Gallello, Gianni, Cilli, Elisabetta, Bartoli, Fulvio et al. (8 more authors) (2018) Poisoning histories in the Italian renaissance: The case of Pico Della Mirandola and Angelo Poliziano. Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine. 56. pp. 83-89. ISSN 1752-928X
Abstract
Giovanni Pico della Mirandola and Angelo Poliziano were two of the most important humanists of the Italian Renaissance. They died suddenly in 1494 and their deaths have been for centuries a subject of debate. The exhumation of their remains offered the opportunity to study the cause of their death through a multidisciplinary research project. Anthropological analyses, together with documentary evidences, radiocarbon dating and ancient DNA analysis supported the identification of the remains attributed to Pico. Macroscopic examination did not reveal paleopathological lesions or signs related to syphilis. Heavy metals analysis, carried out on bones and mummified tissues, showed that in Pico's remains there were potentially lethal levels of arsenic, supporting the philosopher's poisoning theory reported by documentary sources. The arsenic concentrations obtained from analysis of Poliziano's remains, are probably more related to an As chronic exposure or diagenetic processes rather than poisoning.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2018 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (York) > Archaeology (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 03 Apr 2018 15:30 |
Last Modified: | 19 Dec 2024 00:08 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2018.03.016 |
Status: | Published online |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.jflm.2018.03.016 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:129250 |