Abstract
One apatite contains a small amount of carbon that—in principle—is suitable for radiocarbon dating. Unfortunately, due to exchange mechanisms, the carbon in the apatite can be replaced by carbon with a different age. Incineration changes the crystallinity of the bone resulting in a protection against this exchange mechanism. In this way, it makes bones suitable for radiocarbon dating.
An important exchange in carbon however occurs during incineration.
During incineration, the apatite not only loses carbon but will also exchange carbon with the carbon dioxide in the pyre's atmosphere. In most cases, this will not result in an erroneous age, but exceptions do occur. Due to this process, the carbon stable isotope signal in cremated bones is not suitable anymore for dietary reconstruction.
To avoid wrong radiocarbon dates, the bones must be pretreated in an adequate way to remove all possible contamination.
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Van Strydonck, M. (2016). Radiocarbon Dating of Cremated Bones: An Overview. In: Grupe, G., McGlynn, G. (eds) Isotopic Landscapes in Bioarchaeology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-48339-8_4
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