Die Regelmässigkeit des Irregulären : menschliche Skelettreste vom spätlatènezeitlichen Fundplatz Basel-Gasfabrik

One striking characteristic of the Late La Tène period is the variegated handling of the dead. TheBasel-Gasfabrik Late La Tène site has two inhumation cemeteries as well as complete burials in pits andwells and numerous isolated human skeletal remains from a variety of settlement features, making it possibleto develop and test hypotheses on the differential handling of the dead. The demographic profile of theindividuals interred in the burial grounds shows these to represent a valid segment of the former population.Infant mortality was high. Grave goods such as ceramic vessels, iron brooches and glass beads are morefrequent in child burials. Among the human remains found in settlement contexts individuals below the ageof 20 are underrepresented. Numerous isolated bones exhibit marks of peri- and postmortem manipulationslike carnivore gnawing, cut- or scorch marks. In contrast, other bones were embedded quickly. This hintsat the existence of several processes which resulted in the presence of human skeletal remains in settlementfeatures. Examination of archeological contexts associated with human remains as well as molecular andgeochemical analyses make it possible to identify criteria for selecting individuals submitted to differenttypes of handling. They also aim to identify recurring patterns of behavior, thus attempting to draw conclusionson the former living community of the late Iron Age.