Burned skeletal remains are abundant in archaeological and paleontological sites, the result of fire or of ancient funerary practices. In the burning process, the bone matrix suffers structural and dimensional changes that interfere with the reliability of available osteometric methods. Recent studies showed that these macroscopic changes are accompanied by microscopic variations are reflected in vibrational spectra. An innovative integrated approach to the study of archaeological combusted skeletal remains is reported here, where the application of complementary vibrational spectroscopic techniques—INS (inelastic neutron scattering), FTIR (Fourier transform infrared), and micro-Raman—enables access to the complete vibrational profile and constitutes the first application of neutron spectroscopy to ancient bones. Comparison with data from modern human bones that were subjected to controlled burning allowed identification of specific heating conditions. This pioneering study provides archaeologists and anthropologists with relevant information on past civilizations, including regarding funerary, burial, and cooking practices and environmental settings.

First analysis of ancient burned human skeletal remains probed by neutron and optical vibrational spectroscopy / Festa, G.; Andreani, C.; Baldoni, M.; Cipollari, V.; Martinez-Labarga, C.; Martini, F.; Rickards, O.; Rolfo, M. F.; Sarti, L.; Volante, N.; Senesi, R.; Stasolla, F. R.; Parker, S. F.; Vassalo, A. R.; Mamede, A. P.; Batista de Carvalho, L. A. E.; Marques, M. P. M.. - In: SCIENCE ADVANCES. - ISSN 2375-2548. - 5:6(2019), p. eaaw1292. [10.1126/sciadv.aaw1292]

First analysis of ancient burned human skeletal remains probed by neutron and optical vibrational spectroscopy

Rickards O.;
2019

Abstract

Burned skeletal remains are abundant in archaeological and paleontological sites, the result of fire or of ancient funerary practices. In the burning process, the bone matrix suffers structural and dimensional changes that interfere with the reliability of available osteometric methods. Recent studies showed that these macroscopic changes are accompanied by microscopic variations are reflected in vibrational spectra. An innovative integrated approach to the study of archaeological combusted skeletal remains is reported here, where the application of complementary vibrational spectroscopic techniques—INS (inelastic neutron scattering), FTIR (Fourier transform infrared), and micro-Raman—enables access to the complete vibrational profile and constitutes the first application of neutron spectroscopy to ancient bones. Comparison with data from modern human bones that were subjected to controlled burning allowed identification of specific heating conditions. This pioneering study provides archaeologists and anthropologists with relevant information on past civilizations, including regarding funerary, burial, and cooking practices and environmental settings.
2019
Archaeology; Body Remains; Bone and Bones; Cremation; Femur; Fibula; History, Ancient; History, Medieval; Humans; Humerus; Scattering, Small Angle; Spectrum Analysis, Raman; Neutron Diffraction; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
First analysis of ancient burned human skeletal remains probed by neutron and optical vibrational spectroscopy / Festa, G.; Andreani, C.; Baldoni, M.; Cipollari, V.; Martinez-Labarga, C.; Martini, F.; Rickards, O.; Rolfo, M. F.; Sarti, L.; Volante, N.; Senesi, R.; Stasolla, F. R.; Parker, S. F.; Vassalo, A. R.; Mamede, A. P.; Batista de Carvalho, L. A. E.; Marques, M. P. M.. - In: SCIENCE ADVANCES. - ISSN 2375-2548. - 5:6(2019), p. eaaw1292. [10.1126/sciadv.aaw1292]
File allegati a questo prodotto
Non ci sono file associati a questo prodotto.

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1392104
 Attenzione

Attenzione! I dati visualizzati non sono stati sottoposti a validazione da parte dell'ateneo

Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? 10
  • Scopus 20
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 20
social impact