Microstructural features of human bones and funerary practices in Mount Sirai (Sardinia)

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15th European Conference on Applications of Surface and

Interrace Analysis

13

th

_

18

th

October 2013

Conference Venue

Forte

Village,

Pula

Cagliari, Sardinia,

Italy

Impressum

Dipartilllcnto di

Scienze

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niversita

di Cagliari

,

Sardinia,

Italy

Edited

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ISBN:

978-88-907670-0-5

Printing

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GRAFICHE GHIAN

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23 M

onastir, Cagllari,

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P3 32 Cullur.1 Heritage Poster Session 3

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Microstructural features of human bones

and

funerary practices in Mount

Sirai

(Sardinia)

M. P.ana, ,.

s.

Medici.'

s.

Enro.' E. Zangrando.' N. Demitri.' M.A. Zoroddu" P. B"Mleni.' M.L. Ganadu'

'I)cpanmtnl ofChtmistry and Pharma.y. Via Vienna n. 2. 07100 S ... ri

'o.pllrtm~nt ofChemioal and Pharma.eutic.l Scie~s. Via Lido Giorgi.ri I> 34127 Tri • .,. 'Elett ... Sin.toltOOC Triesl. S.C.p ... Strada St.tale 14 . km 163.5. 34149 B3>""iU1l (TS)

'Deportment of History. Human and fomoation Sciences. Vial< Umbtno. 07 lOO S ... ri 'Dep.nment of Human and Soci.1 Sciences, Via Zanfa,illO 62. 07100 Sa .... ri

'Corresponding author: pe"n"@uni .. .it

1.lntr .... uctlon

In aUempt to set up I uxful melhO<loIOID' fOf lhe investig.ti"" of bumod human ~main' in I,<:hac<>-logical. anthrOpologi.al and fo~.si. field .. We de<:ided to compare thc mo<t oommort protocols for the study of bone bioapltito. (Fouri.. Tf1Insform Infran:d

Speelroscopy. n·IR. and X_f1Iy Diffraction. XRD) to

those

deriving

from

the

application of X

-

ray

S(al1cring techniq""s using ,ynchrotron radiation. Oy theSt te<:hniq"'" we expc<:t to tuc advantage of thc wider and mote dynami<: quoliti., ofsueh. ,aluable 1001 in ord<..,. to e.amine I higher number of sampl.S in • wry short lime compare<! to oonventional tcohniq""s, meanwhile

... ing it< 'pplioability in the archaeological neld. 2. Res"'"

The Phoenician-Punic settkmonl of Mounl Sirai in

South~m Sardinia off<:-rS the opportunity to eumine funcf1ll """a;ns of Iwo kinds: inhumation and

""'tneration [IJ. The powder X.n>y diffraclion technique. ou,,"<nted "'ith IR .ptetf1l, allowed u, to verify whother the bodi". had been c~m.ted (accOfding

to phoenic;an mode) or inhum.led (Carth'g<> infl""nc.) (Fig. I), Thi. was .scertained by ... iog lhe Ri'I"eld

appmoch for fully interpreting the diffracti"" pallems [2J.

f..position of human boodies 10 high ttmpt",tures .. suits

in typiul patterns for the IR bands of the bioaplltite phosph.te gro"P' (Fig, 2) and in 'harper pe.k, for both Ihe IR 'peelra [31 and XRD pa11ern. 01". in • ","lliphase matrix (Fig. 3). Thi. "' ... idenccd in I

serics of exptriments c.rried out on Mount Sif1li booe spc<:imell$. Two of Ihese sampl.s (one inhun,.tod and

onc incinerated) were aloo an.lY'ed through

synchrotron XRD giving results in full "Weem.nt with thost ob13incd with the "Iraditi"".!"· tool •. These f,nding' point out the p<> .. ibility of ,."cnding the S(op< of our mcarch 10 a more precise determination of the degree of I'lli," di..,rder .nd average .ize of the

cry>1.lIites by ",ini ,ynchrotron light. The poSSibility of • qnantil.li'" analysis i, • funh .. opportunity for

'pt<:i.l.peo:imcn,.

[11 G, Piga. M. Guirguis. P. Oartoloni, A. Malgosa, S, E""o, 1nl. J. Osteoarchoeol. 20: 144-157 (201 0):

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121

G. Pip. A. Malgo ... T. J. U. Thompoon. S. Enlo. Journal of ArchaeologICal Se;""... 35 2171.2178(2008).

[3] O. Pip. M. Guirgui •. P. llar1Oloni, A. 1\101gosa. S.

Seoenamlllo. M, t. Oonodu, S. Enzo New T~nds

in Arehoeotogieal Science .. pase' 145-165.2008. cd, NOVA Scien.e Publishers Inc.

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15th_{European Conference on Applications of Surface and Interface Analysis 2013, ECASIA’13}

Forte Village Resort, Sardinia, Italy, October 13 – 18, 2013

Microstructural features of human bones and funerary

practices in Mount Sirai (Sardinia)

M. Peana,1* S. Medici,1 S. Enzo,1 E. Zangrando,2 N. Demitri,3 M.A. Zoroddu1, P. Bartoloni,4 M.L. Ganadu5

1_{Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Via Vienna n. 2, 07100 Sassari} 2_{Department of Chemical Sciences, Via Licio Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste}

3_{Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A. Strada Statale 14 - km 163.5, 34149 Basovizza (TS)} 4_{Department of History, Human and Formation Sciences, Via Zanfarino 62, 07100 Sassari} 5_{Department of Hystory, Human Sciences and Education, Via Zanfarino n. 62, 07100 Sassari}

*_{Corresponding author: peana@uniss.it}

1. Introduction

In the attempt to set up a useful methodology for the investigation of burned human remains in archaeological, anthropological and forensic fields, we decided to compare the most common protocols for the study of bone bioapatites (Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, FT-IR, and X-ray Diffraction, XRD) to those deriving from the application of X-ray scattering techniques using synchrotron light. In this way, we expect to take advantage of the wider and more dynamic qualities of such a valuable tool in order to examine a higher number of samples in a very short time compared to the “traditional” techniques, meanwhile assessing its applicability in the archaeological field.

2. Results

The Phoenician-Punic settlement of Mount Sirai in Southern Sardinia offers the opportunity to examine funeral remains of two kinds: inhumation and incineration [1]. The powder X-ray diffraction technique, augmented with IR spectra, allowed us to verify whether the bodies had been cremated (according to the phoenician mode) or inhumated (Carthago influence) (Fig. 1). This was ascertained by using the Rietveld approach for fully describing the diffraction patterns [2]. Exposition of human bodies to high temperatures results in typical patterns for the IR bands of the bioapatite phosphate groups (Fig. 2) and in sharper peaks for both the IR spectra [3] and XRD pattern, even when in a multiphase condition (Fig 3). This was evidenced in a series of experiments carried out on Mount Sirai bones. Two of these samples (one inhumated and one incinerated) were also analyzed through synchrotron XRD giving results in full agreement with those obtained with the “traditional” tools. These findings point out the possibility of extending the scope of our research to a more precise determination of the degree of lattice disorder and average size of the crystallites by using synchrotron light. The possibility of a quantitative analysis is a further opportunity for special specimens.

3. References

[1] G. Piga, M. Guirguis, P. Bartoloni, A. Malgosa, S. Enzo, Int. J. Osteoarchaeol. 20: 144–157 (2010); [2] G. Piga, A. Malgosa, T. J. U. Thompson, S. Enzo,

Journal of Archaeological Science, 35 2171-2178(2008).

[3] G. Piga, M. Guirguis, P. Bartoloni, A. Malgosa, S. Scognamillo, M. L. Ganadu, S. Enzo New Trends in Archaeological Sciences, pages 145-165, 2008, ed. NOVA Science Publishers Inc.

Figure 1 Inhumated and incinerated remains

Figure 2 FT-IR spectra of human bones

Figure 3 XRD spectra of human bones exposed to different temperatures