Forensic Sci:67–72

Boldsen JL, Milner GR. 2011. An Epidemiological Approach to Paleopathology. In: Grauer AL, editor. A Companion to Paleopathology. Wiley-Blackwell. p 114–132.

Brookes S, Suchey JM. 1990. Skeletal age determination based on the os pubis: a comparison of the Acsádi-Nemeskéri and Suchey-Brooks methods. Hum Evol 5:227–238.

DeWitte SN, Stojanowski CM. 2015. The Osteological Paradox 20 Years Later: Past Perspectives, Future Directions. J Archaeol Res 23(4):1–54.

Hoppa RD, Vaupel JW. 2002a. The Rostock Manifesto for paleodemography. In RD Hoppa and JW Vaupel (eds.) Paleodemography: Age distributions from skeletal samples. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 1–8.

Lovejoy CO, Meindl RS, Pryzbeck TR, Mensforth RP. 1985. Chronological metamorphosis of the auricular surface of the ilium: A new method for the determination of adult skeletal age at death. Am J Phys Anthropol 68:15–28.

Lynnerup N, Boldsen J. 2011. Leprosy (Hansen’s disease). In: Grauer AL, editor. A Companion to Paleopathology. Wiley-Blackwell. p 458–471.

Meindl RS, Lovejoy CO, Mensforth RP, Walker RA. 1985. A revised method of age determination using the os pubis, with a review and tests of accuracy of other current methods of pubic symphyseal aging. Am J Phys Anthropol 68:29–45.

Milner GR, Boldsen JL. 2012a. Skeletal Age Estimation: Where We Are and Where We Should Go. In DC Dirkmaat (ed) Companion Forensic Anthropology. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. pp 224–238.

Milner GR, Boldsen JL. 2012b. Transition analysis: a validation study with known-age modern American skeletons. Am J Phys Anthropol 148:98–110.

Milner GR and Boldsen JL, 2017. Life not Death: Epidemiology from Skeletons. International Journal of Paleopathology 17:26-39.

Milner GR, Boldsen JL, Weise S, Lauritsen JM, Freund UH. 2015. Sex-related risks of trauma in medieval to early modern Denmark, and its relationship to change in interpersonal violence over time. Int J Paleopathol 9:59–68.

Ortner DJ. 2007. Differential Diagnosis of Skeletal Lesions in Infectious Disease. In: R Pinhasi and S Mays. Advances in Human Palaeopathology. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons Ltd.). p 189–214.

Petersen HC. 2011. Technical note: A re‐evaluation of stature estimation from skeletal length in the grave. Am J Phys Anthropol 144:327–330.

Rasmussen KL, Boldsen JL, Kristensen HK, Skytte L, Hansen KL, MÃ¸lholm L, Grootes PM, Nadeau M-J, Eriksen KMF. 2008. Mercury Levels in Danish Medieval Human bones. J Archaeol Sci 35:2295–2306.

Schaefer M, Black SM, Scheuer L. 2009. Juvenile osteology: a laboratory and field manual. Amsterdam: Academic Press.

Sellevold BJ and Hommedal AT, 2008. Archaeological Bones – The Anatomy of an Abandoned Churchyard, Norwegian Archaeological Review, 41(1): 71-84 .

White TD and Folkens PA. 2005. The Human Bone Manual. London: Elsevier Academic Press.

Wood JW, Milner GR, Harpending HC, Weiss KM, Cohen MN, Eisenberg LE, Hutchinson DL, Jankauskas R, Česnys G, Katzenberg MA, others. 1992. The osteological paradox: problems of inferring prehistoric health from skeletal samples [and comments and reply]. Curr Anthropol 33:343–370.

Yoder C. 2010. Diet in medieval Denmark: a regional and temporal comparison. J Archaeol Sci 37:2224–2236.