An elemental analysis of archaeological bone from Sicily as a test of predictability of diagenetic change

Abstract

Cortical human bone samples from three tightly dated components of a single Sicilian site were chemically analyzed employing the highly sensitive technique of inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy. Although the skeletons appeared to be excellently preserved, significant diagenesis was detected. Moreover, a majority of the elements tested showed no constant or linear variation over time, implying that diagenetic change tends not to be a predictable function of duration of interment. Variation among major long bones of a single skeleton was quite high, as was variation across the cortex. The latter may reflect chemical inhomogeneity in bone tissue or may be an artifact of postmortem change. The results demonstrate the hazards of unsuspected and unpredictable diagenesis, which must be controlled before reliable dietary inferences can be drawn.

Multielementary Analysis of Trace Elements and Preliminary Results on Stable Isotopes in Two Italian Prehistoric Sites. Methodological aspects

“…Results and Discussion These results are rather similar to those obtained by Klepinger et al (1986), who found a remarkable und unpredictable intraindividual variatiop_ A high intraindividual variability was also noted by Herrmann and Grupe (1987).…”

“…An explanation could lie in the dishomogeneity of the bone tissue (Klepinger et al 1986) or in metabolic differences in the various body districts, but this would not account for a different behaviour from the same skeletal element (such as ribs and vertebrae of this sample). Diagenetic changes due to various species of microorganisms (Grupe and Piepenbrink 1987) and/or to localized differences in the geochemical environment of the burial, could increase the intraindividual variability.…”

Lead Isotope Analysis of Human Bone for Addressing Cultural Affinity: a Case Study from Rocky Mountain House, Alberta

“…The significance of diagenesis in trace element studies of bone is reflected by the amount written on it (e.g. Waldron et al, 1979;Waldron, 1981Waldron, , 1983Lambert et al, 1985Lambert et al, , 1989Lambert et al, , 1990Kyle, 1986;Klepinger, Kuhn & Williams, 1986;Grupe, 1988;Pate & Hutton, 1988;Price, 1989;Sillen, 1989;Price et al, 1992;Sandford, 1993;Edward & Benfer, 1993). Lead may be taken up by bone from soil, or leeched from bone, although there is some question about which takes primacy (compare Jaworowski, 1990: 176-181, with Patterson et al, 1987.…”

Intra-skeletal variability in trace elemental content of Precolumbian Chupicuaro human bones: the record of post-mortem alteration and a tool for palaeodietary reconstruction

“…However, long, compact bones may not always be preserved from alteration, as indicated by the highly variable intra-bone elemental content of archaeological skeletons (Keplinger et al, 1986). Here we propose to use the intra-skeletal variability in trace element content in order to control for post-mortem changes.…”