Out of the frying pan into the fire: what value are burnt fish bones to archaeology?

Abstract

This paper examines both the effects on fish bone of heating to high temperatures and the potential information surviving for archaeologists after fishes have been burned. Field and laboratory-based experiments were conducted using bones from a selection of fish species. Whole fishes were placed on fires which reached temperatures of up to 850°C; the colour of the bones and the representation of skeletal elements were examined. Bones were also heated in a muffle furnace to temperatures ranging from 200°-900°c and examined with regard to colour, strength: and surface morphology, the last using the scanning electron microscope. The results were compared with archaeological material and it is concluded that within limits the temperature which a bone reached during heating may be determined in an archaeological context. Both experiments have important implications for the interpretation of archaeological burnt fish remains.