@article {12541,
	title = {Variation in Soil pH at the Eighteenth-Century Rochefort Point Cemetery and Its Relationship to Mortuary Practices and Previous Site Use},
	journal = {Canadian Journal of Archaeology/Journal canadien d{\textquoteright}arch{\'e}ologie},
	volume = {43},
	year = {2019},
	pages = {201-216},
	abstract = {<p>This study compares soil acidity and skeletal preservation at the eighteenthcentury Fortress of Louisbourg. Soil acidity was tested in 60 individual burials using a Lusterleaf 1612 Rapitest soil pH kit. These results were then compared to skeletal preservation, coffin use, and burial depth. pH levels ranged between 4.5 (acid) to 7.5 (alkaline). There was a clear correlation between increased skeletal preservation and more neutral pH, as expected. Additionally, mortuary treatment and burial depth were also correlated with soil pH, where individuals interred in a coffin or at deeper depths saw increased soil acidity. The location of these interments in relation to homestead features and defunct lime kilns also likely influenced this pH variability. This study highlights the need to consider previous site use and mortuary practices when assessing differential skeletal preservation in complex cemetery assemblages.</p>},
	author = {Amy B. Scott and Mattia Fonzo}
}
