Our Scientific Methods.
Collaboration between historians and archaeologists is revolutionising the way we understand the past, and especially the lives of individuals conventionally underrepresented in the study of the past (women, children, the socio-economically deprived).
Taking full advantage of the latest advances in macro-, micro-, chemical and bimolecular analyses, our team is uncovering exciting new information about the lives of premodern women. Our multidisciplinary team is opening new windows on the work, diet, foodways, and health of past populations, linking people to the natural and built environments and documenting the entanglement of people and things with an unprecedented level of detail.
Historical Research
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Our historians adopt a microhistorical perspective to examine the communities and individuals central to the project. This approach delves deeply into the lives of individuals and small communities, particularly those who have been overlooked in broader narratives. Our research involves a thorough examination of texts, including letters to and from monasteries and episcopal visitation records, as well as objects like medieval manuscripts and liturgical textiles from specific communities, in addition to normative texts like monastic rules.
Osteology & Palaeopathology
Our team of osteologists and palaeopathologists carries out macroscopic osteoarchaeological analysis to estimate biological sex and age at
death and to identify pathological conditions associated with nutritional deficiencies that may result from poor diet, metabolic disorders, or periodic fasting. Importantly for the project, skeletal analysis can reveal evidence of work-related activity, assessed indirectly through macroscopic analysis of bones and joints. We also identify and analyse signs of work-related wear in teeth. Oral health is investigated as indicative of infections associated with poor living conditions and hygiene. Microscopic analysis of dental growth di-co-eruption markers (e.g., analysis of enamel hypoplasia) that suggest systemic somatic stress such as malnutrition and infection during development will also be
used.
Dental Calculus Analysis
Our archaeological scientists use advanced techniques to analyse the micro-debris trapped in dental calculus samples. These particles, which are too small to be seen by the naked eye, offer valuable information about past daily routines. The team approaches the human oral cavity as a depositional environment – made possible by the formation of dental plaque, a bacterial biofilm that forms naturally on teeth and can mineralise into a deposit known as dental calculus. During its formation, dental calculus traps some of the vast array of particles and molecules that enter the mouth as an individual drinks, eats, breathes, and works. Elements of an individual’s daily life, often not documented elsewhere, can lie hidden in their teeth for centuries.
Palaeoproteomics
Our biomolecular archaeologists study the invisible, traces of proteins and metabolites preserved in dental calculus, providing a rich record of an
individual’s dietary habits (incorporation of foods), their healthconditions (including those invisible from an osteological point of view, most famously plague), and overall adaptation to the environment through the composition of the oral microbiome.
Experimental Archaeology
Our team of experimental archaeologists target activities that leave traces in dental calculus, teeth, or bone:
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Dusty work: e.g., pottery-making, fibre crafts, pigment preparation, leatherwork.
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Hand/tool-to-mouth work that can transfer material into the mouth: e.g., painting, needlework, thread production.
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Work that creates patterns of dental wear with tools/materials repeatedly held between teeth: e.g., leatherwork, braiding, needlework.
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Work that shapes the human body: e.g., osteological markers of religious work like kneeling in prayer and fasting.
Our researchers will “put themselves in the shoes of the workers” alongside experienced contemporary heritage artisans to replicate their practices. They will collect the dust generated during the activities, characterise it, and record its potential health impact, compiling a reference collection that can be used to search, identify, and interpret the microscopic particles found in human dental calculus.
Stable Isotope Analysis
Our team of bioarchaeologists conducts stable isotope analysis to provide direct evidence of the lifetime dietary habits of the women included in our study and their long- term nutritional status. The form of chemical analysis can also reveal the migration histories of individuals through the chemical analysis of their remains. These techniques have been successful in bringing to light the frequently ignored narratives of women, such as infant feeding practices.