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Cremation presentation Marcelle La Croix
This presentation discusses the analysis of cremated remains through examining changes in bone color and fracture patterns. The presentation outlines 5 stages of bone alteration from burning, with temperature ranges and associated bone colors. Certain colors are associated with the presence of metals like copper or the burning environment. The maximum burning temperature can be estimated. References are provided on the topic of analyzing burned bone to determine burning conditions.
Cremation presentation Marcelle La Croix
- 1. a presentation oncremated remains By: Marcelle LaCroix Session 6 Presentation 25 August 2012
- 2. Determining if bone has come into contact with fire Estimating the maximum temperature of the fire Using changes in color and fracture patterns to estimate the condition of bone Determing the degree to alteration by burning
- 3.
- 4. Oxygen availability Duration of cremation Materials used
- 5. Stage Temperature Range Color 1 < 285°C Neutral white, pale yellow, yellow 2 285 - 525° C Reddish brown, very dark grey-brown, neutral dark grey, reddish-yellow 3 525 – 645°C Neutral black with some blue and reddish- yellow 4 645-940°C Neutral white with light blue-grey and light grey 5 940+ °C Neutral white with some medium grey amd reddish-yellow
- 6. Color Interpretation References Brown Hemoglobin and/or soil Gejvall 1969; Lisowski discoloration 1968 Black Carbonized bone due to Herrmann 1970 burning in oxygen starved context Gray-blue, gray white Pyrolizaed organic Dokládal 1969, 1970; components; calcination; Mayne Correia 1997 complete loss of organic portion and fusion of bone salts Other colors: green, Burning in the presence Dunlop 1978; Gejvall yellow, pink and red of metals including 1969; Lisowski 1968 copper, bronze or iron
- 9. copper = pink color iron = green color zinc = yellow color bronze = blue/green color
- 10. Buikstra JE and Swegle M. Bone modification due to burning: experimental evidence. In Bone Modification, ed. R Bonnichsen and MH Sorg, 247-258. Peopling of the Americas Publications. Dokládal, M. 1969. Über die heutigen möglichkeiten der personenidentifikation auf grund von verbrannten knochen. In: Aktuelle kriminologie. Hamburg: Kriminolog Verlag, p. 223-246. Dokládal M 1970. Ergebnisse experimenteller verbrennungen zur feststellung von formund grössenveränderungen von menschenknochen unter fem einfluss von hohen temperaturnen. Anthropologie 8:3-17. Dunlop J. 1978. Traffic light discoloration in cremated bone. Meidcine, Science and the Law 18:163-173. Gejvall, N.-G. 1969. Cremations. In: Brothwell, D., and E. Higgs, editors. Science in Archaeology. London: Thames and Hudson, p. 468–479. Herrmann, B. 1970. Anthroplogische bearbeitung der Leichenbräden von Berlin-Rudow. Ausgrabungen in Berlin 1:61–71. Pijoan CM, Mansilla J, Leboreiro I. 2007. Thermal alterations in archaeological bones. Archaeometry 49: 713-727. Stiner MC, Kuhn SL. 1995. Differential burning, recrystallization, and fragmentation of archaaological bone. Journal of Archaeological Science: 22: 223-237.
Editor's Notes
- #3 Archaeological interest in burned bone has centered upon four topics:Determining whether or not bone has come into contact with fireEstimating the maximum temperature attained by a fireUsing changes in superficial bone color and fracture patterns to estimate the condition of bone at the time it was exposed to fireDtermining the degree to which the original dimensions of the element have been altered by burning
- #4 The process of burning bone is essentially a process of dehydration and recrystallization. Bone will undergo dehydration and be subjected to the corresponding changes. Specifically, the elimination of water, and the subsequent consumption of the organic portion of bone and the microstructural alterations to the hard matrix of bone results in a color change, as well as splitting and warping.
- #5 Oxygen availability has a profound effect on the color of cremated bones exposed to the same cremation temperaturesAs the duration of cremation increases, the influence of oxygen availability on bone color gradually diminishes
- #6 Shipman et al. (1984) established a correlation between colour and temperature. However, color changes may be due to bone interaction with environmental materials. After burial, bone may be altered and may change color as a result of soil composition, sediment pH, temperature or moisture, and the changes may occur in the bone tissue as ionic substitution.
- #9 Black bones have been discovered in the Northern Coast Cave. Two areas of the cave have exhibited signs of burning. Both these sites contain infant remains. Using previous research, the black color of the bones indicates that the bones may be carbonized bone due to burning in oxygen starved context (Herrmann 1970) or simply that the temperatures reached by the cremation fires were between 525 to 645 degrees Celsius (Shipman et al. 1984).The remains found seem to indicate that infant remains were subject to cremation in the Taliotic culture.
- #10 In the Cueva de la Costa Norte” (“Northern coast cave”) some of the skeletal remains are a blue/green color as shown here. This indicates that the bones were burned with bronze. Bronze turns a greenish color when it oxidizes. Not only is oxygen necessary for cremation fires, but also the bones may have been exposed to open air for a period of time before they were covered.