Let’s play with fire! Preliminary results of new experiments on animal bone of thermo-alterations

Abstract

ABSTRACT Thermo-alterations in skeletal remains result from circumstances that can be key to understanding the context in which these appear. Here, we present the results of a series of experiments based on the exposure of animal remains to a range of different conditions and temperatures (up to 900°C) to document a variety of contexts that provide valuable information in fossil sites and forensic cases. Meat-bearing and defleshed remains (i.e. meat manually removed before the experiment) were exposed to high-temperatures, both directly or buried in different types of sediments (silt, sand, gravel and mixed sediment), in order to document colour changes and survival of soft tissues. Thus, our main goal was to monitor colour alteration and superficial modifications on the bone surface (i.e. cracks, as well as disarticulation of small mammal carcasses caused by high temperatures).