Human fossil bones: Archaeometric classification using chemometrics and thermogravimetry. Influence of skeleton fossilization and its anatomical parts

The results of the simultaneous application of thermogravimetry and chemometrics, which allowed differentiating, quickly and inexpensively, finds of very ancient human fossil bones (~ 6000 BC), from less ancient ones (some hundreds of years before and after Christ) are here shown. The main purpose of the present research was to highlight if the selection of one or another anatomical part of a fossil skeleton could influence the differentiation of the antiquity of bone finds provided by the chemometric-thermogravimetric approach. The results obtained have shown that the variability related to the selection of one or another anatomical part of the skeleton is practically irrelevant, if compared to that related to the ancientness of the skeleton investigated.