The use of laser spectroscopy to investigate bone disease in King Henry VIII's sailors

• Published in: Journal of archaeological science 2015-01, Vol.53, p.516-520
• Main Authors: Kerns, Jemma G., Buckley, Kevin, Parker, Anthony W., Birch, Helen L., Matousek, Pavel, Hildred, Alex, Goodship, Allen E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Collagen; Mary Rose; Metabolic bone disease; Raman spectroscopy
• ISSN: 0305-4403; 1095-9238
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2014.11.013

The Mary Rose was King Henry VIII's flagship before it sank in battle on the 19th July 1545. Over four hundred men went down with the ship and the environment of the Solent meant their remains were quickly covered in silt. Between 1979 and 1982 the remains of 179 individuals were recovered and examined as part of the excavation of the Mary Rose. The anaerobic environment created by the silt preserved the sailors' bones in remarkable condition and to date much has been learnt about life on the ship. In this study we used Raman spectroscopy (a non-destructive technique), to investigate the chemistry of the human bones, specifically for the identification of disease in archaeological specimens, for the first time. Raman data were collected from five anatomically normal tibiae and five tibiae that were bowed (individuals suspected to have suffered from bone disease in childhood). The data were processed using multivariate analysis (principal component analysis) and results showed the presence of chemical abnormalities in the bowed bones which resulted in the separation of the bones into two clearly defined groups, normal and bowed. •Chemical fingerprints were acquired from human tibiae, from the Mary Rose, using Raman spectroscopy.•Demonstrates bones from the Mary Rose are of a normal chemical composition relative to fresh bone.•Straight and bent (likely residual rickets) tibiae are chemically different, due to disease.•Chemical changes are due to a skeletal response to the bent, less mechanically competent, bone.•Raman spectroscopy is capable of analysing archaeological human bone non-destructively.