TOMB REUSE AT YASIELEH: A BYZANTINE SITE IN NORTHERN JORDAN

Abstract

Tomb 35 at the Byzantine site of Yasieleh was analyzed to extract data on the social persona of the buried individuals, skeletal biology and paloepathology. Seventeen human ribs were sampled from tomb 35 at Yasieleh for establishing a relative dating using the concentration of Fluorine in bones. Cyberscan PH 2500 ion selective electrode was used to measure the concentration of Fluorine after certain bone preparations. The results show two main groups indicating two chronological interments with a very high standard deviation among groups but more homogenous results within groups. The study also concludes that the tomb is not a family tomb but probably of the general public.