Dear Zooarch
My query concerns the suitability of samples for radiocarbon dating. I am currently analysing a pig skeleton excavated from Somerset which the excavators would like to carbon date as there are no associated artefacts. However, despite being exposed in the grave as an intact specimen, the skeleton is very poorly preserved and has severely fragmented since its removal from the context due to the soil environment in which it lay. The skull is missing so there are no teeth, but there are a couple of specimens - distal humerus, the glenoid of a scapula, lumbar bodies - which remain intact enough to provide samples. So my question is, will these still provide suitable samples for dating since they are so badly preserved? Does the degradation of the bone reduce the ability for carbon dating for providing a reliable result or will these specimens be 'ok'?
All thoughts are welcome.
Cheers,
Martyn Allen
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