Abstract
Most methods of bone preparation for 14C dating are designed to extract collagen or individual compounds. The problem becomes acute for poorly preserved bones, since they have no collagen. The bioapatite is stable against microbiological decomposition and dissolution over millennium scales. However, it may be exposed to isotopic exchange with environmental carbonates.We are reviewing our research during the last decades comparing the dating different fractions of bones of different ages and differing preservation degrees. The results have shown that preservation of bioapatite depends on the conditions of the environment in which samples were buried. The wet environment affects bioapatite by enriching it with 14C due to isotopic exchange with environmental carbonates. 14C depletion of bone bioapatite deposited in caves and in limestone is possible. The results for the samples from arid, semi-arid and non-carbonate environments are in a good agreement with dates on other materials.
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