Out of the frying pan into the fire: what value are burnt fish bones to archaeology?

TL;DRAbstract

This paper examines both the effects on fish bone of heating to high temperatures and the potential information surviving for archaeologists after fishes have been burned. Field and laboratory-based experiments were conducted using bones from a selection of fish species. Whole fishes were placed on fires which reached temperatures of up to 850°C; the colour of the bones and the representation of skeletal elements were examined. Bones were also heated in a muffle furnace to temperatures ranging from 200°-900°c and examined with regard to colour, strength: and surface morphology, the last using the scanning electron microscope. The results were compared with archaeological material and it is concluded that within limits the temperature which a bone reached during heating may be determined in an archaeological context. Both experiments have important implications for the interpretation of archaeological burnt fish remains.

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