By UBC
In order to narrow down the origins of the inhabitants of the Neolithic settlement of Schletz, who fell victim to an act of violence 7000 years ago, we analyse specific chemical signatures preserved in the bones. These are signals that can be linked to the geological composition of the region. To achieve this, the creation of a so-called "isoscape" is necessary, which means creating an isotope map of the Schletz region. To establish this map, we have collected numerous soil and water samples.
We once again used the fantastic support of the Asparn a.d. Zaya School Center. In the last month of the school year, each student of the classes 3A & 3B collected her/his own soil sample (and in some cases even more than one)! For prober documentation, the use of sample protocols was of particular importance. By now, Director Keintzel has already handed over the soil samples to the University of Natural Ressources and Life Sciences (many thanks for the organization!). Currently, the samples are being dried. Their mapping shows that they cover the research area of UBC very well and that they provide an important foundational dataset.
To include additional more distant regions and selected archaeological sites, the project team collected soil and water samples in the last two days. This was well-coordinated based on a pre-established plan: Julia Längauer guided the team from site to site, Olivier Duboc and Jakob Maurer drilled the core borers into the ground, Johanna Irrgeher collected the samples, and Michael Schober recorded them. The division of labor was highly efficient and especially advantageous in the rain, as it allowed us to quickly retreat into the car. On Day 2 the weather was dry, luckily. This provided a great bonus: we could enjoy the beautiful landscape even more!
