Assessing the preservation of biogenic strontium isotope ratios (⁸⁷ Sr/⁸⁶ Sr) in the pars petrosa ossis temporalis of unburnt human skeletal remains: A case study from Saba.

ABSTRACT:

Rationale

Strontium isotope (⁸⁷ Sr/⁸⁶ Sr) analysis of skeletal remains has become a powerful tool in archaeological studies of human migration and mobility. Owing to its resistance to post-mortem alteration, dental enamel is the preferred sampling material used for ⁸⁷ Sr/⁸⁶ Sr analysis in bioarchaeological provenance research, although recent studies have demonstrated that cremated bone is also generally resistant to diagenesis. This paper presents the results of a pilot study exploring the potential of unburnt petrous bone (pars petrosa) as a reservoir of biogenic (diagenetically unaltered) strontium, as the otic capsule or bony labyrinth within the petrous bone is extremely dense and is thought to be unable to remodel after early childh

SUBMITTER: Kootker LM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9287042 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature