Publication details

Strontium isotope analyses of archaeological cremated remains – new data and perspectives

Authors

SNOECK Christophe CHEUNG Christina GRIFFITH Jacob I. JAMES Hannah F. SALESSE Kévin Alexis André

Year of publication 2022
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source Data in Brief
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Science

Citation
Web URL
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2022.108115
Keywords Strontium isotope analyses;Cremations;Mobility;Landscape use
Attached files
Description Cremated human remains are commonly found in the archaeological records, especially in Europe during the Metal Ages and the Roman period. Due to the high temperatures reached during cremation (up to 1000°C), most biological information locked in the isotopic composition of different tissues is heavily altered or even destroyed. The recent demonstration that strontium isotope ratio (87Sr/86Sr) remain unaltered during cremation and are even very resistant to post-burial alterations (which is not the case in unburned bone), opened new possibility for palaeomobility studies of ancient populations that practice cremations as a funerary ritual. This paper summarizes strontium isotopic data produced over the last decade which is then deposited on the open-access platform IsoArcH (https://isoarch.eu/) for any interested parties to use. It is the first time isotopic data on cremated remains is introduced in this database, significantly extending its impact on the scientific community.

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