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Dating of Cremated Bones

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

J N Lanting ,
A T Aerts-Bijma  and
J van der Plicht
J N Lanting
Affiliation:
Groningen Institute of Archaeology, University of Groningen, Poststraat 6, 9712 ER Groningen, the Netherlands
A T Aerts-Bijma
Affiliation:
Centre for Isotope Research, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands
J van der Plicht*
Affiliation:
Centre for Isotope Research, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands
*
Corresponding author. Email: plicht@phys.rug.nl.
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Abstract

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When dating unburnt bone, bone collagen, the organic fraction of the bone, is used. Collagen does not survive the heat of the cremation pyre, so dating of cremated bone has been considered impossible. Structural carbonate in the mineral fraction of the bone, however, survives the cremation process. We developed a method of dating cremated bone by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), using this carbonate fraction. Here we present results for a variety of prehistoric sites and ages, showing a remarkable success rate for this method.

Type
I. Becoming Better
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 43 , Issue 2A: Proceedings of the 17th International Radiocarbon Conference (Part 1 of 3) , 2001 , pp. 249 - 254
Copyright
Copyright © The Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

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