Characteristic burn temperature markers of bones as revealed by electron paramagnetic resonance

Abstract

Abstract This research paper presents a novel methodology for determining the burn temperature of archaeological bones using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) supported by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. A selection of bone samples, burned at different temperatures, were examined with EPR. The EPR spectra displayed dependency on burn temperature, showing characteristic narrow spectra of carbon radicals, Mn $$^{2+}$$ 2 + signals and signals from different carbonate ions. This methodology was applied to selected archaeological samples of burnt bones, successfully determining the burn temperature these bones were exposed to in the past. The extracted burn temperatures showed good agreement with those determined from a complementary reflectance FTIR study.

Keywords

• Burnt bones
• EPR spectroscopy
• Burn temperature
• Reflection FTIR spectroscopy
• Archaeological bones
• Thermal degradation