MEDIEVAL_Calculus

Dental calculus, the calcified accumulation of plaque on tooth surfaces, is a very important material in bioarcheology. MEDIEVAL_Calculus explores the possibility of expanding the range of information that can be extracted from dental calculus deposits to thoroughly reconstruct diet, oral health, and the use of medicinal plants during the Middle Ages. In particular, it aims to reconstruct dietary habits and the use of medicinal plants in central European medieval communities (Austria, Switzerland, and South Tyrol). The project is interdisciplinary in scope, as it involves archaeology, anthropology, and chemistry. A multi-analytical approach will be employed involving microscopy, ancient proteomics, and GC-MS. Diet and ingestion of medicinal herbs will be reconstructed through the analysis of micro-fossils, ancient proteins and plant compounds preserved in dental calculus. MEDIEVAL_Calculus will foster advancements within anthropology, as it will allow maximising the extraction of information from ancient dental calculus deposits, thus allowing a better reconstruction of ancient lifeways.