Changes in Raman spectra of bone tissue as an indicator for absolute dating.

Abstract

Diagenetic changes in bone tissue are accompanied by transformations of its Raman spectra. The results of the analysis of the prospects for using such changes for absolute dating of archaeological material are presented in the present work. The study was performed on animal bone samples collected during archaeological studies of the cultural layer of ancient cities in central Russia. Experts date these samples to the 12th-18th centuries. The studies were performed with using visible excitation radiation. The effect of photoluminescence of chromophores in bone tissue was reduced by chemical and photobleaching methods. For this purpose, the samples were pre-treated with a concentrated solution of hydrogen peroxide or the analyzed surface area was additionally irradiated with a laser beam of the Raman system immediately before recording the Raman scattering signal. Changes in the intensity of the main peaks of the mineral and organic parts of bone tissue are compared with the size of the postmortem time material. Raman spectra of the samples were considered, among other things, taking into account their species. The set of studied samples included both bones of large domestic animals (cow, pig) and small wild animals (mouse). Additional weakening of collagen peaks was found for bones that were subjected to heat treatment. The presented approach is especially effective in the case of small and medium postmortem time intervals when archaeological samples are characterized by minor changes that are used in other natural science dating methods, which prevents their use in scientific practice.

Speaker

Dmitrii Vladimirovich Abramov
Vladimir State University
Russia

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