At various points in human history, tattooing has been ubiquitous on almost every continent on Earth, used for reasons of aestheticism, religious beliefs or for social purposes. To study the art of tattooing with respect to a particular culture, one must always be critical to any references to the practice (written, pictorial or artefactual) due to issues of translation and misinterpretation. Complete verification may only come with the discovery of actual tattooed human remains. In combination with artefactual and anthropological evidence, these remains not only provide physical proof of the practice in a culture's ancestry but also possess the ability to link various other forms of physical evidence, which on their own would remain speculative. By its very nature, tattooing may only exist while the bearer is alive. Once the owner dies, the skin, along with the tattoo, decomposes (under normal decomposition conditions) and is lost forever. However, tattoos may survive if the dermal layers of the skin are preserved, either by natural or artificial means. The processes of mummification in various civilisations have provided us with a rare opportunity to study the art and processes of tattooing in antiquity. Existing tattooed mummified remains have been found in: Egypt; Siberia; Eastern Central Asia; Greenland; Alaska and St. Lawrence Islands; Central Andes (Peru and Chile); Philippines; New Zealand and Italy. Existing literature regarding the analysis of tattooing inks and pigments once deposited into the skin is very limited. Comparatively, the industrial organic pigments used to colour the majority of modern tattooing inks sold today have not been officially approved by any regulating body and as such, manufacturers are not required to disclose the chemical ingredients of their products. Chemical identification of these tattoo pigments post-procedure will aid medical practitioners in the event of complications or for the purposes of tattoo removal. Forensically, tattoos are often one of the distinguishing features used in the identification of victims of crime or accidents. Experiments were carried out using an animal model (Sus scrofa) for the tattooing. Given the theoretically large but ultimately limited range of substances available to both ancient and modern tattooists, the premise of the experiment involved surveying the literature regarding possible tattooing pigments and either obtaining or reproducing a careful selection of these in the laboratory. These pigments were then tattooed onto the ii animal model and after allowing for the essential healing period, the tattooed areas were excised, with those tattooed with traditional pigments subjected to various simulated mummification environments.

Cremated bone occurs in many archaeological sites as small grey and white fragments. The high temperatures reached during heating induce structural, chemical and isotopic changes to bone apatite (the inorganic fraction of bone). These changes are investigated here by infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (d13C, d18O and 87Sr/86Sr) in both modern heated bone and archaeological cremated specimens. The results of various heating experiments (in laboratory and natural conditions) highlight the significant carbon and oxygen exchanges with the fuel used as well as with bone organic matter (mainly collagen). While not informing on dietary practice and hydrology as is the case with unburned bone, the d13C and d18O values of calcined samples together with infrared results provide information on the conditions in which the bone was heated (e.g. presence of fuel, size of the pyre, temperatures reached, dry or fresh bone, etc.). In parallel, the effect of heat on the strontium present in bone is minimal, if not undetectable. Furthermore, as observed through artificial contamination experiments, post-burial alterations also appear to be extremely limited, which is to be expected due to the higher crystallinity of calcined bone apatite compared to tooth enamel and unburned bone. These experiments demonstrate that calcined bone provides a reliable substrate for mobility studies using its strontium isotope composition. The application of these results to the study of six Neolithic and one Bronze Age sites from Ireland showed the possibility of discriminating cremated individuals that ate food originating from different regions, as well as highlighting possible variations in cremation practices between different sites. The results of this thesis greatly extend the application of strontium isotopes to places and periods in which cremation was the dominant mortuary practice, or where unburned bone and enamel do not survive. They also provide insights into the reconstruction of ancient cremation practices.

The study encompasses the reconstruction of the Iron Age sequence around the Limpopo River floodplain on Basinghall Farm during the second millennium AD. A survey uncovered 75 Iron Age sites, including three Moritsane and ten Toutswe facies sites for the Middle Iron Age and two Early Moloko, 16 Middle Moloko (Letsibogo facies) and 43 Late Moloko grain bin platform sites for the Late Iron Age. The local settlement sequence, which is based primarily on a ceramic analysis of surficial and excavated collections, is corroborated by radiocarbon dates, a glass bead sequence and comparative data from previous studies. The borders of the Toutswe chiefdom are shown to have extended 100 km to the south, while the Eiland sequence is refined to include an Eiland, a Moritsane and a redefined Broadhurst facies. New light is also shed on the local Moloko sequence and its correlation with historical Tswana groups in south-eastern Botswana. / Anthropology & Archaeology / M.A. (Archaeology)

The study encompasses the reconstruction of the Iron Age sequence around the Limpopo River floodplain on Basinghall Farm during the second millennium AD. A survey uncovered 75 Iron Age sites, including three Moritsane and ten Toutswe facies sites for the Middle Iron Age and two Early Moloko, 16 Middle Moloko (Letsibogo facies) and 43 Late Moloko grain bin platform sites for the Late Iron Age. The local settlement sequence, which is based primarily on a ceramic analysis of surficial and excavated collections, is corroborated by radiocarbon dates, a glass bead sequence and comparative data from previous studies. The borders of the Toutswe chiefdom are shown to have extended 100 km to the south, while the Eiland sequence is refined to include an Eiland, a Moritsane and a redefined Broadhurst facies. New light is also shed on the local Moloko sequence and its correlation with historical Tswana groups in south-eastern Botswana. / Anthropology and Archaeology / M.A. (Archaeology)

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