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

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 unaltere... Mehr ...