The Effect of Soft Tissues in Burnt Human Skeletal Remains

ABSTRACT This review investigates the potential impact of soft tissues in heat‐induced bone changes. This is relevant to assess the adequacy of heat exposure experiments carried out on bones, an increasingly popular approach. Concerns exist that experiments on dry bones might not accurately represent human remains from archaeological cremation. Therefore, a literature review of data obtained from burnt dry and fresh bones was carried out to identify potential differences in the manifestation of heat‐induced changes according to the pre‐burning condition. The literature suggests that while soft tissues can affect the timing of heat exposure, they do not fundamentally alter the bone response to heat. Warping and thumbnail fractures occur more often in bones with soft tissues but are likely related to collagen content. Color variations are more likely due to soil staining rather than the presence of soft tissues. Shrinkage is primarily due to organics and water losses and bone structural changes, while soft tissues seem to play no role in it. Mass loss may seem greater in fresh bones, but this is most probably due to prior mass loss experienced by previously inhumed dry bones. At the microstructural level, soft tissues also offer a temporary protective effect, but the bone normal response to heat seems to be resumed after that effect ends. The molecular and crystal structure, as well as the elemental composition, do not seem notably changed by the pre‐burning condition of bones. In summary, soft tissues mainly delay heat‐induced changes and do not appear to cause different bone responses. Both dry and fresh bones seem to be viable choices to experimentally study burnt skeletal remains.