Assessment of Diagenetic Transformations in Bioapatite for the Determination of the 87Sr/86Sr Isotope Ratio: A Case Study on an Early Iron Age Human Tooth from the Sargat Culture

The Sr-87/Sr-86 strontium isotope ratio in skeletal tissues (teeth and bones) gives valuable information about the migrations and origin of humans and animals. In this study, we assess the suitability of various structural elements (enamel and dentin) of a human tooth sample from a burial mound (Early Iron Age, Omsk oblast) for strontium isotope analysis using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), laser ablation, and electron probe microanalysis. The microelemental mapping of a tooth fragment was conducted. The results indicate the absence of significant diagenetic changes in the tooth enamel, for which the Sr-87/Sr-86 isotope composition was determined by multicollector ICP-MS after chromatographic separation. This research represents the first isotopic study of materials from archaeological excavations of Sargat culture burial mounds. Furthermore, this approach offers promise in reconstructing taphonomic conditions of burial environments, contributing to the understanding of conditions facilitating the preservation of skeletal tissues and archaeological information.