“Taphonomic Trajectories: Funerary Taphonomy and Preservation at the Medieval Site of Largo Cândido dos Reis, Portugal”

Abstract

This paper presents taphonomic data from the medieval Portuguese site of Largo Cândido dos Reis that contains the presence of both Christian (n = 217) and Islamic (n = 422) burials. The presence of two faith communities with differing funerary customs utilizing the same geographic space offers a unique opportunity to conduct a comparative approach and examine the extent to which funerary rites influence preservation in human skeletal remains within the same cemetery complex. A sub-sample of 363 individuals was analyzed for taphonomic factors including erosion, cracking and flaking, and skeletal preservation using the anatomical conservation index (ACI) and bone representation index (BRI). These latter two indices were then used to calculate the proportion of well-preserved skeletons (WPS) and well-represented skeletons (WRS) by funerary group. Results demonstrated that, on average, skeletons from Islamic burials exhibited ACI scores of ~ 32% while those from Christian contexts exhibited ACI scores of ~ 44%, respectively. The proportion of well-preserved skeletons from Islamic burials was also significantly lower than those from Christian burials. Elements from Islamic burials also exhibited significantly higher severity of erosion and higher prevalence of malacofaunal remains compared to their Christian counterparts. Results are interpreted in relation to ethnohistoric context, specifically how grave construction varied between Islam and Christianity in central Portugal during the medieval period. These results are an important step in understanding the biocultural dimensions and taphonomic trajectories that funerary behaviors can have, especially in spaces where urban development and sub-surface construction are frequent risk factors.