EEN VERRASSENDE WENDING: GECREMEERD BEEN BLIJKT WEL 14C-DATEERBAAR!

Samenvatting

The mineral component of bone, bio-apatite, con­tains a small amount of 'structural' carbonate. Its origin is carbon in the food. Recently a group of French scientists showed that unburnt bone from arid areas can be dated by AMS, using this structural carbonate (table 1). Impired by their re­sults, we applied their method to cremated bones. What we hoped turned out to be true: despite losses on the pyre, cremated bones contain enough structural carbonate, to be datable (tables 2 and 3). No more than c. 2 grammes is required for an AMS date. A first list of results is presented. Another experiment showed that un­burnt bone from less arid areas also can be dated in this way (table 4). The Topped Mountain car­bonate date is probably more reliable than the collagen date.