Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
Division of Paleopathology, Department of Translational Research and of New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
J Med Entomol. 2019 Oct 28;56(6):1582-1589. doi: 10.1093/jme/tjz102.
The impressive Sacristy of the Basilica of San Domenico Maggiore contains 38 wooden sarcophagi with the bodies of 10 Aragonese princes and other Neapolitan nobles, who died in the 15th and 16th centuries. To improve the knowledge about the entomofauna associated with bodies in archaeological contexts, herein we provide insights on the funerary practices and the insect community associated to Ferrante II King of Naples and other Italian Renaissance mummies of the Aragonese dynasty buried in the Basilica of St. Domenico Maggiore. We identified 842 insect specimens: 88% were Diptera (Muscidae, Fanniidae, and Phoridae), followed by 9% Lepidoptera (Tineidae) and 3% Coleoptera (Dermestidae and Ptinidae). Ninety-seven percent of the specimens were collected from the coffin of Francesco Ferdinando d'Avalos, which was the best preserved. A lack of fly species characterizing the first colonization waves of exposed bodies was noted. The most common fly was the later colonizing muscid Hydrotaea capensis (Wiedemann); only a few Fanniidae (Fannia spp.) were retrieved. The lack of blowflies, coupled with recording H. capensis as the dominant fly, supports our hypothesis that corpses have been kept indoors for a long time under confined environmental conditions. Other explanations include odorous oils/balms having been used in the embalming process, causing the delay or stopping the arrival of first colonizer flies. Hermetically sealing of the coffin with bitumen may also have played a role in preventing access to the corpses. This scenario describes a historical context characterized by a well-advanced knowledge of body preparation, with specific burial techniques adopted for nobles.
圣多明尼克大殿的令人印象深刻的圣器收藏室里有 38 具木制石棺，里面装着 10 位阿拉贡王子和其他那不勒斯贵族的遗体，他们都死于 15 世纪和 16 世纪。为了增进对考古学背景下与尸体相关的昆虫区系的了解，本文介绍了与那不勒斯国王费兰特二世和埋葬在圣多明尼克大殿的其他阿拉贡王朝意大利文艺复兴时期木乃伊相关的丧葬习俗和昆虫群落。我们共鉴定出 842 个昆虫标本：88%为双翅目（蝇科、麻蝇科和丽蝇科），其次是 9%鳞翅目（钩蛾科）和 3%鞘翅目（皮蠹科和扁甲科）。97%的标本来自弗朗切斯科·费迪南多·达瓦洛斯的棺材，该棺材保存得最好。注意到缺少可用于表征暴露尸体的第一批定殖波的蝇种。最常见的蝇种是后来定殖的 Hydrotaea capensis（Wiedemann）；只回收了少数麻蝇科（Fannia spp.）。缺少丽蝇，再加上记录到 Hydrotaea capensis 是优势蝇种，这支持了我们的假设，即尸体在有限的环境条件下被长时间保存在室内。其他解释包括在防腐过程中使用了有气味的油/香膏，导致第一批定殖蝇的到来延迟或停止。用沥青对棺材进行密封也可能在阻止尸体进入方面发挥了作用。这种情况描述了一个具有高度先进的尸体准备知识的历史背景，为贵族采用了特定的埋葬技术。
