Radiocarbon dating archaeological and palaeontological bone “non-destructively”

Radiocarbon dating archaeological and palaeontological bone “non-destructively” Conference Abstracts

Conference

10th International Bone Diagenesis Meeting
24-26 Sep 2025 , Athens

Source

Abstracts of the 10th International Bone Diagenesis Meeting
Compilation, ASCSA Publ.. Athens.2025. 64 c.

Output data

Year: 2025, Pages: 32-33 Pages count : 2

Authors

Sluis L. ^1,2 , Luftensteiner K. ¹ , Giannì M. ^1,2 , Steier P. ^2,3 , Belinski A. ⁴ , Atabiev B. ⁵ , Mensan R. ⁶ , Kozlikin M. ⁷ , Shunkov M. ⁷ , Schulze J. ⁸ , Douka K. ^1,2 , Stafford T.W. ⁹ , Higham T. ^1,2

Affiliations

1	Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, A-1030 Vienna, Austria
2	Human Evolution and Archaeological Science (HEAS) Network, Vienna, Austria
3	Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator, Faculty of Physics, Währinger Strasse 17, 1090 Vienna, Austria
4	Nasledie, Stavropol, Russia
5	Institute of the Archaeology of the Caucasus, Nalchik, Russia
6	TRACES, Toulouse, France
7	Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch, Novosibirsk, Russia
8	Proteomics Core Facility, 451 E. Health Sciences Dr., University of California, Davis, CA 95616 USA
9	Stafford Research LLC, 3419 Candlelight Dr. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87111, USA

Diagenetic alteration can affect biomolecular information stored in bone, in particular the effect on collagen preservation and subsequently radiocarbon dating warrants caution. Radiocarbon dating is essential for the placement of artifacts and human activities in a chronological framework, with bone being one of the main materials being analysed. Radiocarbon dating of bone is a destructive process, which involves drilling and sawing prior to chemical purification and 14C measurement. Although other fields (e.g., ancient DNA and palaeoproteomics) have developed non-destructive strategies for extracting their tartget molecules from bone/teeth for analysis, similar approaches do not yet exist for radiocarbon dating. We present the results of an experimental, non-destructive, hot water extraction protocol that omits destructive cutting or drilling of bone. Samples of whole bone were heated in ultrapure (MilliQ) water for several hours. Known-age bones, as well as archaeological bones of unknown age (ranging from Bronze Age to Palaeolithic periods) were tested and successfully yielded collagenous material comparable to collagen that is obtained through destructive, HCl-demineralisation. Amino acid profiling through LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis was done by hydrolyzing collagen samples and loaded onto an amino acid analyzer while they were subjected to a cation exchange to separate the amino acids. The amino acid spectra, stable isotope values and atomic C/N ratios were indicative of collagen. The extracted collagen was subsequently purified using ultrafilters or XAD-2 resin and AMS 14C dated. The radiocarbon determinations obtained through hot water extraction were statistically identical to radiocarbon ages obtained by the conventional destructive method. Other than variations in colour, no macroscopic changes to the bone were observed.

Sluis L. , Luftensteiner K. , Giannì M. , Steier P. , Belinski A. , Atabiev B. , Mensan R. , Kozlikin M. , Shunkov M. , Schulze J. , Douka K. , Stafford T.W. , Higham T.
Radiocarbon dating archaeological and palaeontological bone “non-destructively”
In compilation Abstracts of the 10th International Bone Diagenesis Meeting. – ASCSA Publ.., 2025. – C.32-33.

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