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oa Molecular Investigation of Archaeological Ambers from Alsace (Ne France): Origins and Alteration Processes
- Publisher: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers
- Source: Conference Proceedings, 30th International Meeting on Organic Geochemistry (IMOG 2021), Sep 2021, Volume 2021, p.1 - 2
Abstract
A set of amber samples collected from archaeological burials at three different sites in Alsace (NE France) and dated back to the Bronze Age and the high Middle Age, as well as European ambers from potential geological sources have been investigated. Based on GC-MS analysis of lipid biomarkers occurring in the solvent extract and of those released by chemical degradation which comprised various diterpenoids and succinates, it appears that the archaeological samples correspond to Baltic amber, confirming that the Baltic region was a source of amber for Alsace, at least during the Bronze Age and the High Middle Age. Identification of the source of ambers using lipid distributions was possible despite alteration of the molecular signatures by natural degradation processes.