title: A case of semi-combusted pregnant female in the Phoenician-Punic necropolis of Monte Sirai (Carbonia, Sardinia, Italy).
abstract: We present a case of a pregnant woman with the fetus skeletal remains in situ, belonging to the Phoenician-Punic necropolis of Monte Sirai (Sardinia, Italy). The burial dates back to the late 6th to early 5th century BCE. Of the unborn fetal cases documented in the literature this is amongst the oldest four and it represents the first documented case of a pregnant woman in the Phoenician and Punic necropolis literature. A physico-chemical investigation of bones combining X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy suggests that the female skeleton and fetus were subjected to an incomplete heat treatment according to a funerary practice, perhaps limited to the period of early 5th century BCE, that appears to be peculiar to this site.
authors.affiliation: Department of Political Science, Communication, Engineering and Information Technologies, University of Sassari, Viale Mancini 5, I-07100 Sassari Italy. Electronic address: kemiomara@yahoo.it.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Piga
authors.affiliation: Department of History, University of Sassari, Viale Umberto 52, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guirguis
authors.affiliation: School of Science & Engineering, Teesside University, Borough Road, Middlesbrough TS1 3BA, UK.
authors.forename: T J U
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: GROB (Grup de Recerca en OsteoBiografia), Unitat d'Antropologia Biològica, Department BABVE, Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain; Hospital Universitari Sagrat Cor de Barcelona Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Isidro
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, Via Vienna 2, I-07100 Sassari Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Enzo
authors.affiliation: GROB (Grup de Recerca en OsteoBiografia), Unitat d'Antropologia Biològica, Department BABVE, Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Malgosa
mesh_terms: D055700:Cremation / Q000266:history / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005580:Fossils / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000266:history*; D005655:Funeral Rites / Q000266:history*; D049690:History, Ancient; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D011247:Pregnancy; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction