STUDENTS are to read the “diary” of the lives of people who lived in a Scottish city hundreds of years ago – by examining their skeletons.
Bones unearthed in Aberdeen and the surrounding area will be studied for fresh insight into the health and lifestyles of long-dead residents.
This includes human remains dating from the Neolithic period to the Middle Ages.
Marischal College in Aberdeen holds one of the largest collections of human skeletons in Europe.
Now students on Aberdeen University’s new masters course in osteoarcheology aim to use new techniques to glean more information about how people lived then.
Dr Rebecca Crozier, who leads the course, said that skeletons are “essentially a diary of our lives”.
Bones and teeth retain a huge amount of information which can show what someone ate and evidence about their health and lifestyle, even indicating the community in which they lived.
Crozier said the scale and scope of the collection, together with new laboratory facilities, will give learners a “unique opportunity”.
She stated: “Human skeletons are the most tangible way of engaging with the long and rich story of our human past, providing an unparalleled insight into the lives of past people.
“Our students will learn how to unlock the wealth of information human skeletons can contain – from the techniques used in identification of human skeletal remains such as age-at-death, biological sex and height, to identifying and interpreting pathological lesions which can tell us about ancient health and disease and approaching more complex collections including those which have been cremated or burned.”
She went on: “Human osteoarchaeology is a rapidly advancing discipline, with new techniques providing information on not only what people ate, but also migration patterns and familial relationships.
“The scale of the collection in Aberdeen, and the fact that many of the skeletons come from the surrounding region, will allow the students to gain a real insight into what life was like here over the centuries.
“There is some exciting work going on in the field of human osteoarchaeology, and we are very fortunate to be able to draw on such a large resource for research here.
“I am thrilled that our students will have access to these collections to develop their own research.
“Whether they are interested in prehistoric cremations or medieval Aberdeen, the Marischal collections can offer research material – a unique opportunity.”
The news comes two years after the discovery of almost 200 medieval skeletons at a mass grave under Aberdeen Art Gallery.
Archaeologists made the find during £30 million renovation work at the site.
The material, understood to date back to the 13th century, was said to provide evidence of the location of Blackfriars Abbey, which was founded in the 1200s.
Around 30 skeletons from the same period were also discovered at nearby private school Robert Gordon’s College in the preceding months.
The 2016 find was described by experts as “hugely significant” as such discoveries are rare in Scotland.
At the time, Jason Finch, curator of archaeology and maritime history for Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums, said: “The finds are an exciting mix that adds to the story of a medieval Aberdeen and everyday life in it. We can learn about the lives people led.”
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