30/04/2009

"Lindow man, Tollund man and other peat bog bodies" by Painter (1991)

Painter, T. J.; "Lindow man, tollund man and other peat-bog bodies: the preservative and antimicrobial action of Sphagnan, a reactive glycuronoglycan with tanning and sequestering properties", Carbohydrate Polymers 15 (2) (1991) 123-142
doi:10.1016/0144-8617(91)90028-B (restricted access)

Abstract:
The tanning reaction that contributes to the preservation of animal tissues by peat consists of a Maillard reaction between the free amino-groups of collagen and reactive carbonyl groups in a soluble glycuronoglycan (‘sphagnan’) containing residues of D-lyxo-5-hexosulopyranuronic acid. Sphagnan is a complex, pectin-like material which is covalently linked to cellulosic and amyloid-like chains in living Sphagnum moss, but slowly liberated by autohydrolysis into the ambient water as the dead moss is converted into peat. It is a precursor of aquatic humus from Sphagnum peat, and the tanning of adventitious collagen in animal remains is only one manifestation of the continuous incorporation of ammonia, aminoacids and polypeptides from a wide variety of sources into the structure of the humic acid molecule. Sphagnan can also suppress microbial activity by reacting with exo-enzymes and sequestering essential, multivalent metal cations.

24/04/2009

Bog bodies of the Iron Age by Susan K. Lewis, NOVA-PBS (2006)

More than a thousand preserved bodies and skeletons have emerged from the peat bogs of Northwest Europe, and scientists now have the tools to study the remains in such detail that they can, in a sense, resurrect ancient people. Drawing on the work of Dutch bog-body scholar Wijnand van der Sanden, the following map charts more than 80 important finds and includes profiles of some of the most fascinating.

17/04/2009

"Dating bog bodies by means of 14C-AMS" by van der Plicht et al (2004)

van der Plicht, J.; van der Sanden, W. A. B.; Aerts, A. T.; Streurman, H. J.; "Dating bog bodies by means of 14C-AMS", Journal of Archaeological Science 31(4) (2004) 471-491
doi:10.1016/j.jas.2003.09.012 (restricted access)

Abstract:
We have made efforts to date a substantial number of bodies from northwest European peat bogs by means of 14C. In our research, we compared materials such as skin, hair, bone, textile, leather and wood where available. Most of the bodies we investigated were found to date from the Late Iron Age/Roman period (c. 2nd century BC–4th century AD). Our data set shows that bog bodies in general can indeed be successfully dated by means of 14C analysis. Our results contradict comments in the literature (e.g. C.S. Briggs, Did they fall or were they pushed? Some unresolved questions about bog bodies, in: R.C. Turner, R.G. Scaife (Eds.), Bog Bodies—New Discoveries and New Perspectives, British Museum Press, London, 1995, pp. 168–182) to the effect that ‘peat bogs can age corpses so as to distort completely the usefulness of Radiocarbon’.

06/04/2009

Bourrelier d'après l'Encyclopédie de Diderot et d'Alembert


BOURRELIER, s. m. ouvriers qui font les harnois de chevaux de carrosse, de charrette ; ils sont de la communauté des Selliers. Ils ont été nommés bourreliers, du collier des chevaux, qu’on appelloit autrefois bourrelet.

Deutsch: Riemenmacher, Sattelmacher.
English: Harness maker, saddler.
Español: Guarnicionero, talabartero.
Français: Bourrelier.
Italiano: Sellaio (?).
Português: Correeiro.