Study of the methodological system for blood residues with different degrees of degradation on artefacts

This study aims to develop a methodology for the detection of blood residues in archaeological contexts, providing valuable information about religious tradition, social development, and daily life of ancient society. The testing method system using iron and porphyrin compounds as blood markers is developed. The results show that, for well-preserved blood residues, the non-destructive techniques including Raman spectroscopy (for porphyrin compounds) and micro-area X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (for iron) are adequate; for blood residues suffering from severe deterioration, a combination of micro-area X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (for detecting iron), Ultraviolet and visible absorption spectroscopy and reduced phenolphthalein test (for porphyrin compounds) is necessary. The method systems in this study are meaningful and highly applicable for the confirmation of blood with different degrees of degradation on the archaeological artefacts.