Medieval Walls in Spain Contain Bits of Bone
Tuesday, January 13, 2009 - 16:35
in Paleontology & Archaeology
In a macabre discovery fit for Indiana Jones, archaeologists in Spain unearthed a 14th century brick oven with a unique role -- to bake bones. Scientists report that the animal bones were burnt in the oven and mixed with other materials to produce a protective coating to strengthen the grand medieval walls of what is today Granada, Spain. In a study scheduled to appear in Analytical Chemistry, scientists describe how they found these materials thanks to a powerful new testing method.