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Description
Human burial sites hold vast archaeological significance, offering a unique window into a long-forgotten past. Because bones can survive for millennia without mummification, they are often the only human remains recovered from these sites. This dissertation explores the use of non-destructive elemental characterization techniques and their role within the broader array of methods used to investigate ancient remains. Specifically, this study evaluates the combined application of portable X-ray Fluorescence (pXRF) and Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA). By integrating these techniques, the research aims to bypass their individual shortcomings in order to achieve highly accurate elemental profiles of human bone. To test this approach, a case study was conducted on two recently excavated male individuals from Tâncăbești, Ilfov, near Lake Snagov.