Abstract
The effects of heat on the stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios of collagen in bone were studied. Boiling or roasting did not change the δ 13C and δ 13N values by more than 1‰. More extreme heating, such as might occur if bones were burned or a body cremated, shifted δ 13C and δ 15N values by as much as 5 and 4‰ respectively. These large shifts were accompanied by changes in the atomic carbon-to-nitrogen ratios of the collagen. These results indicate that collagen samples extracted from prehistoric bones which display anomalous atomic carbon-to-nitrogen ratios may have been subjected to heating extreme enough to have altered their 13 C 12 C and/or 15 N 14 N ratios and therefore should not be used for dietary reconstruction.
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