J Archaeol Sci 31 (1)

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. Includes

Using examples from dated alluvial deposits in the Trent basin, this paper suggests that the waterlogged remains of insects, mainly beetles, can be used to detect the occurrence of varying discharge and changing patterns of flood-plain evolution in low gradient alluvial landscapes of Holocene age. Comparison of Coleoptera assemblages from three high-energy and two lower-energy deposits indicates that a number of distinctive characteristics can be identified and criteria can be set for the distinction of these two contrasting depositional environments. This approach is tested using Coleoptera remains recovered from a palaeochannel fill at Spalford Meadows in the Lower Trent Valley.