A combined PIXE-PIGE approach for the assessment of the diagenetic state of cremated bones submitted to AMS radiocarbon dating

Bone samples from a Bronze age necropolis in Northern Italy, exposed to different combustion temperatures, were submitted to XRD (X-ray Diffraction), PIXE (Particle Induced X-ray Emission) and PIGE (Particle Induced Gamma Ray Emission) analyses in order to obtain information about their diagenetic state. Structural carbonate was then extracted by acid hydrolysis and used for 14C-AMS (Accelerator Mass Spectrometry) dating. These analytical techniques permitted the study of the effects of the combustion temperature on the crystallinity of the bone apatite and on its elemental chemical composition in terms of major, minor and trace elements. The results indicate that combustion at temperatures above ∼700 °C induces changes in the bone crystalline structure, reducing the diagenetic uptake of elements from the burial environment.