Elemental Analysis of Archaeological Hair Compared to Soil Composition: A Case Study of a Child and Adult Female

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Arch Street Project: Multidisciplinary Research of a Philadelphia Cemetery" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This case study focused on two individuals, a child (G-009) and an adult female (G-033), recovered with intact hair masses from the former First Baptist Church of Philadelphia (FBCP) cemetery. Hair samples from both individuals were studied visually using light microscopy and chemically using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) multi-elemental analyses. ICP-OES analysis focused on the parts per million (ppm) level of 14 elements, including major and trace elements found in hair and soil (Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Zn) and three heavy metal toxins (As, Cd, Pb). Periodic table semiquantitative heatmap analysis via ICP-MS was also conducted. Elemental analysis revealed the G-009 and G-033 hair samples were chemically distinct from each other and from the soil samples collected at the excavation site. The heatmap results suggest that while burial has a significant effect on the mineral content of hair, hair retains elemental distributions unique to the individual even after centuries of direct soil exposure. Therefore, the mineral composition of both the hair and soil in archaeological contexts should be analyzed to provide insight into the types of environmental exposure experienced by individuals ante- and postmortem.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Arch Street Project: Multidisciplinary Research of a Philadelphia Cemetery   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38271.0