Micro-CT scans of archaeological human teeth from the Belarusian sites of Połack, Pahošča and Niaśviž

This database contains Micro-CT scans of archaeological human teeth from the Belarusian sites of Połack, Pahošča and Niaśviž. These data were created as part of the documentation process for archaeological tooth samples before destructive analysis was conducted as part of Vera Haponava's PhD research. A series of steps were taken to preserve as much data related to the samples as possible, as well as to retain spare tissues (dentine, enamel, and calculus) that did not need to be destroyed during the analysis. These steps included creating a written catalogue of tooth features, taking photographs from six aspects, and making casts of tooth crowns.

The database includes: (1) a README file with the description of its structure, summary of the data and its uses, technical details of the CT-scanning process, and a short description of the archaeological sites with relevant sources; (2) a Catalogue of the samples with relevant contextual information; (3) five deposits of CT-scans of teeth by site (Połack Upper Castle, Połack Lower Castle, Połack Township, Pahošča, Niaśviž). The README and the Catalogue files, as well as the five deposits may be retrieved separately.

The database contains scans of 109 teeth from 64 individuals:
- Breakdown by site: Połack - Upper Castle (28), Lower Castle (32) and Township (13); Pahošča (13), Niaśviž Corpus Christi Church (23).
- Breakdown by tooth type: 24 fist incisors (I1), 34 first molars (M1), 3 second molars (M2), 47 third molars (M3), 1 second premolar (P2).
- Breakdown by time period: 10-13th centuries CE (41), 13-16th centuries CE (24), 17-18th centuries CE (44).

Potential applications of this dataset include analyzing the internal structure of teeth or taking precise measurements (a scale is provided for all images in the form of the voxel size). The images can be used independently or reconstructed into digital 3D models of teeth.

The CT scanning was funded by the School of History, Classics, and Archaeology, the University of Edinburgh. The Micro-CT scans were made using a bespoke scanner designed and built in the School of GeoSciences of the University of Edinburgh.

Samples from Połack were provided by D.S. Gritskevich and V.A. Yemieljanchyk from Polack State University and collected by Vera Haponava; samples from Pahošča were provided by Mikalai Plavinski (Faculty of Archaeology, University of Warsaw) and collected by V. Vinnikava; samples from Niaśviž were collected by M.M. Pamazanau from the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.

Data related to publication: Medieval and early modern diets in the Polack region of Belarus: A stable isotope perspective. Vera Haponava , Aliaksei Kots, Mary Lucas, Max Both, Patrick Roberts . Published October 7, 2022 in PLOS One.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0275758

This data can be accessed by contacting the Owner or Creator named on this page. All access requests will be granted.

Vera Haponava's contact details are listed on ORCID:
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1532-4839

A sample of this dataset is available on Edinburgh DataShare:
https://doi.org/10.7488/ds/8085