Seasonal Dating of Burials from the Presence of Fly Pupae

1967/10/01 by B. Miles Gilbert, William M. Bass · 5 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Forensic Entomology and Diptera Studies #Diptera species taxonomy and behavior #Fossil Insects in Amber

paper · doi:10.2307/2694081

Abstract

Abstract During the excavation of Arikara burials which were 130 to 160 years old, the author discovered the chitinous exuvia of fly pupae with many of the burials. The pupae of these scavenger flies seasonally date the burials from late March to mid-October, corresponding to the year's arrival and disappearance of these flies in South Dakota.

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• Archaeological aspects of insect use
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• Decomposing in the dark. Experimental approaches to funerary archaeoentomology in volcanic caves
• First record of Phormia regina (Meigen, 1826) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) from mummies at the Sant'Antonio Abate Cathedral of Castelsardo, Sardinia, Italy. [europepmc]
• Investigations on Arthropods Associated with Decay Stages of Buried Animals in Italy. [europepmc]

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