Isotopic and Infrared Analysis of Corpse Manipulation during Cremation: An Experimental Study on Human and Animal Cadavers

In a pioneering study, Salesse et al. (2021) assessed the feasibility of reconstructing the initial positioning of the body on or within the pyre, as well as to provide evidence of the presence of worn garments. Experimental burnings using pig legs as human substitutes were performed, with subsequent isotopic (δ13C, δ18O) and infrared (ATR-FTIR) analyses, as these analytical tools have been shown to provide information about pyre conditions.
The study revealed significant impacts on δ18O values in bone apatite carbonates (δ18Ocarb) and cyanamide content in calcined bone (CN/P) based on the positioning of the feet and the presence of worn footwear. Closed shoes created a protective layer, delaying the burning of underlying pig tissues and intensifying the heat-shielding effect soft tissues on the bone mineral fraction. Consequently, bioapatite bone carbonates interact with relatively more 18O-depleted atmosphere, resulting in a more pronounced decrease in δ18Ocarb values when burning shoed feet compared to unshod feet. The initial placement of shoed feet in the pyre also caused a top-to-bottom decrease in δ18Ocarb values among the shoed feet at different levels of deposition. Additionally, the detection of cyanamide, serving as a proxy for oxygen availability during cremation, appears to indicate the use of closed footwear, as these conditions create favorable circumstances for its integration into bone apatite.
In this presentation, we broaden the research design introduced by Salesse et al. (2021) to encompass human cadaveric remains1, aiming to validate the previous findings and assess their relevance in archaeological contexts.