Bone diagenesis in archaeological sites of fluvial-lacustrine environments of central-east Argentina

The aim of this work is to identify the main taphonomic processes that contribute to the degradation and contamination of collagen in faunal remains from archaeological sites located in fluvial-lacustrine environments. This problem has made it difficult to radiocarbon date bones and therefore to chronologically assign human occupations. The first results of the diagenetic analyses of bone samples from the archaeological sites Cerro Tapera V & aacute;zquez, Calera and Las Brusquillas 4, located in central-east Argentina, are presented. Protein content, collagen quality, porosity, crystallinity, carbon/phosphorus content and calcite percentage were analyzed. The results indicated that chemical hydrolysis and dissolution generated modifications in the bones, which led to low preservation in the quantity and quality of collagen, a fundamental material to guarantee radiocarbon dating.