Bone preservation in human remains from the Terme del Sarno at Pompeii using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy

Archaeological bone call show marked and complex alterations depending oil the environment ill which it was buried. In this study, the state of preservation of 27 femurs recovered from the archaeological site of Pompeii was evaluated by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Most of the bone samples, prepared by the grinding method, showed good histological preservation. although they were characterized by microfissures (microcracking). Nine bone samples showed different states of histological preservation, including worst preservation (two femurs), Clue to diagenetic processes. Cryostat bone sections stained with thionin or 4',6'-diamidino-phenylindole (DAPI) revealed the persistence of DNA within some osteocyte lacunae. Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that Ultrastructural characters, such as lamellae and collagen fibres, are recognizable only ill unaltered bone. Our results reveal that most Pompeian samples are well preserved since they have a bone microstructure virtual] indistinguishable from that of fresh bone. In methodological terms, although each of the various morphological methods used contributes information, histological and histochemical analyses are the most informative for studying the preservation state of bone and allow for rapid essential screening of archaeological bone. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.