Archeological hair in paleobiological research

The aim of our research is to define some biological characteristics of ancient populations using hair. Samples of human hair from South American mummies housed in the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, Turin University, were studied by light microscopy, “tricocicloforo” measurements and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Samples were prepared for SEM morphological observation with a Cambridge 360 Stereoscan equipped with an Oxford Instrument X-EDS Pentafet and Inca 200 Microanalysis Suite device for chemical determinations. For some samples, we tried to acquire EDS spectra to obtain qualitative chemical information about the composition of contaminating solid material found during the investigation. The analytical conditions were: 25 mm working distance, 200 pA probe current, 15 kV accelerating voltage, due to the geometric construction of the SEM-EDS chamber. We obtained some qualitative information regarding the presence of high amounts of sulphur (also as a component of hair protein), calcium and potassium. We intend to obtain more precise information in future analyses of carbon-coated samples. Our results underline the importance of SEM in analysing hair for anthropological studies.