Project description
Unearthing history beneath the soil
Beneath the surface of ancient cemeteries lies a treasure trove of history, often overlooked: the soil. While the sedimentary matrix holds clues to socio-cultural and environmental changes, it is frequently disregarded by researchers. The preservation of skeletal remains and biomolecular evidence, crucial for understanding past societies, is greatly influenced by the soil environment. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) programme, the GRABEn project uses a toolkit of geoarchaeological techniques across sites in northern and southern Europe. From stone-lined pits to Christian graves, GRABEn explores burial diversity across climates, offering insights into community practices and preservation challenges. Overall, the project pioneers a new frontier in archaeological research, revealing the past one soil sample at a time.
Objective
The richest archive of archaeological and environmental information in any site is not the artifacts or the buildings, but rather the soil and sediment which cover them. The sediment matrix of ancient cemeteries is a complex archive of socio-cultural and environmental change, an archive which is often overlooked by researchers. GRABEn employs a diverse methodological and theoretical toolkit to reconstruct burial traditions from sites in Greece, Denmark, and Norway. The proposed project employs a diverse toolkit of geoarchaeological techniques including: elemental and mineralogical analysis (via X-Ray Fluorescence, Fourier Transform Infrared Analysis) microscopic analysis (Thin Section Soil Micromorphology and Scanning Electron Microscope) and luminescence profiling (Portable Optically and Infrared Stimulated Luminescence) to reconstruct the soil environment of graves, and the sequence of human actions and natural processes which created them. GRABEn will address the formation of cemetries at three levels: the planning, construction, and use of the cemetery itself, the excavation and use of the graves themselves, and the soil environment of the graves and how it impacts the preservation of skeletal remains and important biomolecular evidence such as DNA and isotopes. Importantly, GRABEn will address a wide variety of burials including stone-lined and soil pits, burials with and without a coffin, historic and prehistoric (Bronze Age), and Christian and pre-Christian. This novel and innovative project encompasses both cooler wetter climates and warmer drier climates, allowing for better observation of how variations in the speed of decay affet the burial processes and the preservation of the burial. This data will be used to better understand variations in community practices of burying the deceased and re-using the graves, as well as the soil conditions of the cemetery and how they impact the preservation of the remains and other evidence of funerary practice.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics DNA
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
9712CP Groningen
Netherlands
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.