Dynamique de constitution des sépultures plurielles de la catacombe des Saints Pierre-et-Marcellin (Rome) : apport des analyses physico-chimiques.
Résumé
Excavations in the catacomb of Sts Peter and Marcellinus revealed several mass graves from the 1st-3rd century AD. Previous studies have shown that corpses were accumulated in a short period of time but in several successive phases. In order to appraise better the dynamic of corpses' deposits, we performed analyses on mineral samples collected from the ceiling, the walls and the floor of two burial chambers, in order to characterise variations in the physical and chemical properties of the rock. Results indicate a lower pH, a higher concentration of phosphorus, and the formation of new mineral species at the lowest levels of the stratigraphic sequences. Those features likely reflect the action of decomposition fluids. They permit an estimation of the maximum filling level of each burial chamber.
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