Crypt Archaeology: Preliminary Investigations in the Basilian Church of the Holy Trinity of Vilnius, Lithuania (original) (raw)
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Microscopic fungi were isolated from different materials including muscles, bones, skin and funeral clothes from the mummified human remains of three members of the Kuffner's family and from the surrounding air environments. Their hydrolytic abilities such as cellulolytic, lipolytic, and proteolytic-keratinolytic were also assessed. The most isolated fungi, from human remains, belonged mainly to the species of Aspergillus (Aspergillus candidus, Aspergillus calidoustus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus sydowii, Aspergillus terreus, Aspergillus ustus, Aspergillus venenatus, Aspergillus versicolor, Aspergillus westerdijkiae) and Penicillium (Penicillium chrysogenum, Penicillium commune, Penicillium crustosum, Penicillium griseofulvum, Penicillium hordei, Penicillium polonicum). Aspergilli and penicillia were the predominant actors also in the air samples, but also many strains belonging to the Rhizopus group were isolated as well. Several fungi exhibited different hydrolytic ability, the most active isolated from human remains belonged to the species A. candidus, A. westerdijkiae, Coprinellus xanthothrix, P. chrysogenum, P. commune, P. griseofulvum and Scopulariopsis brevicaulis. The species recovered from the air displayed stronger deterioration characteristics as compared to human samples. This study can be considered one of few investigations focused on mummified human remains conserved in this kind of the environment.
The assessment of fungal bioaerosols in the crypt of St. Peter in Perugia (Italy)
The inspection of the quality of the indoor air in which a work of art or a historical artefact is kept becomes essential for its conservation. The determination of organic pollutants represents an important tool in pre-emptive conservation. The study investigated the quality of the air in the crypt of the Basilica of St. Peter in Perugia (Italy) through different methodologies. The objectives included the analysis of the levels of biological particulates of fungal origin, and the determination of the degree of variability of the airborne spore concentrations, as indicative of the level of contamination of the environment. The quantitative analysis of the airborne fungal component demonstrates that across the whole period considered there were wide variations in the bioaerosols, heterogeneous spore distributions and different peak concentrations in the areas studied. The qualitative analysis of the airborne fungal component allowed the determination of the different fungal genera present, both in the interior of the crypt and in the outside environment. The analysis of the data shows an increasing trend over the period considered, with the highest values during the months of June and July.
Research in the Crypts of the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi in Cracow
Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Archaeologica
The paper presents the results of archaeological research carried out from 2017 to 2018 in the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi in Cracow, funded by the National Science Centre. The aim of the work undertaken was to locate, inventory, and explore crypts, and to study in detail burials and grave goods. The paper discusses different devices, research methods, and procedures developed by the team and used to locate crypts. They allowed to find eighteen crypts in the church and four in the cloisters. All underground chambers were inventoried using 3D laser scanning. During research, ninety-six burials of the lay and the clergy, men, women, and children, were found.
E3S Web of Conferences
The GPR surveying method belongs to non-invasive and quick geophysical methods, applied also in archaeological prospection. It allows for detecting archaeological artefacts buried under historical layers, and also those which can be found within buildings of historical value. Most commonly, just as in this particular case, it is used in churches, where other non-invasive localisation methods cannot be applied. In a majority of cases, surveys bring about highly positive results, enabling the site and size of a specific object to be indicated. A good example are the results obtained from the measurements carried out in the Basilica of Holy Trinity, belonging to the Dominican Monastery in Krakow. They allowed for confirming the location of the already existing crypts and for indicating so-far unidentified objects.
Archaeometry, 2018
Fungal communities associated with three osteoarchaeological samples from distinct archaeological sites (Tărian, Turdaş, Feleacu) in Transylvania, Romania, characterized by similar environmental conditions (wet soils), different historical age and amount of time spent in storage, were examined in order to register site-versus storage-specific species. Physical anthropological taphonomic scoring was correlated with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) indices in order to characterize mineral and organic bone fraction fluctuations relative to historical age. Molecular-based species/genera identifications and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) investigations were carried out for the confirmation of dominant taxonomic items.
SCIENTIFIC CULTURE, 2020
The present study focuses on the definition of fungi and bacteria from the late period wooden coffin at Saqqara dating back to the 26 th dynasty (664-525 BC). It highlights the importance of the black resin layer in resisting microbial infection. This polychrome wooden coffin was covered by a ground layer and a painted layer externally and by a layer of black resin internally. The wooden coffin had a lot of deterioration factors, e.g. the loss of the painted layer and ground layers, as well as a thick layer of dust. Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) was used for the cultivation of fungi, and nutrient agar was used to cultivated bacteria. Microbial infections were identified using light microscopy after their cultivation. The types of fungi and bacteria: The mold fungi were Trichoderma, Acremonium SP Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, and Penicillium SP, while the bacteria were Micrococcus sp. (G+), Micro Bacillus sp. (G+) and Short Bacillus sp. (G+(. The fungi and bacteria were on wood and color, while black resin any fungi, and bacteria were absent because the black resin contained anti-fungal and anti-bacterial materials.
Parasitology in an archaeological context: analysis of medieval burials in Nivelles, Belgium
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2015
The abbatial complex of Nivelles, erected in the 7th Century, was composed of three churches: Notre-Dame, St. Paul, and Saint-Pierre/Sainte-Gertrude (Figure 1). Notre-Dame was initially the abbey church and later became the parish church. The church of St. Paul housed a male community. Saint-Pierre/Sainte-Gertrude, named for first abbess Gertrude, was initially the funeral church. It later received St. Gertrude's body and became the main church. Renovations at the Grand Place of Nivelles disturbed the subsoil in the historical heart of the city from early March 2009 until January 2011. Although some features excavated at Nivelles were known from ancient texts, many are new to the historical record of the region. Given the significant impact of the unearthing of such features, the Department of Archaeology of the Public Service of Wallonia intervened in the renovation efforts. The archaeological excavations uncovered seven distinct sets of features: 1) scattered features older than the abbey, 2) a tiler's work area, 3) a graveyard to the west, 4) St. Paul's church, 5) the church of Notre-Dame with its parish cemetery, 6) the abbey's district, and 7) parts of roads. The cemetery west of the St. Pierre/St. Gertrude church (dating to approximately 1000 A.D.) drew attention due to its excellent state of preservation. Multiple burials and anaerobic conditions allowed for optimal preservation of organic materials.
Microbiological Research, 2013
A crypt can be considered as a particular environment where different microbial communities contribute to decomposition of organic materials present inside during a long interval of time. The textile remains of the funeral clothes (biretta and tunic) of Cardinal Pázmány, an important historic figure dead in Bratislava the 19th March 1637, conserved in this kind of environment were subjected to microbial investigation. The sampling comprised three different approaches and the use of various kinds of cultivation media. Two different PCR-based clustering methods, f-ITS and f-CBH, were employed in order to select the bacterial and fungal microfloras which were identified in a second step by the 16S rRNA and ITS sequencing respectively. The isolated microflora was tested for its proteolytic, keratinolytic and cellulolytic activities and for its ability to grow on Fibroin agar medium. The combination of cultural, molecular and biodegradative assays was able to isolate and characterize a bacterial community composed mainly by members of the phyla Firmicutes and Actinobacteria. The fungal community appeared more diversified, together with several Penicillium and Aspergillus strains, members belonging to the species Beauveria bassiana, Eurotium cristatum, Xenochalara juniperi, Phialosimplex caninus and Myriodontium keratinophilum were isolated. Bacteria, especially the Bacillus members, showed their strong ability to degrade keratin and gelatin and a large portion of them was able to growth on Fibroin agar. The fungal isolates displayed a widespread cellulolytic activity and fibroin utilization, although they possessed a weaker and slower proteolytic and keratinolytic properties respect to bacterial counterpart. The present study can be considered perhaps as the first or among the few microbial investigations which treated the textile biodegradation from such unusual environment. (D. Pangallo).