Sampling human remains at the Société archéologique de Namur

Recently, Hannah Leonard (VUB), Christophe Snoeck (VUB), and Giacomo Capuzzo (KIK-IRPA), have sampled the Bronze Age human remains from the Trou del Leuve (Sinsin), a burial cave excavated by the Société archéologique de Namur. The objective is to refine the site chronology by radiocarbon dating and to study the palaeomobility of the individuals buried using oxygen and strontium isotope analysis. These chemical elements, absorbed through food and locked into tooth enamel, carry the geological signature of the place where a person lived. By analyzing those isotopes, the LEAP team can trace the movements and mobility of ancient populations in the Meuse basin before, during, and after prehistoric rapid climate changes.