This week Postdoc Barbora Wouters was a guest at the Institute for Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPNA) at the University of Basel, Switzerland. This extremely well-equipped interdisciplinary centre is home to a large group of archaeozoologists, archaeobotanists, isotope and DNA specialists, and geoarchaeologists. At the geoarchaeology laboratory led by Dr Ph. Rentzel, Barbora spent the week conducting microscopy with colleague micromorphologists, browsing the extensive reference collection, and discussing some of the thin sections from Ribe.

New insights included the identification of different species of seeds and organic matter, extensive discussions of bone histotaphonomy, ashes, parasites and coprolites, as well as general stratigraphy. During this research stay, she also had the opportunity to study thin sections from various sites and environments from different periods (including textile remains from a Syrian royal tomb, Roman latrines, and a Swiss rockshelter used for seasonal stabling) and went on a site visit on a medieval excavation in the centre of Basel. On Thursday, Barbora was invited to give a lunchtime lecture at the Institute in which she presented the excavation and geoarchaeological study of Ribe.