Resumen de An investigation of Etruscan cremations by Computed Tomography (CT)

Simona Minozzi, Valentina Giuffra, Jasmine Bagnoli, Emanuela Paribeni, Davide Giustini, Davide Caramella, A. Fornaciari

• The cremation urn is a tiny archaeological site of its own, with finds, features, stratification and structure. The old prescription was to take the pot apart, or slice it, and micro-excavate with inevitable damage and loss. Here is a new methodology - the application of a CT scan as used in medicine. The authors evaluate the results on 35 Etruscan cremations, finding that CT not only provides an excellent guide for micro-excavation, but allows the degree of fragmentation to be appreciated inside the pot and maps those metal objects that have corroded to a crust and do not survive excavation. They emphasise the value of the method in making a "first resort" primary record especially in commercial archaeology.