On porosity of archeological bones II. Textural characterization of Mesoamerican human bones

Abstract Human bone porosity may be an indicator of many bone diseases but it can also reflect the influence of postmortem alterations. The usually reported values for textural parameters, such as specific surface area or porosity of archeological bones, are not consistent as pathology and taphonomy may alter bone morphology at nano and/or micrometrical levels. To illustrate those points, four archeological human bones were chosen; they differ in the environment where they were found and on their attributed diseases. Complementary analysis techniques commonly mentioned in material science were used to characterize the chosen samples: gas adsorption, small angle X-ray scattering and scanning electron microscopy. It is shown that, even if the differences between human pathological and healthy bones can be clear in fresh materials, such alterations may be masked by taphonomy in archeological bones.