Trace metal levels in fossil human bone from the Bezdanjaca necropolis in Croatia

Elemental analysis of prehistoric human bone for the reconstruction of past environmental conditions, diets and migrations is a relatively new concept and can be a helpful tool in palaeoanthropology. The contents of Pb, Cu, Cd, Zn, Ca, Sr and Ba in fossil and recent human bone were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV). Some variation among the measured elements was established, but strontium was found to be a suitable tracer for such bioanthropological investigations. The applied analytical techniques are suitable for such investigations because of the comparatively small amount of material required and great analytical precision.