Diagenesis of archaeological bone and tooth

TY - JOUR

T1 - Diagenesis of archaeological bone and tooth

AU - Kendall, Christopher

AU - Eriksen, Anne Marie Høier

AU - Kontopoulos, Ioannis

AU - Collins, Matthew J.

AU - Turner-Walker, Gordon

N1 - © 2017 Elsevier B.V. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy.

PY - 2018/2/1

Y1 - 2018/2/1

N2 - An understanding of the structural complexity of mineralised tissues is fundamental for exploration into the field of diagenesis. Here we review aspects of current and past research on bone and tooth diagenesis using the most comprehensive collection of literature on diagenesis to date. Environmental factors such as soil pH, soil hydrology and ambient temperature, which influence the preservation of skeletal tissues are assessed, while the different diagenetic pathways such as microbial degradation, loss of organics, mineral changes, and DNA degradation are surveyed. Fluctuating water levels in and around the bone is the most harmful for preservation and lead to rapid skeletal destruction. Diagenetic mechanisms are found to work in conjunction with each other, altering the biogenic composition of skeletal material. This illustrates that researchers must examine multiple diagenetic pathways to fully understand the post-mortem interactions of archaeological skeletal material and the burial environment.

AB - An understanding of the structural complexity of mineralised tissues is fundamental for exploration into the field of diagenesis. Here we review aspects of current and past research on bone and tooth diagenesis using the most comprehensive collection of literature on diagenesis to date. Environmental factors such as soil pH, soil hydrology and ambient temperature, which influence the preservation of skeletal tissues are assessed, while the different diagenetic pathways such as microbial degradation, loss of organics, mineral changes, and DNA degradation are surveyed. Fluctuating water levels in and around the bone is the most harmful for preservation and lead to rapid skeletal destruction. Diagenetic mechanisms are found to work in conjunction with each other, altering the biogenic composition of skeletal material. This illustrates that researchers must examine multiple diagenetic pathways to fully understand the post-mortem interactions of archaeological skeletal material and the burial environment.

KW - Ancient DNA

KW - Bioerosion

KW - Bone diagenesis

KW - Collagen

KW - Environment

KW - Hydroxyapatite

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85037629910&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.palaeo.2017.11.041

DO - 10.1016/j.palaeo.2017.11.041

M3 - Review article

AN - SCOPUS:85037629910

SN - 0031-0182

VL - 491

SP - 21

EP - 37

JO - Palaeogeography palaeoclimatology palaeoecology

JF - Palaeogeography palaeoclimatology palaeoecology

ER -