A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve, 1969. 2. (Szeged, 1969)

K. Dávid, Péter: Thermoanalytical Study of Human Bone Remains

It is to be seen, that the total weight decrease of the bone is approximative^ proportional to the reciprocal age and the slope of the line is in relationship with the rate of degradation processes of human bone in the soil. The formula of the straight line is AG=2,84.10

3

y+13,4 [%] where studying the limits of validity of the above ofrmula it is clear, that the value of 1/T is limited, since the fresh bone also has a finite, cca 30°/o weight decrease (AG) determining by this way the maximal value of T. Therefore 1

m

in Rí 170 years, (consequently the sample from the year of 1931 is not represented in Fig. 3.) The validity of the above formula has also a limit in the other direction: with greater T values the first part of the formula approaches to zero and than A G approaches to 13,4°/o.) Naturally the same linear interpretation is also possible of other curves (I, II and III) of Fig. 2. yielding similar straight lines which differs from each other only in their slopes and relative positions. But for the sake of brief description, it must now neglect the linear interpretation of these sectional processes. Fig. 3. The Fig. 2. shows the weight decreases of the corresponding sectionalprocesses (I., II. and III.) as the function of the absolute age (T) of the studied bones. It is to be seen, that each of weight decrease curves are approaching an asymptotic value and the slopes of this curves are significant only in the time interval of the first thousand years. With regard to the shape of the curves it appeared to be correct to choose 1/T coordinates instead T coordinates on the time axis of Fig. 2. This way, the total weight decrease values of Processes 1 +11 +III (see Table) was plotted versus 1/T, i. e. the reciprocal age. In this interpretation the function weight decrease — age shows a linear character and gives a straight line in Fig. 3. 214