Setting her even straighter: Further notes on the osteology and necrodynamics of the Mesolithic burial from Barum, Scania, Sweden

This paper communicates the results of a reassessment of the original burial position of the Barum burial, Scania, Sweden, dated to c. 8,700 years ago. Based on a thorough analysis of the photographs from Folke Hansen’s excavation, it is concluded that the body was placed in an upright sitting position. The notion that the body was leaning backwards is based on a faulty interpretation of the original plan drawn by Hansen. New anatomical data relevant for the interpretation of the burial position is presented. Further, new osteological data supplement the analysis performed by Gejvall in the 1970s, especially with regard to the sex and age assessment of the skeleton and the so-called parturition scars, which played a significant role with respect to the sexing of the find in 1970. Here, a pathological diagnosis is supplied for this condition, osteitis pubis, a condition that is more commonly linked to physical activity in general. Finally, a detailed analysis of the proposed pathological condition in the lower arm reveals that there is no evidence for osteomyelitis, as has been suggested previously.