The Seeing the Dead project comprises seven primary Work Packages. Each applies different approaches and techniques to gain a better understanding of the Roman gypsum burial practice. See below for more information.
Research
Work Package 1 - Understanding the gypsum funerary rite in Yorkshire
Roman gypsum burials from across the Empire will be studied in relation to those from Yorkshire to determine similarities, differences, and possible variants in social and cultural meaning.
Work Package 2 - Visualising the dead
3D scanning will be undertaken on a selection of gypsum casings to capture morphological data on the casings themselves and, where still within a stone sarcophagus, the burial and its container.
Work Package 3 - The gypsum composition
Samples of Roman gypsum burial casings will be taken to help identify the geological source of the mineral and determine variations in the composition of the casings.
Work Package 4 - Items within the gypsum casings
A selection of gypsum burial casings will undergo CT scanning and x-ray to detect the presence of any surviving objects or grave goods.
Work Package 5 - Substances in and on textiles
In order to recognise organic residues (e.g. botanicals, unguents, dyes, chemicals) in the gypsum casings, a selection of non-invasive scientific techniques will be applied.
Work Package 6 - Textile remains and imprints
The gypsum casings will be examined for fabric imprints that reveal structures such textile weave, animal or vegetable fibres, borders, and selvedges.
Work Package 7 - Burial bioarchaeology
A selection of the surviving human materials from the burials will be examined for age, sex, and pathology, and techniques such as DNA analysis and SEM microscopy applied.