Trace Elements in Environmental History

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-X

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2. Chemical Stability of Hydroxyapatite under Different Conditions

   • Heinrich Newesely

   Pages 1-16

3. Methodical Aspects of the Determination of Pb, Cd and Mn in Foetal Bone

   • M. Hedrich, U. Rösick, P. Brätter, R. L. Bergmann, K. E. Bergmann

   Pages 17-25

4. Alteration of Chemical Composition of Fossil Bones by Soil Processes and Groundwater

   • C. T. Williams

   Pages 27-40

5. Multielementary Analysis of Trace Elements and Preliminary Results on Stable Isotopes in Two Italian Prehistoric Sites. Methodological aspects

   • Paolo Francalacci, Silvana Borgognini Tarli

   Pages 41-52

6. Discrimination Factors on Different Trophic Levels in Relation to the Trace Element Content in Human Bones

   • Lex Runia

   Pages 53-66

7. Trace Elements in Human Teeth

   • Theya Molleson

   Pages 67-82

8. Chemical Analysis of Human Dental Enamel from Archaeological Sites

   • V. Vernois, M. Ung Bao, N. Deschamps

   Pages 83-90

9. Trace Element Content in Prehistoric Cremated Human Remains

   • Bernd Herrmann, Gisela Grupe

   Pages 91-101

10. Trace Element Contaminations in Excavated Bones by Microorganisms

    • Gisela Grupe, Hermann Piepenbrink

    Pages 103-112

11. Trace Element Analysis of Human Hair

    • K. Dörner

    Pages 113-123

12. The Heavy Metal Burden in Ancient Societies

    • Tony Waldron

    Pages 125-133

13. Soil Features and Human Health

    • Iain Thornton

    Pages 135-144

14. The Bioavailability of Trace Elements and Age-Specific Trace Element Metabolism

    • H. Zumkley, C. Spieker

    Pages 145-150

15. The Diagnosis of Disease by Element Analysis

    • O. Oster

    Pages 151-165

16. Proposals and Recommendations of the Conference Concerning Future Work on Trace Elements

    • Gisela Grupe

    Pages 167-168

17. Back Matter

    Pages 169-174

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This book contains the contributions to an European symposium on "Trace Elements in Environmental History", held from June 24th to 26th at GCittingen, FRG. The confe­ rence was organised by the Institute of Anthropology of the Georg August-University in GCittingen. At first glance, it might be surprising that the organizers are anthropolo­ gists. But this is a result of change of paradigm prehistoric anthropology is facing at the time. For decades, population development and population processes in the past have been looked at in terms of morphology, thus describing the diversity of human populations by the outer appearance of the skeletal findings and by the reconstruction of population structures. The new approach concentrates less on how people in the past looked like, but moreover on what they did and how they lived. Thus, research is based on ecosystem-theories, and it aims on the evaluation of ancient ecological features and past man/environment relationships. Research is encouraged since anthropologists are asked a lot of questions by historians and social scientists, who became more and more interested in the history of every day's life. Prehistoric anthropology today focu­ ses also on manners, habits, ways of life and environmental constituents as they can be traced from skeletal remains, which represent an important historical source. The ecosystemic approach is promising since the experiences of daily life certainly influence human behaviour, life style and mentality, thus directing reproduction and therefore population development.

• environment
• groundwater
• health
• metabolism
• microorganism
• ecotoxicology
• water quality and water pollution
• air pollution and air quality

• Institut für Anthropologie der Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen, Germany

  Gisela Grupe, Bernd Herrmann

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