Materials

materials

This table contains detailed information about the primary subjects of study, which can include individual humans, animals, groups (e.g., collective burials), or environmental elements (e.g., water or soil). The entries in this table represent the original materials from which samples are derived for further analysis. Fields in this table capture attributes like material type, biological characteristics, associated locations, dating, and preservation state.

Material identifier

material_id

Material identifier is a unique identifier assigned first by the compiler and then by the IsoArcH database to each collected material. In each dataset, these numbers will span from 1 to n, with n representing the maximum number of materials compiled. Once in the IsoArcH database, this identifier will include the dataset number as a prefix. GRIST may automatically populate this field. Example: 1

Type	Required	Table
identifier	yes	materials, samples

Location name

location_name

Name of the location, typically an archaeological site, where the source was collected. Example: Catacombs of Marcellinus and Peter

Type	Required	Table
string	no	locations, materials

Latitude

latitude

Latitude, an angular measurement in degrees north or south from the equator, serves as the geographic coordinate for the location where the material was collected. There are no constraints on the number of digits following the decimal point. Example: 7.316667

Type	Required	Unit/Norm	Table
decimal	yes	WGS84	locations, materials

Longitude

longitude

Longitude, an angular measurement in degrees east or west from the prime meridian, acts as a coordinate for pinpointing the location where the material was collected. There are no constraints on the number of digits following the decimal point. Example: 13.5833333

Type	Required	Unit/Norm	Table
decimal	yes	WGS84	locations, materials

Coordinates type

coordinates_type

Coordinates type indicates the precision of the geographic location where the material was collected, whether exact or approximate.

Type	Required	Validations	Table
string	yes	Lowercase: yes	locations, materials

Allowed Values:

• exact
• approximate

Short references

short_references

Short reference: This is a condensed version of the full reference, designed to match the format used in the references table. It typically includes the author’s last name(s) followed by the year of publication (e.g., “Salesse (2015); Kharobi and Buccellati (2023); Colombo et al. (2021)”). Multiple short references should be separated by semicolons and are used when several references are cited for the same material. For two authors, use “and” to connect their names (e.g., “Smith and Jones (2020)”), and for three or more authors, list only the first author’s last name followed by “et al.” (e.g., “Colombo et al. (2021)”). This format ensures consistency with the references table and clarity when citing multiple references within a text.

Type	Required	Multiple	Table
string	yes	yes	materials

Original material identifier

original_material_id

Original material identifier refers to the name of the material, usually a code, as stated in the original paper, database or lab.

Type	Required	Table
string	no	materials

Material type

material_type

A material is defined as the individual, specimen, element, or compound from which a sample originates. The type of material is restricted to specific allowed values. Example: For a human, choose hominin.

Type	Required	Validations	Table
string	yes	Lowercase: yes	materials

Allowed Values:

• hominin
• animal
• plant
• organic residue
• water
• lichen
• dry deposition
• rock
• sediment
• soil
• litter

Group?

group

The "group" field indicates whether a record represents a group of individuals (e.g., a collective cremation) or multiple elements, such as a batch of mixed seeds. It should be set to "yes" if the record represents a group, or "no" or left blank if it does not represent a group. This field can also work with parent_material_id to associate distinct individuals within a group, allowing for separate biological details like sex and age. If the group is confirmed to share the same biological characteristics, it is not necessary to link additional records.

Type	Required	Table
string	no	materials

Allowed Values:

• yes
• no

Parent material identifier

parent_material_id

This field contains the identifier of the parent material and is used to establish a connection when the current material is part of a larger group or context. This is particularly useful in cases such as cremation, where multiple individuals might be present together in a single context. The parent material should have the type “group” to indicate that it represents a collective or shared material context, linking all associated individuals or material fragments to this overarching group identifier.

Type	Required	Table
identifier	no	materials

Group count - exact

group_count_exact

This field specifies the exact number of individuals or elements within a group when the count is definitively known. It is used when there is sufficient evidence to confirm the total quantity, ensuring precise documentation of group composition. The group field must be set to "yes" for this entry.

Type	Required	Table
integer	no	materials

Group count - minimum

group_count_min

This field records the minimum estimated number of individuals or elements in a group when an exact count is uncertain. It corresponds to the Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI) and provides a lower boundary for the group size based on available evidence, particularly useful in cases of partial remains or fragmented elements. The group field must be set to "yes" for this entry.

Type	Required	Table
integer	no	materials

Taxon rank

taxon_rank

Taxon rank refers to the classification of organisms into taxa across five ranks (class, order, family, genus, and species) using the most precise rank possible, following internationally endorsed nomenclatures.

Type	Required	Validations	Table
string	no	Lowercase: yes	materials

Allowed Values:

• kingdom
• phylum
• superclass
• superorder
• superfamily
• tribe
• subgenus
• subkingdom
• subphylum
• subclass
• suborder
• subfamily
• genus
• section
• class
• infraclass
• order
• infraorder
• family
• infrafamily
• series
• species
• subspecies
• variety
• form

Taxon name

taxon_name

Taxon name refers to the classification of organisms into taxa across five ranks (class, order, family, genus, and species) using the most precise rank possible, following internationally endorsed nomenclatures. Subspecies is not recognized. Example: Sus scrofa domestica will be noted Sus scrofa.

Type	Required	Validations	Table
string	no	Lowercase: yes	materials

Reported biological identification

reported_biological_identification

Reported biological identification pertains to the taxonomic classification assigned to an animal as reported in the paper, which may allude to either scientific or vernacular nomenclature.

Type	Required	Table
string	no	materials

Fish category

fish_category

Fish category offers an additional layer of information regarding the ecological niches and habitats where the fish thrive.

Type	Required	Validations	Table
string	no	Lowercase: yes	materials

Allowed Values:

• freshwater
• marine
• anadromous
• catadromous
• diadromous

Plant category

plant_category

This field classifies the sampled plant material based on its general growth form or structural type. It identifies whether the plant is a tree, shrub, grass, or another category, providing context for its ecological role and environmental adaptation.

Type	Required	Validations	Table
string	no	Lowercase: yes	materials

Allowed Values:

• tree
• shrub
• grass

Plant metabolism

plant_metabolism

Plant metabolism denotes the metabolic pathway utilized by a plant for carbon fixation during photosynthesis.

Type	Required	Table
string	no	materials

Allowed Values:

• C3
• C4
• CAM

Water provenance

water_provenance

This field identifies the origin or source of water associated with the material being analyzed. (e.g., river, ground)

Type	Required	Table
string	no	materials

Context

context

This field specifies the contextual classification of the material being referenced. “Archaeological” refers to materials from historical or prehistorical periods with clear archaeological contexts, including humans, animals, and plants. “Environmental” pertains to contemporary plants, animals, and abiotic materials such as soil, rocks, or water. “Modern” applies exclusively to human materials from non-archaeological contexts.

Type	Required	Validations	Table
string	yes	Lowercase: yes	materials

Allowed Values:

• archaeological
• environmental
• modern

Relative dating - lower limit

relative_dating_lower_limit

Lower limit of the estimated age for the collected sample. The age may refer to the material itself or to its surrounding context, such as the age of an archaeological layer or an architectural feature. For dates expressed in calendar years BCE, a hyphen-minus symbol (e.g., -753) should precede the year. In cases where the material is contemporary, the year of sampling should be used in both this field and the “Relative Dating - Upper Limit” field.

Type	Required	Table
integer	no	materials

Relative dating - upper limit

relative_dating_upper_limit

Upper limit of the estimated age for the collected sample. The age may refer to the material itself or to its surrounding context, such as the age of an archaeological layer or an architectural feature. For dates expressed in calendar years BCE, a hyphen-minus symbol (e.g., -753) should precede the year. In cases where the material is contemporary, the year of sampling should be used in both this field and the “Relative Dating - Lower Limit” field.

Type	Required	Table
integer	no	materials

Relative dating timescale

relative_dating_timescale

The timescale used for expressing the relative dates associated with the material or context. The accepted values are BCE/CE, calBP, and BP. This field helps clarify the chronological system used for the provided relative dating values, ensuring consistency in the interpretation of the time periods.

Type	Required	Table
string	no	materials

Allowed Values:

• BCE/CE
• cal BP
• BP

Archaeological period

archaeological_period

This field indicates the general time period or era to which the material or context belongs, based on archaeological dating. It reflects a broader chronological framework, such as the Neolithic, Bronze Age, or Roman period, providing context for the temporal placement of the material within a specific era of human history.

Type	Required	Validations	Table
string	no	Lowercase: yes	materials

Allowed Values:

• stone age
• paleolithic
• epipaleolithic
• neolithic
• chalcolithic
• bronze age
• iron age
• hellenistic
• roman
• late antiquity
• migration period
• medieval
• byzantine
• ottoman
• post-medieval
• industrial
• lithic stage
• archaic
• formative
• classic
• post-classic
• indigenous period
• european-contact pre-settlement period
• settlement / pre-industrial
• ancient
• imperial
• classical
• feudal
• dynastic
• colonial
• modern

Archaeological culture

archaeological_culture

This field identifies the specific cultural group or archaeological tradition associated with the material or context. It refers to a distinct culture recognized through material remains, such as tools, pottery, or architectural styles, which characterize a particular group in a given region and time period. Examples include the Mycenaean culture, the La Tène culture, or the Clovis culture. This field helps to further define the cultural context of the material beyond its general period.

Type	Required	Validations	Table
string	no	Lowercase: yes	materials

Biological age category

biological_age_category

Biological age category denotes the estimated age of an individual based on osteological features. The IsoArcH database uses a binary division into non-adult and adult, with an arbitrary cut-off value of 18 years old. Individuals overlapping the two age categories remain unclassified.

Type	Required	Validations	Table
string	no	Lowercase: yes	materials

Allowed Values:

• adult
• non-adult

Reported biological age category

reported_biological_age_category

Reported biological age group refers to the ordinal age group to which an individual belongs as presented in the original paper. Example: Infans I.

Type	Required	Table
string	no	materials

Biological age - exact

biological_age_exact

This field records the precise biological age of an individual (human or non-human), expressed in years. It can be used whether the individual is living or deceased. The age is determined through reliable methods, reflecting the actual age rather than an estimated range.

Type	Required	Unit/Norm	Table
decimal	no	year old (y.o.)	materials

Biological age - minimum

biological_age_min

This field records the estimated minimum biological age of an individual (human or non-human), expressed in years. It is used when the exact age cannot be determined, providing a lower boundary based on available evidence from biological or osteological assessments. If no further information is available and the individual is reported only as an "adult" in the original source, this field can be filled with the value 18.

Type	Required	Unit/Norm	Table
decimal	no	year old (y.o.)	materials

Biological age - maximum

biological_age_max

This field records the estimated maximum biological age of an individual (human or non-human), expressed in years. It is used when the exact age is uncertain, providing an upper boundary based on biological or osteological evidence.

Type	Required	Unit/Norm	Table
decimal	no	year old (y.o.)	materials

Biological sex

biological_sex

Biological sex indicates the sex of an individual estimed through bioanthropological methods (osteology, proteomics, DNA, etc.) as reported in the original paper.

Type	Required	Table
string	no	materials

Allowed Values:

• M
• F
• F?
• M?
• I
• NA

Stature

stature

Stature refers to the estimated height of an individual based on osteological features. Value is rounded to one decimal point.

Type	Required	Unit/Norm	Table
string	no	centimeter (cm)	materials

Stature uncertainty

stature_uncertainty

This field records the level of uncertainty associated with the estimated stature, expressed to one decimal point. It typically reflects the standard deviation or another measure of variability, indicating the range within which the true stature is likely to fall. This measure helps assess the precision of the stature estimation from osteological analysis, providing an understanding of the potential margin of error in the height estimation.

Type	Required	Table
decimal	no	materials

Stature uncertainty type

stature_uncertainty_type

This field specifies the type of statistical uncertainty applied to the stature estimate, with accepted values being “sd” or “2sd”. The value indicates whether the reported uncertainty reflects a one-standard-deviation or a two-standard-deviation range, helping to clarify the level of confidence in the estimated stature and its variability.

Type	Required	Validations	Table
string	no	Lowercase: yes	materials

Allowed Values:

• sd
• 2sd

Stature result type

stature_result_type

This field indicates the type of estimation used to determine an individual's height from osteological features. It reflects whether the stature is reported as a minimum, maximum, mean, or exact value, providing insight into the methodological approach and precision of the height estimation.

Type	Required	Table
string	no	materials

Bone preservation

bone_preservation

Bone preservation describes the overall macroscopic state of preservation of the bones of a human individual.

Type	Required	Validations	Table
string	no	Lowercase: yes	materials

Allowed Values:

• well
• medium
• poor

Skeletal representation

skeletal_representation

Skeletal representation refers to the degree of completeness of the preserved skeleton of a human individual.

Type	Required	Validations	Table
string	no	Lowercase: yes	materials

Allowed Values:

• good
• medium
• bad

Pathological observations

pathological_observations

Brief description of any pathological observations at the individual level, if present. This is a free-text field that should remain concise, with a brief and clear description.

Type	Required	Table
string	no	materials

Body disposal

body_disposal

Body disposal type refers to the way the human corpse (or its remains) was disposed.

Type	Required	Validations	Table
string	no	Lowercase: yes	materials

Allowed Values:

• inhumation
• cremation
• scattered

Burial?

burial

Burial refers to the identification of a burial feature in which a human body or its remains had been intentionally deposited.

Type	Required	Validations	Table
string	no	Lowercase: yes	materials

Allowed Values:

• yes
• no

Original burial identifier

original_burial_id

Original burial identifier corresponds to the the name or code assigned to the funerary structure from which the material originates.

Type	Required	Table
string	no	materials

Deposition type

deposition_type

Deposition type denotes the category of funerary deposits for a human corpse or its remains.

Type	Required	Validations	Table
string	no	Lowercase: yes	materials

Allowed Values:

• primary
• secondary
• reduction
• relic

Burial assemblage

burial_assemblage

Burial assemblage refers to number and timing of corpse deposition(s) within a burial.

Type	Required	Validations	Table
string	no	Lowercase: yes	materials

Allowed Values:

• individual
• plural
• plural:collective
• plural:multiple

Funerary architecture

funerary_architecture

Funerary architecture refers to the specific construction and design features of a funerary structure from which the material originates.

Type	Required	Validations	Table
string	no	Lowercase: yes	materials

Allowed Values:

• simple pit
• arranged tomb
• jar tomb
• niche grave

Container material

container_material

Container type pertains to the hollow object, receptacle or enclosure utilized for holding a deceased human body or its remains. Given the array of available options, this field specifies solely the construction material category.

Type	Required	Validations	Table
string	no	Lowercase: yes	materials

Allowed Values:

• perishable
• stone
• metal
• pottery
• plaster

Body position

body_position

Body position refers to the original positioning of a corpse within a burial.

Type	Required	Validations	Table
string	no	Lowercase: yes	materials

Allowed Values:

• ventral
• dorsal
• lateral right
• sitting
• lateral left
• lateral

Body orientation

body_orientation

Body orientation refers to the positioning of the deceased within a burial relative to the cardinal directions. The orientation is established from the head down to the feet.

Type	Required	Validations	Table
string	no	Lowercase: yes	materials

Allowed Values:

• north/south
• west/east
• north-east/south-west
• north-west/south-east
• south/north
• east/west
• south-east/north-west
• south-west/north-east

Decomposition

decomposition

Decomposition refers to the immediate environment where the decay of a human body occurs, influencing or preventing the disarticulation and movement of skeletal remains within the burial.

Type	Required	Validations	Table
string	no	Lowercase: yes	materials

Allowed Values:

• void
• filled space

Mummification

mummification

Mummification refers to the alteration of the decomposition process caused by human intervention or natural phenomena.

Type	Required	Validations	Table
string	no	Lowercase: yes	materials

Allowed Values:

• artificial
• natural

Grave goods

grave_goods

This field indicates whether items were placed with the deceased at the time of burial.

Type	Required	Table
string	no	materials

Gender

gender

This field denotes the gender assigned by archaeologists based on grave goods, burial architecture, and other funerary materials.

Type	Required	Table
string	no	materials