York Osteoarchaeology Ltd

01/01/2026

What a remarkable year at YOA! From Suffolk to Bristol to Cumbria, we worked on human remains spanning the Bronze Age to the post-medieval period. Highlights included cremation burials and inhumations, Anglo-Saxon urns, Roman gypsum burials, intricate post-medieval coffins, and even a 19th-century carved antler walking stick handle.

We co-authored a high-impact paper on Roman gladiators, delivered public talks, and presented at conferences, including TAG2025.

Above all, we loved working with our incredible clients and collaborators. We wish you all a successful 2026!

13/12/2025

As part of our involvement with the fantastic Roman Seeing the Dead project led by the University of York, Department of Archaeology, we had an exciting few weeks. Highlights include the remarkable discovery of fingerprints preserved in gypsum, offering a rare and tangible connection to the individuals involved in Roman funerary practices

The Seeing the Dead research project at the University of York investigates the funerary custom, attested in Roman Yorkshire in the 3rd and 4th centuries CE, of using liquid gypsum to cover the clothed and shrouded bodies of adults and children as they lay in coffins of stone or lead.

07/11/2025

One of our most fascinating projects was at Cross Street in Manchester. We loved working for CFA Archaeology Ltd on the consultation, processing, analysis, and reporting of the Unitarian Cross Street Chapel graveyard - the final resting place of Elizabeth Gaskell and other notable figures.

18/10/2025

A huge thank you to Sarah Inskip and Anna Davies Barrett for hosting the fantastic To***co Project seminar at the University of Leicester! Yesterday, Malin Holst of York Osteoarchaeology joined the discussion session - a brilliant opportunity to share ideas, explore research, and connect with colleagues

TO***CO HEALTH & HISTORY: The project will be the first to look at the long-term consequence of to***co use in a population. The findings should prove useful in understanding modern health dilemmas.

08/10/2025

Malin Holst will give a talk at the 'Challenging Assumptions: Bioarchaeological findings from Rural Yorkshire' at the CIfA Conference on the 18th of October 2025

Join us for a fascinating talk revealing the results of over a decade of meticulous research.

Through collaboration with the local community and descendants of the individuals studied, this project has pieced together the diverse life histories of a remarkable group.

Discover how scientific analysis and personal connections combined to bring the past vividly to life.

https://www.archaeologists.net/civicrm/event/info?id=589&reset=1

01/10/2025

"The Roman Gypsum Burial" — The Seeing The Dead project team from the University of York, working with Malin Holst of YOA, investigated a fascinating Roman burial at Doncaster Museum. Discover more on the project’s website https://seeingthedead.ac.uk

16/09/2025

York Osteoarchaeology analysed a unique Roman gladiator cemetery in York, uncovering powerful evidence of lives and deaths in the arena. One individual bore the marks of a lion bite. The Royal Armouries have now brought his story to life as part of their gladiator exhibition

In 2004, archaeologists in York, northern England, made a fascinating discovery. A Roman cemetery containing the remains of mostly young men who appeared to ...

09/09/2025

Join Gigi Signorelli (LS Archaeology) and Malin Holst (York Osteoarchaeology) for a fascinating talk on the excavation of St Mary's northern cemetery.

📍 St Mary’s Church, Beverley

📅 Tuesday 16th September

🕖 7:00pm

Discover what the excavation reveals about the lives (and deaths) of Beverley’s past residents.

✨ All welcome and free entry

07/09/2025

Exciting times ahead! The York Osteoarchaeology team is heading to Leicester for the BABAO Conference on the 19th of September. We will be showcasing our clients’ fantastic projects and sharing new insights from the field. We can’t wait to connect with colleagues and friends!

Bioarchaeological insights into a catastrophic population from medieval Leicester Mackenzie Masters and Jordi Ruiz Ventura, Elīna Pētersone-Gordina, Stephen Baker, Mathew Morris, Malin Holst, Michelle Alexander

Demography and health at the 7th–9th century cemetery of the Lincoln Eastern Bypass, Lincoln, UK Paola Ponce, Katie Keefe, Jordi Ruiz Ventura, Mike Wood, Nigel Cavanagh, Malin Holst

A child from medieval York with multiple congenital skeletal anomalies: A case study and differential diagnoses Elīna Pētersone-Gordina, Joshua Stead, Paola Ponce, Malin Holst, Paul Flintoft, Jane McComish, Kate Allenby

Towards an integrated bioarchaeological perspective on York in the Roman Empire Elisha Meadows, Michelle Alexander, Malin Holst, Christine McDonnell, Jane Evans, Angela Lamb, Doris Wagner

The main conference will take place on Friday the 19th and Saturday the 20th of September. There will also be a number of optional workshops for free for conference attendees on Thursday the 18th of September.​

03/07/2025

Many congratulations to Archaeological Services, University of Leicester, who are celebrating their 30th birthday! We had the privilege to work with ULAS on some fantastic projects, in particular the Roman cemeteries at Western Road and Oxford Street, the large medieval cemetery from Waterside and the Hallaton pilgrimage burials and are looking forward to future collaborations

With one of the UK’s major commercial units celebrating its 30th birthday this year, Carly Hilts spoke to Vicki Score, John Thomas, Jen Browning, Matt Beami ...

24/04/2025

24/04/2025

If you are interested in gladiators, then you might be like our work on a Roman skeleton from York, who was bitten by a lion https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0l66tq9

This is part of a fantastic collaborative project, with Tim Thompson, Becky Gowland, Anwen Caffell, Christine McDonnell, Dave Errickson, John Pearce, University of York, Department of Archaeology, and York Archaeology

Archaeologist Malin Holst has been helping us uncover the facts