Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Kendall, Christopher
• Eriksen, Anne Marie Høier
• Kontopoulos, Ioannis
• Collins, Matthew J.
• Turner-Walker, Gordon

Titel

Diagenesis of archaeological bone and tooth

Ist Teil von

• Palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology, 2018-02, Vol.491, p.21-37

Ort / Verlag

Elsevier B.V

Erscheinungsjahr

2018

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

Elsevier ScienceDirect Journals Complete

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• 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. •Multiple, interlinked pathways which affect the speed of degradation of tissues.•Environments have the most influence on the survivorship of mineralised tissues.•Diagenetic processes impact organic and inorganic tissue portions simultaneously.•Microbial role in diagenesis should be forefront due to influencing all pathways.•Recovery of biomolecules inversely linked with fossilization and tissue survivorship.