"Piecing Together Past Stories ": Commingled Human Remains From the Cemetery of the Third Order of Our Lady of Carmo (Porto, Portugal)

Abstract (English)

This research explores secondary depositions (SD) identified and excavated during the 
archaeological intervention (2022-2024) at the cemetery of the Hospital of the Third 
Order or Our Lady of Carmo (CARMO) – Porto (Portugal). The cemetery operated between 
1801 and 1869, a historical period marked by the Napoleonic wars in Europe, the Siege 
of Porto during the Civil Revolution and cholera pan/epidemics. The term SD is used 
loosely here to identify disarticulated and/or re-organised clusters of human remains 
resulting from post-depositional disturbances, intentional or not, after the primary burial 
of the body. This preliminary study categorised SD into different typologies based on 
their position, spatial and stratigraphic distribution, and bone element representation. 
Drawings, photographs, orthophotography, and on-site recording were used to build the 
profile of the depositions. To date, 140 SD clusters were identified, amongst which 
distinct types can be distinguished based on variations in the following features: 
minimum number of individuals (MNI), bones present, organisation of bone elements, 
presence/absence of burial container such as coffins, and spatial relation of SD to other 
architectural and burial features. The MNI per SD ranged from 1 to 250 and the total 
number of individuals recovered from SD is approximately 800. Some clusters show a 
distinct composition of bone elements present, for example being composed entirely of 
long bones and skulls. In terms of variation in spatial organisation SD were found both 
within and beyond the boundaries of the main cemetery. The stratigraphic data 
suggested that some SDs were produced after the cemetery's abandonment, and others 
occurred as part of the management of the burial space; all indicate distinct events and 
show the informative potential of SD in accessing historical events and cultural practices 
of past populations.

This poster was presented at The 30th EAA Annual Meeting, Rome, Italy  (28-31 August 2024).