Establishing a preservation index for bone, dentin, and enamel bioapatite mineral using ATR-FTIR

Bone incineration: An experimental study on mineral structure, colour and crystalline state

Structural and thermodynamic factors which may influence burnt bone survivorship in archaeological contexts have not been fully described. A highly controlled experimental reference collection of fresh, modern bone burned in temperature increments 100-1200˚C is presented here to document the changes to bone tissue relevant to preservation using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Specific parameters investigated here include the rate of organic loss, amount of bone mineral recrystallization, and average growth in bone mineral crystallite size. An archaeological faunal assemblage ca. 30,000 years ago from Tolbor-17 (Mongolia) is additionally considered to confirm visibility of changes seen in the modern reference sample and to relate structural changes to commonly used zooarchaeological scales of burning intensity. The timing of our results indicates that the loss of organic components in both modern and archaeological bone burnt to temperatures up to 700˚C are not accompanied by growth changes in the average crystallite size of bone mineral bioapatite, leaving the small and reactive bioapatite crystals of charred and carbonized bone exposed to diagenetic agents in depositional contexts. For bones burnt to temperatures of 700˚C and above, two major increases in average crystallite size are noted which effectively decrease the available surface area of bone mineral crystals, decreasing reactivity and offering greater thermodynamic stability despite the mechanical fragility of calcined bone. We discuss the archaeological implications of these observations within the context of Tolbor-17 and the challenges of identifying anthropogenic fire.

/pdf/characterization-of-structural-changes-in-modern-and-4avjetnlhb.pdf

Characterization of structural changes in modern and archaeological burnt bone: Implications for differential preservation bias

In this study, we present osteological and strontium isotope data of 29 individuals (26 cremations and 3 inhumations) from Szigetszentmiklos-Urgehegy, one of the largest Middle Bronze Age cemeteries in Hungary. The site is located in the northern part of the Csepel Island (a few kilometres south of Budapest) and was in use between c. 2150 and 1500 BC, a period that saw the rise, the apogee, and, ultimately, the collapse of the Vatya culture in the plains of Central Hungary. The main aim of our study was to identify variation in mobility patterns among individuals of different sex/age/social status and among individuals treated with different burial rites using strontium isotope analysis. Changes in funerary rituals in Hungary have traditionally been associated with the crises of the tell cultures and the introgression of newcomers from the area of the Tumulus Culture in Central Europe around 1500 BC. Our results show only slight discrepancies between inhumations and cremations, as well as differences between adult males and females. The case of the richly furnished grave n. 241 is of particular interest. The urn contains the cremated bones of an adult woman and two 7 to 8-month-old foetuses, as well as remarkably prestigious goods. Using 87Sr/86Sr analysis of different dental and skeletal remains, which form in different life stages, we were able to reconstruct the potential movements of this high-status woman over almost her entire lifetime, from birth to her final days. Our study confirms the informative potential of strontium isotopes analyses performed on different cremated tissues. From a more general, historical perspective, our results reinforce the idea that exogamic practices were common in Bronze Age Central Europe and that kinship ties among high-rank individuals were probably functional in establishing or strengthening interconnections, alliances, and economic partnerships.

/pdf/human-mobility-in-a-bronze-age-vatya-urnfield-and-the-life-39yatvws7r.pdf

Human mobility in a Bronze Age Vatya 'urnfield' and the life history of a high-status woman.

Bone is a composite material consisting principally of apatite mineral, collagen fibrils, non-collagenous proteins, and other organic species. Recent electron microscopy studies have shown that the mineral in bone occurs as stacks of thin polycrystalline sheets ("mineral lamellae," MLs) which surround and lie between the collagen fibrils. We focus on the effect of the interface between these mineral lamellae on the mechanical properties of bone. Previous studies on bone treated with sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) to remove all organic material showed a greatly weakened mineral framework. Here, we treated femoral cortical bone with ethylenediamine (EDA), which only removes collagen, to study the effect of its removal on bone properties. We tested the degree of completion of the treatment by Raman spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. When only collagen is removed, a continuous mineral structure remains and is less weakened than by NaClO treatment. Transmission electron microscopy study of finely ground particles of the EDA treated bone shows that stacks of MLs remain joined, whereas in NaClO treated bone, only isolated crystals are present. Thus, we infer that the MLs in bone are held together in stacks by an organic glue, which is destroyed by NaClO, but which survives the EDA treatment. We show that this glue may contribute to the stiffness, strength, and energy absorption of bone. Further studies are needed to discover the chemical nature of this glue. This study provides a starting point for such investigations.

Interfacial bonding between mineral platelets in bone and its effect on mechanical properties of bone.

In this study we investigate pristine and experimentally incinerated bovine bone material with differing annealing times and temperatures from 100 to 1000 °C to analyse the crystallographic change of natural bone mineral during cremation. We used X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy as complementary methods. We observe a structural change of bone mineral during cremation. Our study highlights that there are only few or even no hydroxyl ions in pristine bone mineral (bioapatite), which is a carbonate-hydro-apatite rather than a hydroxyapatite. A significant recrystallization reaction from bioapatite to hydroxyapatite takes place at elevated temperatures from 700 °C (after 30 min cremation time). This process is associated with a significant increase of crystallite size, and it involves an increase of hydroxyl in the apatite lattice that goes along with a depletion of water and carbonate contents during cremation. Our first results highlight the importance of both time and temperature on the recrystallization reaction during cremation.

/pdf/experimental-cremation-of-bone-crystallite-size-and-lattice-2mxvvrasps.pdf

Experimental Cremation of Bone: Crystallite Size and Lattice Parameter Evolution

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Bone incineration: An experimental study on mineral structure, colour and crystalline state

Experimental Cremation of Bone: Crystallite Size and Lattice Parameter Evolution