Diagenesis in Progress, Progress in Diagenesis – The Skeletal Archives

Abstract

Skeletal remains serve as first-hand witnesses of our past, providing crucial information for reconstructing important events in human and animal history. These valuable remains hold information about the dietary habits, mobility patterns, biological profile and, genetic history of the individual during its life. They also provide insights into the ecological niches and environment in which the individual lived. Diagenesis, however, may blur the comprehensive range of information that is archived in bones and teeth, potentially hindering successful retrieval of such data. To improve our understanding of fossilization pathways and exchange knowledge about techniques (isotopes, trace elements, DNA, proteomics, etc.) for extracting reliable data from skeletal material, researchers from diverse backgrounds have been convening every four years since 1988 at the International Bone Diagenesis Meeting. This collaborative effort has yielded the publication of special issues that showcase the latest findings and advancements in the field1 (see Schwarcz et al., 1989; Fernández–Jalvo et al., 2002; Lee-Thorp and Sealy, 2008, Tütken and Vennemann, 2011; Balter and Zazzo, 2014; Snoeck and Lee-Thorp, 2020). In September 21–24, 2021, the 9th International Bone Diagenesis Meeting took place in Évora, Portugal, in a hybrid format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over three days, nearly 100 participants from 20 different countries attended the conference (Fig. 1). The scientific program was divided into five distinct sessions: 1) Taphonomy, preservation, environment; 2) Preservation of organic molecules in bones in deep times; 3) Advance in sample preparation, analytical technique, and experiments on skeletal tissues; 4) Non-traditional and new chemical proxies applied to ancient bones and teeth; 5) Diagenesis in forensics. Session 5 was a novel addition to the Bone Diagenesis Meeting, as it was sought as a possibility to promote interdisciplinary collaboration between forensic and archaeological research fields, recognizing the potential for mutual enrichment and synergy.