Department of Archaeology and Ancient History Digital marine osteoarchaeology - the problematization of bodies and bones in water Matilda Fredriksson Master's thesis, 45 ECT's, spring 2017 Uppsala University Campus Gotland Supervisor: Sabine Sten Co-Supervisor: Johan Rönnby Cover photo of the diver and photographer Ingemar Lundgren at the Gribshunden site by the author. All pictures and illustrations in this thesis are by the author unless anything else is stated. ABSTRACT Fredriksson, M. 2017. Digital marine osteoarchaeology: the problematization of bodies and bones in water Fredriksson, M. 2017. Digital marinosteoarkeologi: problematiseringen om kroppar och ben i vatten This master's thesis is intended as a foundation for further development of methods for digital marine osteoarchaeology. The main purpose of this thesis was to examine and problematise the process of locating, documenting, and analyzing skeletal remains in marine archaeological, and other hard to reach sites. Three forms of osteological analysis' was performed and assessed: one based on analysis of physical skeletal remains, another based on 2D documented skeletal remains, and a third on analysis on 3D reconstructed skeletal remains. The secondary purpose of this thesis was to problematise the taphonomic effects on bodies, body parts, and bones in marine environments, necessary for the evaluation of the different methods. The analysis' has been conducted on source material provided by the research projects for the naval ships Mars and Gribshunden, the National Maritime Museum of Sweden, the Sandby Borg project, and the Çatalhöyük project. In addition, a test was carried out, with eight volunteer osteology students at Campus Gotland, Uppsala University, during a seminar exercise. The results collected through the osteological analysis' performed on the three different formats and the students osteology exercise could be used in order to highlight a variation of data available in the different formats. The results was then used in order to create a basis for future digital documentation methods that may be applied in the field. The secondary aim of this thesis was addressed through the use of the naval ships Mars and Gribshunden as case examples in order to address the limited amount of skeletal remains located so far at the marine archaeological sites. Denna master uppsats är ämnad som grund för vidare utveckling av metoder för digital marinosteoarkeologi. Det huvudsakliga syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka och problematisera problemen kring at lokalisera, dokumentera, och analysera skeletala kvarlevor vid marinarkeologiska, och andra svåråtkomliga lokaler. Tre olika slags osteologiska analyser utfördes: en baserad på analyser av skeletala kvarlevor, en annan baserad analyser av 2D dokumenterade skeletala kvarlevor, och en tredje baserat på analyser av 3D rekonstruerade skeletala kvarlevor. Det sekundära syftet uppsatsen var att problematisera den tafonomiska påverkan på kroppar, kroppsdelar, och ben i marina miljöer, nödvändiga för utvärderingen för de olika metoderna. Analyserna har utförts på källmaterial som tillgängliggjorts genom forskningsprojekten för skeppen Mars och Gribshunden, Statens Maritima Museer i Sverige, Sandby borg projektet, och Catalhöyük projektet. Utöver detta har även en studie utförts tillsammans med åtta frivilliga osteologistudenter vid Campus Gotland, Uppsala Universitet, under en seminarieövning. Resultaten som samlades in genom de osteologiska analyserna av de tre olika källmaterialen och student studien användes för att kunna understryka den datavariation som fanns tillgänglig för de olika källmaterialen. Resultaten användes för att skapa en grund för framtida digitala dokumentationsmetoder som kan appliceras i fält. Det sekundära syftet med studien besvarades genom att använda skeppen Mars och Gribshunden som exempel för att kunna diskutera den begränsade mängden skeletala kvarlevor som hittills hittats vid de marinarkeologiska lokalerna. Master's thesis in Archaeology with focus in osteology 45 ECT's. Supervisor: Sabine Sten. Co- Supervisor: Johan Rönnby. Ventilated and passed [June 2nd 2017] © Matilda Fredriksson. Uppsala University Campus Gotland, Cramér gatan 3, 621 57 Visby, Sweden. Keywords: Digital marine osteoarchaeology; Marine archaeology; Marine osteology; Osteoarchaeology; Bioarchaeology; Birka; Mars; Gribshunden; Mary Rose; Sandby borg; Çatalhöyük; Marine osteoarchaeology; Animal remains; Human remains; Taphonomy; Fluvial transport. Acknowledgments A great thank you to... My supervisor Sabine Sten, professor at Uppsala University Campus Gotland, for all the help and support that you have given me through the years. You showed me the world of marine osteoarchaeology, and through this you helped me find a way to combine two of the things that fascinate me the most, osteology and digital photography. For this and much more, I am forever grateful. My co-supervisor Johan Rönnby, professor at Södertörn University, for all the help and support you have given me through the years. You did not only invite me into the world of marine archaeology, but you also showed me that research may be an adventure when part of a good team. The project groups for the research projects for the naval ships Mars (1564) and Gribshunden (1495), for letting me be a part of these two amazing projects. You have all taught me so much, and I look forward to many more exciting and lucrative meetings with you in the future. All the archaeology and osteology teachers at Uppsala University Campus Gotland, and the archaeology teachers at the masters program at Uppsala University, for passionately guiding us students through the wonderful world of archaeology, for all the hours of hard work that you do, and for never leaving a question unanswered. Nina Eklöf, marine archaeologist at the Swedish Maritime Museum, for inviting me to the maritime Birka project, as well as supporting and aiding me in my search of taphonomic changes in the animal remains of the Viking Age harbour of Birka. Anneli Ekblom, PhD, Uppsala University, for all the advice and support you have given me, concerning my thesis, during the last two years. Ian Hodder, professor at Stanford University, USA, for the lucrative discussion concerning my thesis work and for providing me with articles concerning the digital documentation at Çatalhöyük, as well as granting me access to part of your digital material. Scott Haddow, PhD, Editing assistant at Stanford University, USA, for providing me with both answers and articles concerning the digital documentation at Çatalhöyük, as well as granting me access to part of your digital material. Alex Hildred, PhD, at the Mary Rose museum, England, for granting me access to the collection, answering my questions concerning the remains and their taphonomic conditions, and for the discussions concerning future possibilities. Simon Ware, Collectors assistant at the Mary Rose museum, England, for granting me access to the collection and answering my questions concerning the remains and their taphonomic conditions. Max Jahrehorn, conservator at Oxider AB, for the long and interesting discussions concerning the disintegration and taphonomic effects on human bodies and skeletal remains in marine environments. Fredrik Gunnarsson, archaeologist at Kalmar Länsmuseum, for providing me access to the digital documentation from the Sandby borg project. Fredrik Svanberg, head of the Swedish Maritime Museum's dive unit, for granting me continued access to the animal skeletal remains of the Viking Age harbour of Birka. Jhonny Therus, PhD student at Uppsala University, for the lucrative discussions concerning the use of the digital documentation collected at the Sandby borg site, as a comparative material for my thesis. Leena Drenzel, first curator at the Swedish History Museum, for letting me use the Swedish History Museum's reference collection and aiding me with the species assessment for some of the more complicated bone elements. Jim Hansson, marine archaeologist at the Swedish Maritime Museum's dive unit, for the lucrative discussions concerning the possibilities of applying the digital method in both archaeological and forensic contexts. Clara Alfsdotter, PhD student at Grasca and archaeologist at Bohuslän museum, for all the support and discussions concerning the skeletal remains at the Sandby borg excavation, and advice prior to my visit at the Mary Rose museum. The osteology students at Uppsala University Campus Gotland who participated in the osteology students exercise. Thank you all for partaking in the study and adding valuable data to my research. The 'Kungliga Humanistiska Vetenskapssamfundet in Uppsala Enequistska medlen' for granting me a travel scholarship, and making my visit to the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth, England, possible. My friends and family, for all the love and support you've given me during the last five years. You are the wind in my sails, and the light that guides me home. CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 9 1.1 Purpose .......................................................................................................................................... 9 1.2 Research questions ...................................................................................................................... 10 2. SOURCE CRITICISM AND DELIMITATION ................................................................. 12 2.1 Digitally