Acta Anthropologica Sinica ›› 1993, Vol. 12 ›› Issue (03): 241-250.

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A chemical element analysis of Bronze Age human femurs in China

Zheng Xiaoying   

  • Online:1993-09-15 Published:1993-09-15

Abstract: Twenty-two chemical elements in human femurs of the late Bronze Age were deter-mined by ICAP. They are ferrum(Fe), zincum(Zn), cuprum(Cu), fluorum(F), selenium(Se), calcium(Ca), phosphorum(P), niccolum(Ni), beryllium(Be), manganum(Mn), magnesium(M g),strontium(Sr), molybdanium(Mo), yttrium(Y), chromium(Cr), cobaltum(Co), titanium(Ti), aluminium(Al), baryum(Ba), kalium(K), scandium(Sc), vanadium(V). This analysis established China's consult system of chemical elements analysis for ancient human bones. Results indicated that twenty of these chemical element, barely difered between the sexes. Only Co and Ti showed some differences. The content of some elements such Y, K, Cu, Sr, Ba and Se varied greatly with age. The contents of food-related elements were larger relatively for age but smaller for sex. The Sr, Zn, Mg and Mo con-tent in the Bone decreased as age increased. The Zn content of bone in children was very low, while it was the highest during puberty. On the other hand the Cu content of child renwas high, and decreased with age, it began to increase again around age of 40. Ca content began to decrease from the age of 40, yet tended to increase from the age of 50. This phe-nomenon may be related to com petition in a bsorption between Ca and Sr. There were no obvious rules regulating this shift for Mg and Zn. The late Bronze Age levels of Cu, Sr and Mo were higher than those of the early period, but Ca, on the other hand, trended to decrease. The Sr content among the ancient inhabitants of the Ganguya cemetery was high,but that of Cu and Zn was low. The value of Sr / Ca was higher than that in modern populations, but far lower than that in prehistoric ones. These results reveal that the ancient inhabitants in Ganguya primarily ate plant products with only a small amount of meats. In the later period the kinds of foods became more varied. The content of elements such as Cu,Mo, Sr and Ca was higher in varying degree than in early periods. We suggest that people began to cultivate plants such as beans and cereals or, alternatively people had discovered and were eating more kinds of wild beans and cereals.

Key words: Human femur; Chemical elements; Bronze Age