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Simpson R, Cooper DML, Swanston T, et al. Historical overview and new directions in bioarchaeological trace element analysis: a review. Archaeol Anthropol Sci. 2021;13(1):24doi: 10.1007/s12520-020-01262-4.
Simpson, R., Cooper, D. M. L., Swanston, T., Coulthard, I., & Varney, T. L. (2021). Historical overview and new directions in bioarchaeological trace element analysis: a review. Archaeological and anthropological sciences, 13(1), 24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-020-01262-4
Simpson, Rachel, et al. "Historical overview and new directions in bioarchaeological trace element analysis: a review." Archaeological and anthropological sciences vol. 13,1 (2021): 24. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-020-01262-4
Simpson R, Cooper DML, Swanston T, Coulthard I, Varney TL. Historical overview and new directions in bioarchaeological trace element analysis: a review. Archaeol Anthropol Sci. 2021;13(1):24. doi: 10.1007/s12520-020-01262-4. Epub 2021 Jan 15. PMID: 33520004; PMCID: PMC7810633.
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Archaeol Anthropol Sci. 2021;13(1):24. doi: 10.1007/s12520-020-01262-4. Epub 2021 Jan 15.

Historical overview and new directions in bioarchaeological trace element analysis: a review.

Archaeological and anthropological sciences

Rachel Simpson, David M L Cooper, Treena Swanston, Ian Coulthard, Tamara L Varney

Affiliations

  1. Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK Canada.
  2. Present Address: Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB Canada.
  3. Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK Canada.
  4. Department of Anthropology, Economics and Political Science, MacEwan University, Edmonton, AB Canada.
  5. Department of Biological Sciences, MacEwan University, Edmonton, AB Canada.
  6. Canadian Light Source, Saskatoon, SK Canada.
  7. Department of Anthropology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON Canada.

PMID: 33520004 PMCID: PMC7810633 DOI: 10.1007/s12520-020-01262-4

Abstract

Given their strong affinity for the skeleton, trace elements are often stored in bones and teeth long term. Diet, geography, health, disease, social status, activity, and occupation are some factors which may cause differential exposure to, and uptake of, trace elements, theoretically introducing variability in their concentrations and/or ratios in the skeleton. Trace element analysis of bioarchaeological remains has the potential, therefore, to provide rich insights into past human lifeways. This review provides a historical overview of bioarchaeological trace element analysis and comments on the current state of the discipline by highlighting approaches with growing momentum. Popularity for the discipline surged following preliminary studies in the 1960s to 1970s that demonstrated the utility of strontium (Sr) as a dietary indicator. During the 1980s, Sr/Ca ratio and multi-element studies were commonplace in bioarchaeology, linking trace elements with dietary phenomena. Interest in using trace elements for bioarchaeological inferences waned following a period of critiques in the late 1980s to 1990s that argued the discipline failed to account for diagenesis, simplified complex element uptake and regulation processes, and used several unsuitable elements for palaeodietary reconstruction (e.g. those under homeostatic regulation, those without a strong affinity for the skeleton). In the twenty-first century, trace element analyses have been primarily restricted to Sr and lead (Pb) isotope analysis and the study of toxic trace elements, though small pockets of bioarchaeology have continued to analyse multiple elements. Techniques such as micro-sampling, element mapping, and non-traditional stable isotope analysis have provided novel insights which hold the promise of helping to overcome limitations faced by the discipline.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12520-020-01262-4.

© The Author(s) 2021.

Keywords: Bioarchaeology; Diagenesis; Element mapping; Micro-sampling; Non-traditional stable isotope analysis; Trace element analysis

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interestThe authors declare they have no conflicts of interest.

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