0000000000620244
AUTHOR
Jago Jonathan Birk
showing 4 related works from this author
Steroids aid in human decomposition fluid identification in soils of temporary mass graves from World War II
2020
Abstract Steroids are widely used for the detection of faecal matter and also – in recent years – for characterising human decomposition in the terrestrial environment. Until now it was not clear whether all commonly used faecal (i.e. 5β-stanols, 5β-stanones and bile acids) and tissue derived steroids (i.e. cholesterol, 5α-cholestanol and 5α-cholestanone) could reveal the presence of human decomposition products in temporary graves. In this study, soil was sampled from three putative mass graves where concentration camp prisoners were temporarily buried for 10 months at the end of World War II (1944 – 45). We hypothesised that soil from the putative temporary mass graves exhibits elevated c…
Steroid fingerprints: Efficient biomarkers of human decomposition fluids in soil
2018
Abstract The decomposition of animal and human cadavers can lead to comprehensive chemical and biochemical changes in soil, which can provide helpful information for the analysis of archaeological and crime scenes. The current study focused specifically on the concentration and distribution patterns of steroids in soil with the aim of assessing their suitability for demonstrating the presence of human decomposition products. Soil samples were collected from a forensic site where a human corpse had been lying on the soil surface for 18 days. Total organic carbon (TOC) and steroid concentrations were analysed in soil samples taken from beneath the body at the time the corpse was removed and a…
An imperial town in a time of transition. Life, environment, and decline of early Byzantine Caričin Grad
2016
The site of Caricin Grad in south-eastern Serbia – currently listed on UNESCO’s tentative list – has been the subject of archaeological investigations for more than 100 years. For the last decades it has been the focus of a joint project of the Archaeological Institute in Belgrade and the Ecole Francaise de Rome. A reconstruction of the economic, environmental and social history of the city is the main objective of a cooperative project started in 2014 with the Romisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz. The remains of the early Byzantine complex of Caricin Grad show the features of a city built in the classical, Hellenistic-Roman tradition, combined with ecclesiastical Christian architecture…
Steroid Biomarkers Revisited - Improved Source Identification of Faecal Remains in Archaeological Soil Material.
2017
Steroids are used as faecal markers in environmental and in archaeological studies, because they provide insights into ancient agricultural practices and the former presence of animals. Up to now, steroid analyses could only identify and distinguish between herbivore, pig, and human faecal matter and their residues in soils and sediments. We hypothesized that a finer differentiation between faeces of different livestock animals could be achieved when the analyses of several steroids is combined (Δ5-sterols, 5α-stanols, 5β-stanols, epi-5β-stanols, stanones, and bile acids). We therefore reviewed the existing literature on various faecal steroids from livestock and humans and analysed faeces …