Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1984
Publication Title
Archaeometry
Volume
26
Issue
2
Pages
131-138
Publisher Name
University of Oxford
Abstract
In skeletons excavated from Woodland sites, copper and barium levels are found to have been contaminated by influx from the soil environment. Electron microprobe scans for both elements show build-up along the outer surface of femur cross sections. Elemental levels for Cu and Ba are lower in the femur or fibula than in the more porous rib. The distribution of Cu in the immediately surrounding soil is highly anisotropic. These observations indicate that Cu and Ba should not be used for dietary inferences about ancient populations without independent evidence that diagenesis is not important.
Recommended Citation
Lambert, JB, SV Simpson, CB Szpunar, and JE Buikstra. "Copper and Barium as Dietary Discriminants: the Effects of Diagenesis." Archaeometry 26(2), 1984.
Creative Commons License
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Copyright Statement
© University of Oxford, 1984.
Comments
Author Posting. © University of Oxford, 1984. This article is posted here by permission of the University of Oxford for personal use, not for redistribution. The article was published in Archaeometry, Volume 26, Issue 2, 1984.