Investigating Trace Element Distribution in Cortical Bone Microstructures of Human Children for Information about Diet and Social Status

In archaeology, chemical analysis of elements in bones can unlock a wealth of anthropological information. Individuals are exposed to various elements throughout their lives, (from sources including food, drinking water, and cookware), which are stored in bone tissue. Because bone tissue regenerates continuously, skeletal remains contain a record of an individual’s lifetime of exposure to elements. Measuring their distribution within bones, and determining if they appear in newer or older bone tissue, can offer insight into major life events. Several elements are known to be connected to diet and social status, and reveal information about the lives of individuals that might otherwise be inaccessible. The proposed work will focus on elemental distribution in the skeletal remains of children; it will develop methods of analysis specific to children, and investigate the differences in element storage and distribution between children and adults. As existing methods were developed for the bones of adults, this work will provide a deeper understanding of the lives of children, and the context in which they lived.

Faculty Supervisor:

Diane Beauchemin

Student:

Partner:

University of Southern Denmark

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Education

University:

Queen's University

Program: