TRACE-ELEMENT STUDIES ON EXPERIMENTALLY CREMATED BONE .1. ALTERATION OF THE CHEMICAL-COMPOSITION AT HIGH-TEMPERATURES

Trace element analysis has become a promising approach to discovering ancient lifestyles and subsistence for archaeologists and physical anthropologists. In Central Europe, however, human bodily remains consist of cremations for a period of approximately 2000 years. Published data on the elemental composition of cremations are scarce and there is a lack of detailed consideration of the element profiles of high temperature artifacts in cremated bones. This paper presents the first results of an experimental approach aimed at the assessment of in vivo elemental composition from bones which have been incinerated prior to inhumation. We conclude that in the case of cremated material, the trace element spectrum available for palaeodietary reconstruction is limited due to volatilization and crystal modification at higher temperatures. For Sr/Ca ratios however, which are most widely used for palaeodietary reconstruction, it is shown that an estimation of in vivo ratios from incinerated specimens is possible by regression analysis. Additional research required for a more detailed interpretation of the data is outlined. © 1991.