Distinguishing Remains of Human Cremations from Burned Animal Bones

Abstract

Archaeological remains of human cremations, often consisting of a few calcined bone fragments unassociated with any other indicators of human mortuary behavior, are sometimes difficult to distinguish from mammalian remains representing ancient garbage. Although experimental and archaeological studies of human cremation may facilitate recognition of cremated or otherwise burned mammal bone, they do not provide the necessary criteria to distinguish cremation from other kinds of burning and, therefore, to recognize, immediately, a human cremation in archaeological context. Experiments were conducted to provide criteria for distinguishing the remains of cremated whole large mammals from intensively burned fresh, anhydrous, archaeological, boiled, and baked bones of large mammals. Results indicate that distinctive patterns of cracking, fracturing, and warping of calcined bone, and especially the absence of evidence of perimortem fracture, may alert the excavator to the possibility of a human cremation.