Burned and buried: A vibrational spectroscopy analysis of burial-related diagenetic changes of heat-altered human bones.

Joana Rosa, Ana R Vassalo, Ana Amarante, Luis A E Batista de Carvalho, Maria Paula M Marques, Maria Teresa Ferreira, David Gonçalves

Journal: American journal of biological anthropology 2023;180(3):534-547

PMID: 36790610

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Abstract

OBJECTIVES

The analysis of burned human remains can be very challenging due to heat-induced alterations. Occasionally, human bones present these coupled with diagenetic changes, offering even more of a challenge, since there is a lack of studies regarding interactions between both taphonomic phenomena. With this study, we aimed to assess and document the effects of inhumation on the chemical composition of both unburned and burned human skeletal remains.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We buried, for 5 years, four groups of human bone samples comprising unburned bones and bones experimentally burned at 500, 900, and 1050 °C. Periodic exhumations were carried out to collect bone samples to be analyzed through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total reflectance mode, in order to calculate four chemical indexes: (1) crystallinity index (CI); (2) type B carbonates to phosphate index (BPI); (3) total carbonates (A + B) to carbonate B ratio (C/C); and (4) OH to phosphate ratio (OH/P).

RESULTS

After inhumation, CI and C/C of unburned bones and bones burned at 500 °C, and BPI of bones burned at 1050 °C did not vary significantly. However, the remaining indexes showed both relevant increments and reductions throughout observations, depending on burning temperature and index.

DISCUSSION

Our results suggest that diagenesis can have an effect in bone's molecular composition. However, these effects do not seem to significantly affect the conclusions that can be taken from the analysis of infrared bone spectra, at least in the case of inhumations with a duration of 5 years or less.

Address: Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.; Department of Life Sciences, Center for Functional Ecology, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, Coimbra, Portugal.; Department of Chemistry, Molecular Physical-Chemistry R&D Unit, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.; Department of Life Sciences, Research Center for Anthropology and Health, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, Coimbra, Portugal.; Department of Life Sciences, Research Center for Anthropology and Health, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, Coimbra, Portugal.; Department of Chemistry, Molecular Physical-Chemistry R&D Unit, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.; Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.; Department of Chemistry, Molecular Physical-Chemistry R&D Unit, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.; Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.; Department of Life Sciences, Center for Functional Ecology, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, Coimbra, Portugal.; Department of Life Sciences, Research Center for Anthropology and Health, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, Coimbra, Portugal.; Department of Life Sciences, Center for Functional Ecology, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, Coimbra, Portugal.; Department of Life Sciences, Research Center for Anthropology and Health, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, Coimbra, Portugal.; Direção-Geral do Património Cultural, Laboratory of Archaeosciences (LARC), Lisbon, Portugal.

DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24691

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MeSH Terms: Humans, Hot Temperature, Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared, Burial, Burns, Phosphates, Carbonates