The Diagenetic Alterations of Historic Skeletons from the Crown Mines Cemetery, South Africa
Date
2023
Authors
Stacey L. Lander
Desiré Brits
Margot Hosie
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Abstract
Abstract: Human skeletons associated with early gold mining in Johannesburg, South Africa are
investigated. An unmarked cemetery was buried beneath a mine dump which resulted in macroscop ically stained and poorly preserved bones. Histological assessments were conducted to understand
the postmortem treatment of the remains, determine the extent of bone degradation, and understand
how this environment affected the bone’s microstructure. Various diagenetic alterations and the
general histological index were assessed using normal and polarized light microscopy of thin ante rior midshaft femur sections (n = 50). Degradation was identified in the periosteal and endosteal
regions, while the intra-cortical region remained well-preserved. Bacterial bioerosion, microcracks,
infiltrations, inclusions, and staining were found throughout the sample. Numerous non-Wedl
micro-foci of destruction were observed, filled with exogenous material. The degradation suggested
that the remains were buried in neutral soil that was subsequently covered by acidic mine dumps
which resulted in a corrosive environment. Although the skeletons were poorly preserved, their
histological integrity was more promising, especially the intra-cortical area. This is important for
future investigations of archaeological bone, as this area can lead to more accurate descriptions of
skeletal assemblages. Targeted sampling of this region could produce promising estimates of age,
descriptions of pathology, and biomolecular results, which require further study