Reconstructing taphonomic histories using histological analysis

Recent years have seen rapid advances in the understanding of diagenetic changes to bone tissues and how these influence the chemistry, microstructure and histological appearance of ancient bone. It is now possible to recognise many characteristic features of diagenetically modified bone and this has led to the potential use of these parameters in estimating the potential survival of biogenic signals such as DNA, lipids, proteins and stable isotopes. These characteristic features also hold the potential for preserving a record of different post-mortem environments in individual bones or assemblages of bones from the same site. In sites where the burial conditions have changed over archaeological or geological timescales, histological analyses can shed light on these different burial environments and permit the reconstruction of taphonomic histories of some bones. Examination of polished sections of bone using BSE-SEM has been used to identify characteristic features attributed to aerobic soil bacteria, cyanobacteria, and sulphate reducing bacteria. The approach shows promise for providing supplementary evidence when phasing complex sites, such as graveyards, which developed over several hundred years.