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Soil pH, Bone Preservation, and Sampling Bias at Mortuary Sites

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Claire C. Gordon  and
Jane E. Buikstra
Claire C. Gordon
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60201
Jane E. Buikstra
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60201
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Abstract

Prediction of human skeletal preservation at mortuary sites is important in archaeological research and in cultural resources management. In this study, correlations between osseous deterioration and soil acidity, as measured by pH, were found to be significant. Age-associated preservation biases were also evident. The use of multiple regression is suggested as a technique for estimating recovery of human osteological remains in archaeological context.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 46 , Issue 3 , July 1981 , pp. 566 - 571
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 1981

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References

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