This paper examines peat that was discovered next to a skeleton dug out in wetlands next to lake Bokaren in Uppland, Sweden, in 2015. The skeleton was that of a man from the Roman Iron Age. It was found in fen peat, where soft tissue decomposes but bones are often well preserved. The elemental composition of the peat was examined using X-ray fluorescence. It was found that the composition of heavy elements was likely a result from exchange between the body and the peat. There were also trace elements, some of which may originate from medicine or other use. There may also be traces of brass. X-ray diffraction however revealed no trace of mineral formation. The lipid content of the peat was examined using Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry. Fatty acids, cholesterol and degradation products expected from a waterlogged, anaerobic environment where discovered. Dark-colored peat surrounding body was found to contain lipids from the body and lipids from the inside of the skull where particularly well preserved. Theoretically, both lipid analysis and XRF could be used to locate bodies in fen peat by sampling. From the lipid analysis, one may draw the conclusion that it was a primary burial and that the body was put in a wet context short time after death. Efforts may have been taken to prevent the body from floating to the surface. The head of the body probably came off during decomposition with soft tissue remaining.

The fossil population structure of the gastropod Neptunea angulata from the late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene was investigated in this project in order to contribute to a wider study on the influence of predation on populations and the evolutionary history of organisms. Over time, predator-prey relationships can drive evolution in a way similar to the Red Queen Hypothesis. However, before the effects of predation can be understood one must determine how the population dynamics functioned without the influence of predation. There are a number of problems that arise when determining population dynamics for fossil assemblages. These are usually caused by missing fossil data and the uncertain nature of their absence. Bias is rife within fossils at various stages from post-portem processes to when they are present in museum collections. One way to estimate these biases is to investigate the population structures of the fossils both directly from the fossil record and from museum collections. The variation in oxygen istopes found in N. angulata shells corresponded to yearly cycles which then were counted to determine the age of the specimen at time of death. Measuring the length of the spiral at yearly intervals provided the growth rate for the organism while it was alive. The growth rates were then used to determine the ages of specimens based on their size. The resulting ages were organized into an age distribution graph which was used to determine any museum bias. Bias in the preservation was also investigated by measuring the taphonomic damage of organisms of different size and then determine the distributions of size vs taphonomy. The ages of three specimens were found to differ even though the organisms had similar whorl lengths. As a result the growth equations differed and so different age distributions were calculated from each growth equation. All the age distributions demonstrated that the museum collections did show some bias against the smaller sized and thus younger specimens. There also appeared to be a size bias towards small N. angulata within the fossil record, with the extremely small individuals missing. The majority of the smallest specimens found in the field collections were not actually N. angulata specimens. A major problem with the results was a lack of data and a small sample size and it is highly recommended that an extensive collection and review of material be undertaken to fully determine the population structure present in the fossil assemblages. Other parts of the study, for example, the growth rates also require larger data sets in order for the confidence of the data to be improved. / I detta projekt studerades snäckpopulationer (Neptunea angulata) från Pliocen och Pleistocen för att besvara bredare frågeställningar om predation och dess inflytande på populationer och evolution. Innan man kan fastställa effekten av predation så behöver man förstå hur populationen betedde sig utan predationstryck. Flertalet problem uppstår när man studerar fossila populationer: tillgången på data kan vara begränsad och det kan vara svårt att se vad som saknas och varför. Information från fossil förloras från tiden som organismen dör fram till att de återfinns i museisamlingar. Ett sätt att uppskatta informationsförlusten är att studera fossil såväl i fossilbäddar som i museisamlingar. Genom att använda sig av den observerade cykliska skillnaden i stabila syreisotoper mellan olika tillväxtzoner i skalen av Neptunea angulata var det möjligt att uppskatta åldern på en organism vid en viss längd. Hastigheten med vilken snäckan växte beräknades genom att mäta förändringen i längd mellan olika åldrar. Genom att beräkna hur snabbt en snäcka växte så var det möjligt att använda storleken på fossilerna för att uppskatta dess ålder då den dog. Fossilen organiserades efter ålder för att visa populationsstrukturer. Förluster av fossil efter deposition uppskattades undersöktes genom att bestämma om mindre storleksgrupper var mer skadad än större storleksgrupper . Den varierade tillväxten hos olika snäckor användes för att beräkna dess åldrar. Det upptäcktes att museisamlingar tenderade att inneha större och äldre individer. Det tycktes också finnas färre små fossil av Neptunea angulata inom opartisk samling. Några av de extrement små individerna saknades helt och majoriteten av de minsta fossilen var inte ens Neptunea angulata. Skador på fossilen var större ju mindre individerna var. Mängden data inverkade negativt på denna studie och därför rekommenderas en omfattande genomgång av de tillgängliga samlingarna för att bättre kunna besvara frågor kring denna population i framtiden.

Predation is a key factor in evolutionary dynamics. It disrupts the potential of fossilisation in prey items and is poorly recorded in the fossil record; failed predation in conical marine gastropods is recorded in scars. Quantifying the scar distribution and collection and taphonomic biases present in the fossil record of the gastropod Neptunea contraria, of the Red Crag Formation, Gelasian, Pleistocene, UK is necessary to approach this dynamic. Neptunea contraria is highly abundant in the Red Crag Formation which is easily accessed. The size and scarring on a large number (450+) of individuals was collected, recorded and measured from pre-existing and new material. The size distribution of Neptunea contraria is non-normal and is enriched in larger individuals, the scar distribution – expected to be Poisson – is not so. Taphonomic and Collection bias had a large influence over the size and scar distributions of Neptunea contraria. Material from the same localities shows very different size distributions. The lack of Poisson distribution suggests different rates of unsuccessful predation over life history of Neptunea contraria, assuming the data is valid. / Predation anses vara en viktig faktor inom ekologi och evolution men till vilken grad har effekterna av predation förändrats genom geologisk tid? Det centrala fokuset i denna studie ligger i att frambringa en förståelse av både population- och predationsfördelningen bland marina snäckor av arten Neptunea contraria av Pleistocen ålder från Red Crag-formationen, East Anglia, Storbritannien.Framgångsrik predation resulterar i förstörelsen av snigeln och dess livshistoria registreras i deras skal. Misslyckad predation bevaras i skalen bland individer som överlevt genom ärrbildningar. Det finns ett okänt samband mellan misslyckad och framgångsrik predation.Samlingen av fossilt material från Sedgwick-museet i Cambridge, Storbritannien, ligger till grund för denna studie. Detta material är ofullständigt (d.v.s. material saknas) och noterbart fragmenterat vilket orsakats av nedbrytande processer, därav tafonomi. Denna studie belyser flertalet källor som ger upphov till ett ofullständigt fossilt register, därav processer direkt relaterade till fossilisering och antropogen insamling. Genom att jämföra flertalet uppsättningar av fossilt material som insamlats av olika personer så kan graden av bias i förhållande till insamlingen undersökas. Resultatet av denna studie visar att samlingen av fossila sniglar som för närvarande finns på Sedgwick-museet är ofullständig. Detta är ett tillstånd som uppkommit delvis på grund av inkomplett insamling.Fördelningen av ärr orsakade av misslyckad predation förväntades följa en poissonfördelning. Denna förutsägelse motsägs sannerligen av nuvarande data. Troligtvis har detta förorsakats av en låg ”miss-lyckad predationsfrekvens”, vilket antyder att graden av predation inte är konstant.Sniglar av en större storlek saknar ärr på den övre delen av sina skal, vilket tyder på att frekvensen av misslyckad predation var låg i de juvenila stadierna. (

Studien undersöker hur arkeologiskt djurbensmaterial från Västergarn, Gotland har påverkats av tafonomiska processer på Västergarn. Syftet med uppsatsen är att framföra vikten av tafonomi inom arkeologi och osteologi, vinklat mot om de tafonomiska processerna skulle kunna påverka den osteologiska analysen och isåfall hur? En stor del ben frystes även för att få bukt på den aktiva mögelprocessen, hur har det påverkat benen? Kan samband ses mellan en viss fragmenteringsgrad, vissa frakturtyper och specifika tafonomiska processer från Västergarn? Detta diskuteras i samband med jordbeskrivningarna av de kontext som benen hittats i och undersöker vilken potentiell process som kan ha skapat förändringen på benet. Slutligen framför uppsatsen vikten av tafonomisk kunskap, då samtliga ben som undersöktes påvisar flera tafonomiska processer som kan påverka den osteologiska analysen. Vissa av processerna som identifierades var: rotavtryck, rotinvasion, erosion och frostsprängningar. / This study investigates how archaeological animal bones from Västergarn, Gotland has been affected by taphonomic processes on Västergarn. The purpose of the essay is to present the importance of taphonomic knowledge in archeology and osteology, angled towards whether the taphonomic processes could affect the osteological analysis and if so how? A large number of bones were also frozen to overcome the ongoing mold process, how has that affected the bones? Can relations be found between a certain degree of fragmentation, certain fracture types and specific taphonomic processes from Västergarn? This is discussed in connection with the soil descriptions of the contexts in which the bones were found and examines what potential process may have created the change on the bone. Finally, the essay presents the importance of taphonomic knowledge, as all the bones that were examined demonstrate several taphonomic processes that can affect the osteological analysis. Some of the processes identified were: root etching, root invasion, erosion and frost fracturing.

Ancient Egyptian human remains, mummified and skeletal, have been studied for centuries by archaeologists and egyptologists, who have focused on mummification techniques, palaeopathology and signs of activity. However, some of these studies have been lacking in taphonomic and osteological knowledge. This dissertation considers if some of the interpretations of osteoarchaeological data in these studies can be better explained by taphonomic processes, a more in-depth knowledge of paleopathology and osteological identification techniques. As a result, the interpretations of terrible working and life conditions at Tell el Amarna, the capital city founded by Akhenaten were created by interpreting common pathologies as indications of forced labor and poor diet, and by ignoring facts about the context.  The identifications of KV55 and KV60-A individuals cannot be considered valid. No reliable radiologic methods exist that can age an individual between the ages of 35-45. A damaged vertebra and a femur were incorrectly said to contain osteophytes. The damages described in the cranium and teeth of this individual may even be of peri-mortem origin. The tooth used to identify KV60-A with Hatshepsut does not have the wear expected for the age group of the individual, while the cranial morphology shows a high indication of masculine traits.  Unknown man E, Unknown woman A and the Greek-roman mummy seemed to have been affected by common taphonomic and archaeothanatological processes. The healing process of the mandibula and maxilla makes it unlikely that the so called “bridges” were used during life. In conclusion, a much deeper knowledge of taphonomy, paleopathology and general osteological knowledge in these studies would have been necessary to avoid misinterpretations.

Zooarchaeological material from prehistoric settlements usually make up a large amount of the archaeological record. Despite this, research on the material is seldom utilized to its full potential. This is very much the case for the famous iron age settlement at Helgö. Therefore, in this thesis animal bones recovered from building group 4 at Helgö were analyzed using both osteological and taphonomic, as well as spatial variables as a mean to gain a better understanding of various aspects of the settlement and life at prehistoric Helgö. The results from the zooarchaeological analysis provide insight in social activities and practices concerning both human and animal interactions. The animals are found to have been an important part of the lives of the people at Helgö. Both spatial and structural differences in the material reveal various attitudes towards the animals and bring to light a diversity of activities and practices surrounding the settlement and Helgö.

The subject of corpses from mass violence is surprisingly unexplored, even though the materiality of the corpse carries strong symbolic capital in conflicts. The aim of my PhD research is to create new knowledge about the implications of unburied corpses that stem from intergroup conflicts, and subsequently to add knowledge concerning how intergroup violence is organised to achieve desired social agendas. In the licentiate thesis presented here, I research the conditions for postmortem agency and how treatment of corpses can be studied in prehistory, specifically through the material remains of unburied corpses from the Sandby borg massacre. The Sandby borg case study is explored through a bioarchaeological perspective. Inside the Iron Age ringfort, the remains of at least 26 individuals have been recovered hitherto. Several of the dead display traces of lethal intergroup violence. By integrating osteology, archaeology, taphonomy and social theories, I show how bioarchaeological research can contribute to the understanding of past postmortem agency in relation to intergroup violence as a social process. The thesis is comprised of four articles.