Multi-Analytical Study on Excavated Human Bones in the Burial Environment at Shenna Ruins, Qinghai, China

Abstract

Excavated human bones are important materials for revealing information about ancient human food, the ancient environment and the ancient climate, and the origins of ancient humans. Often, the chemical composition and biological characteristics of bones have changed to varying degrees, which means that they are contaminated and cannot be used for further analysis. Through research on the correlation between human bones excavated from a burial environment and their state of preservation, judging whether the excavated bones are contaminated is a prerequisite for scientific analysis, environmental archeology, and research on ancient human recipes. In this paper, human bones excavated from the Shenna ruins and the contamination of them in the burial environment has been judged using craniofacial measurement characteristics, pH measurement, scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform red external light spectrum (FTIR), and stable isotope tests (SIT). However, the organic compositions of the remains at Shenna are decomposed to a large degree, and the inorganic structure has been destroyed, which will eventually cause looseness and porosity, and the compositions of inorganic minerals in the human bones have not been changed or contaminated. The results indicate that the burial environment at Shenna accelerated the deterioration of human bones, but it has not affected the typical character of the human bone, and the human bones extracted can still be used for further trace element testing. Moreover, this can help to reduce the effort required to reveal information about ancient human food, as well as the need for further studies of the paleoenvironment and paleoclimate in the Shenna ruins.